First, thank you all so much for your prayers. Second, they work.
Carol went to the doctor for her brain scan on Friday. Enough money was donated and there was even enough to get blood work done. The diagnosis was one that we weren’t really expecting, but we are sure God is going to make good out of it.
One side of her brain is actually growing on top of the other side. This is causing her immobility and lack of communication. There are surgeons and hospitals in the States that would take a case like this, but none here in Peru. So, needless to say, Mary Cruz (carol’s mom) was upset, her hopes were a little crushed, but she has been incredibly gracious and thankful for everything God has been doing and He has been visibly transforming her attitude and her heart.
So, stepping away from this, it has definitely been something that God is using. Now, every improvement and good thing that comes is undeniably of the Lord. Medicine and doctors have failed for this family at this point. Carol will not ever walk or talk or move without a wheelchair according to medicine, but we are not accepting that, and we are continuing to believe that God has big plans for this little girl and that she will sing and dance and praise Him for the work He will do in her life.
We may not see the manifestations of these things while we are here, but we are seeing that the work God has started here is deep and lasting. He has been planting and watering seeds and real kingdom relationships are being built. This family is not the same as when we got here.
We were able to sit down and have a conversation with Mary Cruz and she expressed to us that the change in Carol has been obvious to her and her family since our arrival here in Chincha. Prior to us getting here, she said that Carol’s body was completely stiff all the time, and in the process of the last four weeks, she wakes up stretching and moving on her own. She smiles and squirms. She bends her knees and grabs hold of things in her hands. She is more flexible and has been using her muscles.
Mary Cruz verbalized that she knows that Jesus is with us and that we are here because of Him because she can see the change that His presence and our prayers have been making in her family already. Our prayers are now that God would use us to empower this family, to teach them how to really grab on to the love and the power of our Lord and to pray that over their own lives. And further, to be able to impact their whole community and infect them with the gospel.
Carol’s story is a big one. It is not finished yet and we may never get to see the climax and conclusion, but we know God has set her aside. We know there is a soft spot in our hearts for her for a reason. He is using this one little child and He will receive all the glory for what He does in her life, and for the impact she will have on the world around her.
