Touched by an Angel
Left to right: Jonathan, Marie,Daughter Stephanie, Daughter-in-law Hannah, Son TimothyBelow is a testimony from one of the members from First Chinese Baptist Church Walnut.
April 21, 2020
A short sharing from Marie ……
Coronavirus, a microorganism, invisible to our naked eyes, has turned our world upside down. In the last 30 days, who could possibly imagine,
• A handshake or a hug is a luxury that we cannot afford
• The distance between two persons is kept at minimum 6 feet apart.
• A face mask becomes a piece of clothing we have to put on when we go outside.
• A cough or a fever can be a symptom of something life-threatening.
• Home becomes a shelter where we are ordered to be bound in.
For me, I could never imagine that I was pushed to the edge of feeling a potential loss of a loved one.
On March 25th (Wednesday), Jonathan complained about massive body pain with a low-grade fever. With the doctor’s advice, he was put on antibiotics and ordered to stay home for continual monitoring. His illness was not improved in the next few days. So, we paid a visit to the ER on Sunday to see if he can get a test for COVID. After sitting on a bench, alone, outside of the ER rooms for two hours, he was finally greeted by an ER doctor and given blood tests and chest X-ray order. That was it. He was not “sick enough” to be tested for Coronavirus. After another hour of waiting, the blood test results only confirmed that he did not have a flu and the chest X-ray showed that he had mild pneumonia. As a result, he was sent home.
Other symptoms started to manifest in the next couple days: high fever, coughing and short of breath. Our doctor started treating him with a new set of medication. I started to monitor his oxygen saturation level through an oximeter. For a normal healthy person, the level should be above 97%. On April 2nd Thursday morning, his oxygen level dropped below 90%. I drove him to the ER AGAIN and dropped him off by the curbside. He was wheel chaired into the hospital because he was too weak to walk.
In the next 72 hours, God took my hands, walked alongside with me and allowed me to witness His goodness in our lives. He gave me 3 verses to guide me every step of the way.
"For we live by faith, not by sight." – 2 Corinthians 5:7
I was notified that Jonathan were admitted immediately. With the new “no-visitor” policy in the hospital during this pandemic time, I had no communication with Jonathan at all except through the medical staff. He was too weak to use the phone himself. On that night, I received a call from the doctor that Jonathan’s condition was considered moderate. He was given oxygen and medication and placed in an observation unit. Since I could not see him, I just had to trust all medical staff at the hospital will take care of him and make him feel comfortable. I also had to trust God that He would watch over him.
However, 24 hours later, on April 3rd Friday afternoon, his condition turned from moderate to severe. He was in need for more oxygen. A trip from the bed to the bathroom was a major event. He was grasping for air. The doctor had to transfer him to the ICU for closer monitoring. He was hooked to a high-flow oxygen device which delivered 100% heated and humidified oxygen through nasal cannula. It was not comfortable at all. The doctor speculated that he would need to stay in the hospital for a long time.
I remain confident of this:
"I will see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living. Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD." – Psalm 27:13-14
On April 4th Saturday morning, the COVID test result was confirmed positive. Although Jonathan was alert and oriented, he felt very weak. The doctor warned me that the next 24 - 48 hours were very critical. Many COVID patients usually started to have Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome around this time if the condition had not improved. If that happened, they would have no choice but to put him on a ventilator. They would have done everything they could do medically to support him. The goal was to build up enough ammunition for his own immune system to fight the virus.
I managed to get him on the phone for couple minutes and encourage him to fight. I told him that we will fast and pray for him. There were many brothers and sisters praying for him. I never felt so powerless, weak and afraid. However, during the fast and prayer time, I slowly realized that there was not much I could do besides cry out to the Lord and WAIT….
"The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness". – Lamentation 3:22-23
On April 5th Sunday morning at 10:34 a.m. I received the following text from Jonathan on my phone: “Great news! The doctor said that I am the only one in the entire unit showing good signs from reading the reports. He thinks I will be the winner.” Later in the day, the doctor texted me: “Jonathan is improving. This is a miracle. I think God sent an angel to help Jonathan. He will pull through.”
I fell on my knees and wept for joy. Our God is a good God. He has mercy on us. He remains faithful to us. Jonathan got better day after day. He started to eat better, rest better and even watch a little TV. On April 8th, Wednesday, the 7th day, he was discharged from the hospital.
This was an amazing journey that the Lord took our family on.
• God provided Jonathan with a group of excellent and experienced medical staff who gave him the best medical treatment and care.
• Jonathan was alone in the hospital but he was never lonely because God’s Spirit was with him all the time. He felt peaceful during the entire stay.
• God gave me 3 timely verses to sustain me during this difficult time. Confirmation of His love and His promises. He will never fail us.
• God kept me and Stephanie safe and healthy for the entire time period. We did not have any COVID related symptoms.
• God surrounded us with a group of loving brothers and sisters, dedicated pastors, and many caring coworkers. All of them supported us in prayers fervently. I firmly believe that God heard their prayers and saved Jonathan.
• Jonathan’s speedy recovery is a testament of God’s goodness to us and now we are living witnesses to His love and grace.
Postscript
A short sharing from Stephanie …… April 21, 2020
Hi faithful leaders of our church :)
Stephanie here! I just want to express a deep gratitude for your prayers for my family during what was a really hard time for us. I still am processing it in bits and pieces, but I am continually amazed at the Lord’s goodness and sovereignty through it all.
As my mom so eloquently described my dad’s COVID-19 journey (not going to lie…did not know she could write like that!), I’ll just touch on how the Lord has taught me about His peace. There came a point when I realized I could never see my dad again and that brought a lot of fear and sadness because of how much he means to me. But God. He used Psalm 27 for me also to guide my heart to realign my wants, to assure me of the Lord’s goodness and to remind me that after doing all that, He loves me, my family and especially in that time, my dad, more than I ever could. Like my mom said, God certainly brought peace upon our family and we praise Him because He is a God of His word. There is nothing that brings more contentment than dwelling in the purpose that we were created to be in.
We are incredibly blessed by our FCBC family. Through you and our small groups, we were blessed with prayers, food and countless check-ins. God has designed something beautiful through the body. May He continue to be glorified through all the testimonies during this time! Praying for you all.
A short sharing from Jonathan ……
It was by the grace of God that I am able to live today. I never felt so sick in my life. During the first few days in the hospital, I was not clear what the doctors and nurses did on me. I was feeling terrible. I cannot breathe without the nasal cannula in my nose. Trips to the bathroom may have caused my life. Marie asked me what my thoughts were while I was lying on the hospital bed. Honestly, I did not know what to think. It was all a blur. All I cared was the health and safety of my loved ones. When Marie told me on the phone that many brothers and sisters were praying for me, I was in tears. I felt love. It suddenly dawned on me that the successful accomplishment made in my life did not help me on my hospital bed. It was the love of God and genuine caring of many brothers and sisters sustained me through the difficult time. Relationship with God and others become very important to me. I was relieved when the doctor told me that I showed improvements in my results. Psalms 23 described very well about my feeling….
“Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.”
It is so good to be home and surrounded once again by my loved ones. Everyday is a blessing. It is precious. Treasure it and live it to the fullness for the Lord. Thank you for your prayers for me and my family during this period of time. I don’t know why God has given me this unique experience but I can’t wait to see what He has installed for me for the years to come.