Here We Go Again…

“Though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ.”
– 1 Peter 1:6-7 NKJV

My primary care physician asked his wife to check in on me while I was in the hospital. It turned out that she and my mother had a mutual acquaintance. We quickly developed a bond and she invited us to stay with her family once I was discharged from the hospital. This was a blessing because I had follow up appointments prior to flying home. We were blown away by her generous offer, especially since we had only known her and her husband for a short while. On a side note, have you ever stayed at your doctor’s house before? They even took us on a weekend trip to a popular safari resort. That’s a whole other level of hospitality.

Unfortunately, I was beginning to feel unwell during our trip. I felt pain and once again was unable to keep anything down. We had to rush back to the hospital in Johannesburg. Scans showed that I had a blockage that needed to be addressed and surgery was highly likely. I felt my world crashing down. A third surgery in about three weeks after the second one was not what I expected, nor wanted.

My frustration was beginning to kindle against God. I couldn’t understand why He didn’t just heal me already, especially since there were so many prayers being said for me around the globe. After several attempts of non-surgical methods to clear the blockage, it was determined that surgery was the best way to proceed.

Here we go again . . . I had my third surgery on the day I was scheduled to fly home to the United States.