It has been wonderful to have our family together for Christmas. Nathan has progressed to the point that he can walk a few feet with the help of parallel bars. But the external fixator remains in place as the bones in his left leg are not yet growing together. The trauma surgeon has said that more surgery (to insert steel rods) may be necessary if the bones don't begin growing together within a couple weeks.
My paraphrase of Ecclesiastes 3:11-13 this New Year: ....Nothing takes God by surprise; He always knows exactly what's up, and what He's up to. He has planted in our hearts as human beings a longing to make sense of life. But, as intense as is that longing to know the end from the beginning, we as human beings cannot see the whole scope of God's work from beginning to end. So there is no point in trying to peer into the inscrutable. It is more prudent to take each day as it comes--enjoying God's good gifts (from food and drink to the strength to work) as the Lord sees fit to provide such gifts, and trusting Him for whatever tomorrow holds....
As to what this new year holds for us: Much is uncertain, with Hannah and Stacey headed home to Manila, while Nathan and I stay on in Austria. But this much is certain: "We need have no fear of someone who loves us perfectly; his perfect love for us eliminates all dread of what he might do to us. If we are afraid, it is for fear of what he might do to us, and shows that we are not fully convinced that he really loves us." (1 John 4:18, Living Bible)
Monday, December 31, 2007
Saturday, December 22, 2007
Acts of kindness--more uncanny than random :)
Our three-way rendevous in Munich came off without a glitch. Drew and Sarah, flying from Portland, and Stacey, flying from Manila, met up in Amsterdam, per the plan. And their slightly-delayed arrival in Munich gave me just enough time to find my way to the Munich airport before Sarah cleared customs. We were in Salzburg by 1am, but too excited to sleep until 3am. :)
Stacey and I had to be up early the next morning for the long drive from Salzburg to the U.S. consulate in Vienna to renew her passport so that she can return home to the Philippines. The Vienna consulate accepts no applications after 11:30am so we left Salzburg at 7am to make it in time. (I am clueless when it comes to finding my way around Vienna. I'd been there just once, at night, and I'd never attempted to find my way around Vienna's convoluted maze of centuries-old circular streets on my own, much less do so with a deadline.) I realized en route that we had no time to spare, so I phoned the Marriott hotel (in which the U.S. consulate is located) to ask directions. The hotel staff gave me some very sketchy directions and said that "it's hard to describe." So, on reaching the outskirts of Vienna, I stopped at a McDonald's in hopes they'd speak English and be of help. No such luck. The women at the counter did not speak English and were no help.
Then, to my surprise, a middle-aged man in a business suit walked up to the counter and told me (in German) that he'd lead me to the Marriott. How did I understand his German? I'm not sure. I don't think it was a gift of tongues. :) It must have been his mentioning the Marriott by name several times, without making any attempt to explain how to get there. When he headed out the door, I followed him to the parking lot and jumped in our borrowed car and followed his car out of the lot.
Twenty-five minutes and 12-13 turns later, I spotted the Marriott. Our guide jumped out of his car and ran back to our car, gesturing toward the hotel. Then, before I could even roll down the window to thank him, he jumped back in his car and drove off.
By the time we parked and took the elevator to the consular office, it was 11:22am. I apologized to the woman at the counter for showing up without any passport photos. She explained that there was a shop in the lobby that shoots passport photos, and asked us to please hurry there and back. She stayed open late to finish processing Stacey's application; it was 11:50am by the time we left.
That woman's kindness was a blessing; she could easily have turned us away. But the wonderfully uncanny thing was our encounter with the gentleman who took 25 minutes to guide us through Vienna's maze of circular streets. I understood only one word he spoke ("Marriott"); I didn't even have a chance to properly thank him before he disappeared in the traffic. We have experienced one after another act of kindness these past couple months, but none more mysterious that that!
