Dear Praying Friends,
I would like to thank you all for your persistent prayers. The fact that my dad is still alive is a miracle. When I last communicated with you all, my dad was still on a respirator and had just gone through an experimental procedure to repair his lungs. The first miracle is that he is completely off of oxygen. The second is that he is now convalescing in a long term care facility where he can continue his rehabilitation. Pray for this long journey. Some experts say it takes an average of one week of rehab to recover from one day of being on a respirator. This would seem to imply that my dad has 90 weeks of recovery ahead of him.
We have just found out that the doctors believe that his brother Mickey will live only one more year, maximum, due to the lung cancer he is fighting. My dad already misses the friendship and support that Mickey used to offer, and feels badly that he can't be there to support his brother as he would like to.
My sister Sunday, who has carried most of the burden of caring for our dad, is now happily expecting her second child, due in March. I am going to Philadelphia for a couple of weeks to help Sunday and the family in whatever ways I can. This may include helping my dad figure out what he is going to do with all of his stuff that has been sitting in his empty apartment since spring. It is now clear that it will take over a year before my dad would have the strength to live on his own again, if indeed he regains enough strength for that to happen.
During this trip, my half brother Gabriel is getting married. He also intends to join the Marines. This pleases my dad a lot, but raises concerns in my own heart for his safety and well being.
Please keep me in your prayers as we try to resolve my dad's housing and financial situation. If we can't resolve this so that he can get out of debt, he may loss his spot in this care facility. My dad is struggling in his new situation because most of the other residents are 10-20 years older than he is, and many of them are not very talkative, while my dad is an extrovert and thrives in social situations. This makes it more difficult for him to accept where he is and to let go of his apartment. Pray that Dad's friends will visit him, and that he will also make meaningful friendships where he is. Pray also for me, because I feel the weight and the void in this situation.
Also, my cousin Joshua is seeking to restore his relationship with God, and hopes to see me while I am on the east coast. This too would be an answer to years of prayer.
Jude will stay here and be preparing to teach in January, as well as visiting her mom for Thanksgiving.
Thank you again for your prayers.
John TW
