Hope & Miracle of Lena
My husband Norbert and I, along with our then six children, were living in a small neighborhood just outside of Phnom Phen in Cambodia. I was pregnant with our seventh child. The year was 1995 and Norbert had developed a program to train pastors who were much needed at the time, as there was quite a harvest of new believers in many of the provinces of Cambodia. The country at this time was still recovering from the effects of Pol Pot’s cruel regime. I was busy at home with homeschooling and caring for the kids.
Our baby was due in September of that year and due to the fact that there was no suitable hospital to deliver, we decided to travel out of the country for the birth. We decided on Penang in Malaysia as we had good contacts there. In the months prior to that, a strange virus was making its way through several of our children. Our daughter Carina was especially affected with fever and any sore she had became infected. This was also the case once we arrived in Penang.
What a wonderful time it was for us all being greeted by our new friends and landing in what seemed like paradise compared to where we’d come from. Pastor Joy and his wife Elsie, along with the Living Waters Church, seemed to anticipate every need we had and supplied us with very comfortable accommodations – the church’s kindergarten which wasn’t in use at that time.
We had planned to stay for about a month to allow for the birth and all it would entail along with our much needed break from the pressures of living life in a post-war country. There were lots of sites to see and my favorite would be time at the beach with the family, but it was there that I began to not feel so well and I noticed a mosquito bite on my leg was becoming infected. Carina’s issues were already long taken care of once we were able to purchase the antibiotic salve she needed. And yes, I was to go into labor not long after!
We could see the ocean from our accommodations and during quite a severe thunderstorm I watched numerous lightning bolts striking over the waters as I sensed in my spirit the Lord telling me there would be a tough time ahead but I was calmed hearing in my spirit that it would be well in the end. Our daughter Lena was born September 22, her due date, and my birthday!
Two weeks later Norbert was off to Kuala Lumpur to procure Lenas documents, and the rest of us were invited to spend the day with a very dear family that spoiled us with gifts and great food! It was then that Lena developed a high fever. I didn’t think too much of it because I was of the opinion that nursing infants are pretty much covered! Wrong! It was when she started to seizure that I listened to my host’s urgent suggestions that we take Lena to the emergency room!
After a lumbar puncture it was confirmed that Lena had meningitis. At this news I had expected that I would succumb to some dramatic reaction like I’d seen so many times in all the Hospital programs I had watched on TV growing up! But no, I had a calming presence around me. Everyday Living Waters sent in prayer teams to pray by Lenas bedside! I was able to have her close to me at all times, nursing her to keep her comforted and fed.
One day she started to seize again and was rushed to a room along with me for more tests. That was scary. Lena’s pediatrician was a God send and knew how to love his little patients! He always entered the room saying “How’s my little Sunshine today?!” But then the day of one of her checkups he told us that it wasn’t likely that we’d be able to return home to Cambodia but he would consult with other doctors and try using a broader antibiotic treatment for her case. Lena’s care at the Seventh Day Adventist’s Hospital ended up to be a two week stay. She had gained a whole kilo in weight and was given a clean bill of health along with the news that we could return home without any concerns for her well being! We knew God had answered our prayers and had given us another wonderful miracle along with the gift of our precious little Lena miracle! To God be all the glory!