"...Angels are...servants...sent from God to care for those who will receive salvation." (Hebrews 1:14)
Stacey and I had to be up early the next morning for the long drive from Salzburg to the U.S. consulate in Vienna to renew her passport so that she can return home to the Philippines. The Vienna consulate accepts no applications after 11:30am so we left Salzburg at 7am to make it in time. (I am clueless when it comes to finding my way around Vienna. I'd been there just once, at night, and I'd never attempted to find my way around Vienna's convoluted maze of centuries-old circular streets on my own, much less do so with a deadline.) I realized en route that we had no time to spare, so I phoned the Marriott hotel (in which the U.S. consulate is located) to ask directions. The hotel staff gave me some very sketchy directions and said that "it's hard to describe." So, on reaching the outskirts of Vienna, I stopped at a McDonald's in hopes they'd speak English and be of help. No such luck. The women at the counter did not speak English and were no help.
Then, to my surprise, a middle-aged man in a business suit walked up to the counter and told me (in German) that he'd lead me to the Marriott. How did I understand his German? I'm not sure. I don't think it was a gift of tongues. :) It must have been his mentioning the Marriott by name several times, without making any attempt to explain how to get there. When he headed out the door, I followed him to the parking lot and jumped in our borrowed car and followed his car out of the lot.
Twenty-five minutes and 12-13 turns later, I spotted the Marriott. Our guide jumped out of his car and ran back to our car, gesturing toward the hotel. Then, before I could even roll down the window to thank him, he jumped back in his car and drove off.
By the time we parked and took the elevator to the consular office, it was 11:22am. I apologized to the woman at the counter for showing up without any passport photos. She explained that there was a shop in the lobby that shoots passport photos, and asked us to please hurry there and back. She stayed open late to finish processing Stacey's application; it was 11:50am by the time we left.
That woman's kindness was a blessing; she could easily have turned us away. But the wonderfully uncanny thing was our encounter with the gentleman who took 25 minutes to guide us through Vienna's maze of circular streets. I understood only one word he spoke ("Marriott"); I didn't even have a chance to properly thank him before he disappeared in the traffic. We have experienced one after another act of kindness these past couple months, but none more mysterious that that!
"...Angels are...servants...sent from God to care for those who will receive salvation." (Hebrews 1:14)
Monday, December 17, 2007
"Alle eure Sorge werft auf ihn...
We are very grateful indeed to the many who continue to uphold us in prayer. Tomorrow we are attempting the most challenging logistical feat I personally have ever tried to coordinate: bringing our immediate family together for Christmas from three continents. I will drive from the Vienna area to Munich to meet up with our daughter who is flying in from Manila and our son and his girlfriend who are flying in from Portland. The three of them are supposed to meet up in Amsterdam before flying on to Munich. I have never laid eyes on Munich and speak no German. Our daughter has never before flown alone, and our son has never visited Europe. The possibility for error or confusion is unnerving. (I can now imagine how General Eisenhower felt the day before D-day!) Thank you for praying that chaos will be averted, and that it is a joyful Christmas reunion.
Please pray also, in line with the this season in which we honor the Prince of Peace, that His peace will reign in my heart these next 48 hours! I am reminded of the message of the bookmark that was given me at a Gospel concert that we attended just last night at a downtown Vienna church: "Alle eure Sorge werft auf ihn; denn er sorgt für euch."
I would have been clueless as to what it meant had it not included the reference: "1. Petrus 5,7." I recognized that! :) "Cast all your cares upon Him, because He cares for you." What an appropriate passage! I'm holding onto that bookmark, and its message!
Please pray also, in line with the this season in which we honor the Prince of Peace, that His peace will reign in my heart these next 48 hours! I am reminded of the message of the bookmark that was given me at a Gospel concert that we attended just last night at a downtown Vienna church: "Alle eure Sorge werft auf ihn; denn er sorgt für euch."
I would have been clueless as to what it meant had it not included the reference: "1. Petrus 5,7." I recognized that! :) "Cast all your cares upon Him, because He cares for you." What an appropriate passage! I'm holding onto that bookmark, and its message!
Saturday, December 15, 2007
A new chapter: rehab
A new chapter in the chronicle of Nathan's recovery opened Tuesday with Nathan's transfer from the hospital in Salzburg to a rehab center 180 miles (300 km) away, near Vienna. We arranged ambulance transportation as the external fixator on his left leg prevents him from bending his knee, making it difficult for him to get in a regular car. Hannah and I followed the ambulance in the car Gerhard loaned us. I set a new land speed record for me to keep up with that ambulance. :)
The doctor who admitted Nathan to the rehab center discovered that he is unable to bend his right ankle to raise his foot. In fact, he has no feeling on the top of that foot. The doctor said that the nerves that have been damaged or severed may or may not grow back. If not, he will have to wear a brace indefinitely. Nathan was understandably dismayed to hear that, but took it in stride before long.
We were disappointed later in the week to hear that the removal of the top half of the fixator on Nathan's left leg will be postponed from December 15 to December 22. That will delay his being able to get in a car. But the doctor showed Hannah and I and Nathan the X-rays, and we could see the easily-discernible cracks in the bones of his left leg. (The right leg has steel rods inside both the thigh and calf.)
This noon (Saturday) he nearly fainted at the lunch table. He has no therapy on weekends, so he spent the morning reading and typing messages on the computer. He was doing more reading at the lunch table when he nearly fainted. It must have been too much for one morning.
So we are reminded that he has a ways to go. From his brain...to his eyes...to his teeth and jaw...to his legs and feet, he has a long ways to go. Bones and nerves, we are told, are the slowest parts of the body to regenerate. And Nathan's injuries were primarly injuries to bones and nerves. So patience is called for.
Tonight is the two-month anniversary of the accident. He was hit by a 9-passenger van while crossing the street late the night of October 14. I was reminded last night of the accident, and of God's sovereign care, as I read Psalm 139.
My paraphrase of Psalm 139:2-3, 7, 9, 12, 13, 15, 17-18:
"O Lord, you knew when Nathan and friends decided to sit down in the playground swings at the park that night...and you knew when he decided to get up and stroll across the street. Every moment you knew where he was. Nothing escapes your notice!
Not only were you aware, you were right there on the scene! None of us can get away from your presence. Manila, Portland, Salzburg; it makes no difference. You're right beside us.
Likewise, day and night, light and darkness, make no difference to you. One of the issues in the police investigation of the accident was whether there was enough light for the driver to see Nathan in the crosswalk. But you don't need streetlights or headlights to see what's up. To you midnight is every bit as bright as noon. Darkness and light are both alike to you.
So Nathan's accident came as no surprise to you. Not only did you know what was going on, you were right there!
We are grateful to all the physicians and nurses who have expertly and compassionately cared for Nathan. But how good it is to know that Nathan's Great Physician is none other than his Creator, the very one who made every last part of his body, knitting him together, weaving him together, in the first place! The trauma surgeons can align broken bones, but they cannot make them grow together again. That is your line of work! And when it comes to the nerves in his foot, even the doctors must wait to see if the nerves will grow back, enabling him to walk without a brace.
We cannot know what the future holds, but we can go to sleep at night knowing that the One who holds the future loves us perfectly and cares for us incessantly. You think of us day and night...without let-up!
It is hard to imagine being known the way you know us, and being loved the way you love us!"
The doctor who admitted Nathan to the rehab center discovered that he is unable to bend his right ankle to raise his foot. In fact, he has no feeling on the top of that foot. The doctor said that the nerves that have been damaged or severed may or may not grow back. If not, he will have to wear a brace indefinitely. Nathan was understandably dismayed to hear that, but took it in stride before long.
We were disappointed later in the week to hear that the removal of the top half of the fixator on Nathan's left leg will be postponed from December 15 to December 22. That will delay his being able to get in a car. But the doctor showed Hannah and I and Nathan the X-rays, and we could see the easily-discernible cracks in the bones of his left leg. (The right leg has steel rods inside both the thigh and calf.)
This noon (Saturday) he nearly fainted at the lunch table. He has no therapy on weekends, so he spent the morning reading and typing messages on the computer. He was doing more reading at the lunch table when he nearly fainted. It must have been too much for one morning.
So we are reminded that he has a ways to go. From his brain...to his eyes...to his teeth and jaw...to his legs and feet, he has a long ways to go. Bones and nerves, we are told, are the slowest parts of the body to regenerate. And Nathan's injuries were primarly injuries to bones and nerves. So patience is called for.
Tonight is the two-month anniversary of the accident. He was hit by a 9-passenger van while crossing the street late the night of October 14. I was reminded last night of the accident, and of God's sovereign care, as I read Psalm 139.
My paraphrase of Psalm 139:2-3, 7, 9, 12, 13, 15, 17-18:
"O Lord, you knew when Nathan and friends decided to sit down in the playground swings at the park that night...and you knew when he decided to get up and stroll across the street. Every moment you knew where he was. Nothing escapes your notice!
Not only were you aware, you were right there on the scene! None of us can get away from your presence. Manila, Portland, Salzburg; it makes no difference. You're right beside us.
Likewise, day and night, light and darkness, make no difference to you. One of the issues in the police investigation of the accident was whether there was enough light for the driver to see Nathan in the crosswalk. But you don't need streetlights or headlights to see what's up. To you midnight is every bit as bright as noon. Darkness and light are both alike to you.
So Nathan's accident came as no surprise to you. Not only did you know what was going on, you were right there!
We are grateful to all the physicians and nurses who have expertly and compassionately cared for Nathan. But how good it is to know that Nathan's Great Physician is none other than his Creator, the very one who made every last part of his body, knitting him together, weaving him together, in the first place! The trauma surgeons can align broken bones, but they cannot make them grow together again. That is your line of work! And when it comes to the nerves in his foot, even the doctors must wait to see if the nerves will grow back, enabling him to walk without a brace.
We cannot know what the future holds, but we can go to sleep at night knowing that the One who holds the future loves us perfectly and cares for us incessantly. You think of us day and night...without let-up!
It is hard to imagine being known the way you know us, and being loved the way you love us!"
Sunday, December 9, 2007
"Like a dream" (Thanksgiving--Part II)
Much has transpired since I last blogged.
Nathan has been walking! Well...sort of: he's hopping. The fixator and cast on his left leg are still in place, so that leg does not bend at the knee and is not to touch the ground. But he has, with the help of a "walker," been able to hop to the end of the hall in the hospital before he is exhausted. He will be discharged from the hospital early Tuesday morning and be transferred by ambulance to a rehab center in Klosterneuburg (180 miles from Salzburg).
Last night was Nathan's first time to leave the hospital campus. We got permission to take him to a very special memorial dinner. Jim Ferneding, an alumnus who had studied in the Salzburg program years ago included in his will a generous gift to the Salzburg program. Jim wished, many years ago, that his Christmas in Salzburg, far from family and home, had been more special. So Jim's brother Mike decided to provide this year's Salzburg program students a very elegant Christmas dinner. Mike treated all the students and staff (and Hannah and me) to an exquisite five-course dinner. Hannah and I never dreamed we'd see Europe, much less enjoy a gourmet dinner at one of The World's Leading Hotels. To say that it was a memorable occasion for Nathan, and for Hannah and me, would be an understatement.
But even that extraordinary experience has been overshadowed by the ways in which the Lord has provided for us in the last few days. My home church in Portland generously made it possible for our other two kids (Nathan's older brother Andrew and younger sister Stacey) to fly from Portland and from Manila, respectively, to join Hannah and me and Nathan in Austria for Christmas. Only after we had purchased their tickets, and lined up housing for them in Salzburg, however, did we discover that Nathan would be moved from Salzburg to Klosteneuburg for rehab. The University of Portland has very graciously provided us housing in their Salzburg dorm, but Hannah and I wondered how in the world we could afford housing in Klosterneuburg for the two of us, much less the kids. We immediately began talking to the Lord about our need. (Not that He didn't already know all about it, but He is the one who commands us to ask for daily bread! He wants us to tell Him about what we need!)
It hadn't been more than a few days when, to our utter astonishment, we received an email from a Klosteneuburg-area missionary whom we had never heard of, much less met. She wrote: "We have heard about your situation from a lot of people. Our co-workers in Klosterneuburg are out of the country; you are welcome to stay in their 4-bedroom house from December 11 to January 11." We were dumbfounded! Almost as soon as we hear that Nathan will be an in-patient in Klosteneuburg, we receive an email offering us Klosteneuburg housing that will accomodate our whole family!
But how would we get around Klosteneuburg, we wondered? Imagine our amazement when Gerhard, the University of Portland's Salzburg program landlord, offered "out of the blue" to loan us his family's station wagon...as long as we need it! Not only that...he made a point of loaning us a GPS as well to help us find our way around Klosterneuburg!
I can't find a better description for our experience of the last few days than that in Psalm 126:1-3. I've adapted it from the New Living Translation:
"What the Lord has been doing for us is like a dream!
We can't help but laugh--and sing--for joy!
And family and friends the world over can't help but say,
'What amazing things the Lord has done for them!'
Yes, the Lord has done amazing things for us!
What joy!"
Nathan has been walking! Well...sort of: he's hopping. The fixator and cast on his left leg are still in place, so that leg does not bend at the knee and is not to touch the ground. But he has, with the help of a "walker," been able to hop to the end of the hall in the hospital before he is exhausted. He will be discharged from the hospital early Tuesday morning and be transferred by ambulance to a rehab center in Klosterneuburg (180 miles from Salzburg).
Last night was Nathan's first time to leave the hospital campus. We got permission to take him to a very special memorial dinner. Jim Ferneding, an alumnus who had studied in the Salzburg program years ago included in his will a generous gift to the Salzburg program. Jim wished, many years ago, that his Christmas in Salzburg, far from family and home, had been more special. So Jim's brother Mike decided to provide this year's Salzburg program students a very elegant Christmas dinner. Mike treated all the students and staff (and Hannah and me) to an exquisite five-course dinner. Hannah and I never dreamed we'd see Europe, much less enjoy a gourmet dinner at one of The World's Leading Hotels. To say that it was a memorable occasion for Nathan, and for Hannah and me, would be an understatement.
But even that extraordinary experience has been overshadowed by the ways in which the Lord has provided for us in the last few days. My home church in Portland generously made it possible for our other two kids (Nathan's older brother Andrew and younger sister Stacey) to fly from Portland and from Manila, respectively, to join Hannah and me and Nathan in Austria for Christmas. Only after we had purchased their tickets, and lined up housing for them in Salzburg, however, did we discover that Nathan would be moved from Salzburg to Klosteneuburg for rehab. The University of Portland has very graciously provided us housing in their Salzburg dorm, but Hannah and I wondered how in the world we could afford housing in Klosterneuburg for the two of us, much less the kids. We immediately began talking to the Lord about our need. (Not that He didn't already know all about it, but He is the one who commands us to ask for daily bread! He wants us to tell Him about what we need!)
It hadn't been more than a few days when, to our utter astonishment, we received an email from a Klosteneuburg-area missionary whom we had never heard of, much less met. She wrote: "We have heard about your situation from a lot of people. Our co-workers in Klosterneuburg are out of the country; you are welcome to stay in their 4-bedroom house from December 11 to January 11." We were dumbfounded! Almost as soon as we hear that Nathan will be an in-patient in Klosteneuburg, we receive an email offering us Klosteneuburg housing that will accomodate our whole family!
But how would we get around Klosteneuburg, we wondered? Imagine our amazement when Gerhard, the University of Portland's Salzburg program landlord, offered "out of the blue" to loan us his family's station wagon...as long as we need it! Not only that...he made a point of loaning us a GPS as well to help us find our way around Klosterneuburg!
I can't find a better description for our experience of the last few days than that in Psalm 126:1-3. I've adapted it from the New Living Translation:
"What the Lord has been doing for us is like a dream!
We can't help but laugh--and sing--for joy!
And family and friends the world over can't help but say,
'What amazing things the Lord has done for them!'
Yes, the Lord has done amazing things for us!
What joy!"
Wednesday, December 5, 2007
The Lord's doing
Nathan's making steady progress.
He has graduated from having Hannah and I push him around the several square blocks hospital campus in a wheelchair to wheeling himself around.
And after eating only pureed foods (as in, cream-of-wheat and mashed potatoes) for days, Nathan was happy to join us on a trip to the supermarket across the street from the hospital to pick out some soft foods to supplement his hospital diet. (His oral surgeon says it will be another week or two before his jaw is up to full-fledged chewing.)
Hannah and I were taken aback the other day to see the oral surgeon remove from Nathan's mouth a (transparent) "plate" that had been affixed to the roof of his mouth. (We hadn't even known it was there!) "What's that?!" we asked. The surgeon explained that it was a sort of "cast." Come to find out, Nathan's palate (the bone inside the roof of his mouth) was broken (split lengthwise) by the force of the blow when the auto mirror struck the side of his head. (Just like what happened to the bone behind his eyes.) One more reminder that it is only the grace of God that enabled Nathan to survive the accident...and to do so without permanent brain damage!
"This is the Lord's doing, and it is marvelous to see!" (Psalm 118:23)
We'll soon be "snail-mailing" our praying family and friends a short account of "the Lord's doing." If you'd like to receive it, and aren't already on our "snail mail" list, please email your name and address to greg.haskell@gmail.com and I'll see to it that you receive that mailing.
We'd love to keep in touch with the friends who have been praying for Nathan! (Some of you we haven't even met!) I'll continue blogging regularly (but not daily) as well, even after Nathan transfers from the hospital to a rehab center.)
He has graduated from having Hannah and I push him around the several square blocks hospital campus in a wheelchair to wheeling himself around.
And after eating only pureed foods (as in, cream-of-wheat and mashed potatoes) for days, Nathan was happy to join us on a trip to the supermarket across the street from the hospital to pick out some soft foods to supplement his hospital diet. (His oral surgeon says it will be another week or two before his jaw is up to full-fledged chewing.)
Hannah and I were taken aback the other day to see the oral surgeon remove from Nathan's mouth a (transparent) "plate" that had been affixed to the roof of his mouth. (We hadn't even known it was there!) "What's that?!" we asked. The surgeon explained that it was a sort of "cast." Come to find out, Nathan's palate (the bone inside the roof of his mouth) was broken (split lengthwise) by the force of the blow when the auto mirror struck the side of his head. (Just like what happened to the bone behind his eyes.) One more reminder that it is only the grace of God that enabled Nathan to survive the accident...and to do so without permanent brain damage!
"This is the Lord's doing, and it is marvelous to see!" (Psalm 118:23)
We'll soon be "snail-mailing" our praying family and friends a short account of "the Lord's doing." If you'd like to receive it, and aren't already on our "snail mail" list, please email your name and address to greg.haskell@gmail.com
We'd love to keep in touch with the friends who have been praying for Nathan! (Some of you we haven't even met!) I'll continue blogging regularly (but not daily) as well, even after Nathan transfers from the hospital to a rehab center.)
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