Post Operative

Trevor has been operated upon. I wonder sometimes if the doctors can feel God moving them to do the things that we pray for. It's been interesting how many times in this blog, I've asked y'all to pray, and then in the next day or two, I post the how God has answered that prayer. It's so cool!

The operation went well. The ongoing prayer issue, of course, is infection: if the wound gets infected, they have to "tear it all out and start over." It's a little more complicated because they had to leave a drain in, and it's possible that an infection could bypass the skin's protection by entering through the drain. So we pray it won't!

Trevor tells me that the way that they were able to do the surgery was much simpler than they planned originally. As I said, the change was successful, but doing it this way has cut at least weeks, and possibly months, off of the healing process and possibly off of his hospital stay. As it stands now, he may be home as fast as next week.

Thanks for watching over him in prayer!

Praying for the Surgery

Trevor's wound is pretty substantial; it will require surgery to close it. In fact, until this morning, they were talking about skin grafts to close it, but the rate of his healing is so remarkable, that they don't expect to need the skin grafts. In fact, there are a number of folks that are coming by to look at Trevor, just to savor the high-speed healing process. It seems that Trevor has "a bit of a will" (which is a fine, strapping understatement), and his determination to be well appears to be helping him heal quickly. That and the prayers of the saints!!

Trevor told me that when he left the hospital in San Francisco, they took him out through the emergency department, as it has the best street access. But when he went through, all the nurses in ER that were part of his treatment clustered around: "You're going home already?" We love the power of God to heal!

So they added Trevor to "the slate" of surgeries for tomorrow. However, he can be "bumped" by an emergency surgery, so we're praying "No bumping, please." If we miss this time, we're not sure what the next option is; the doctor will be going on holiday for a while.

Another topic for prayer is infection. They'll leave a drain in the wound when they sew it shut, but infection is always a possibility. If there's no infection, he can go home perhaps as fast as next week. If there is an infection, that will be delayed, perhaps significantly, as they cut the wound open again and go to work all over again. That's not an acceptable alternative.

A final note for today: Trevor & Judy are grandparents again. Matthew & Evie have 6 pounds, 11 ounces of Adelaide to be a sister to Isabella. You should hear the pride in his voice!

An Update from Trevor!

Dear Intercessors,

Thank you, thank you, thank you for your prayers. They are literally one of
the reasons I am alive today. I am not sure if you all were able to check
out the blog web site (put together by David Mclain), so here is what
happened, in a nutshell:

Aug 7 - On our way down to the conference in San Fran. I became aware that I
had an infected bug bite on my right side. Twice during the drive down I
stopped to put a hot water and salt compress on it, hoping to draw out the
infection.

Aug 8 - I wasn't feeling very well, so during the day instead of going with
David & Todd to scout out the area, I stayed back at the hostel and rested.
That night after I spoke on the panel, I was not feeling well at all and
left the meeting hall half way through to lay down. During the night I was
having problems breathing.

Aug 9 - In the early morning (between 5-7am) I asked Dave if he could please
take me to the hospital. We went to Saint Francis Memorial, which was 4
blocks away. We went into Emergency and I remember walking in and giving my
medical cards and being lead into a treatment room, and then I passed out.

The next thing I remember is 5 days later, having the intubation tube pulled
from my throat and being told that I had come extremely close to death. They
had kept me in a semi coma for those 5 days. I am told that this is what
happened during those days:

Aug 9 (afternoon) - Doctors were trying to determine what type of infection
I had, they did a CT Scan on me and multiple blood tests. One of the tests
came back saying that the infection had spread into my blood. My daughter
Rebecca was told by the ER manager to fly down to San Fran as soon as
possible, as they did not expect me to make it through the night. My kidneys
were shutting down, almost non-functioning at the time. I was rushed in to
surgery and a portion of my right side was removed, as it had become
severely infected and was now just dead tissue, and they were trying to stop
the infection from growing further.

They were treating me for tick bite fever and a general antibiotic for the
infection, but were unaware that my daughter Grace had just tested positive
for a Streptococcus infection on her skin. Once the doctors found this out
they started me on a full array of antibiotics specifically for this.

Aug 10 - My vitals had been erratic all night and continued to worry the
doctors throughout the day. My heart rate nearly reached 200bpm, blood
pressure at one point was 180/160, and temperature was consistently high. My
organs were all starting to shut down and my lungs were on the verge of
developing pneumonia. It was not looking good. The doctors were not sure if
they should attempt more surgery, or just wait to see how the antibiotics
worked.

Aug 11 - Doctors were still contemplating more surgery, but keep it as a
last resort. They were trying to determine if the infection had spread to
the fascial layer of my skin (this is the layer just before muscles and
organs). If so then it had become necrotizing fasciitis (commonly known as
the "flesh-eating bacteria") and they were not sure if they could keep up
with the infection before it over took me. My wife Judy arrived and laid
hands on me and prayed for my recovery, my vitals gradually begin to improve
throughout the day, my heart rate getting down to 120.

Aug 12 - The doctors are checking my surgical wound every few hours to
monitor growth of the infection, it has slowed down and they are hoping not
to do any more surgery. My vitals are getting better throughout the day, but
it is still a rollercoaster ride. The doctors confirm that the infection has
touched the fascial layer but do not think it has penetrated *into* the
layer (this is crucial).

Aug 13 - At this point the doctors decide not to do another surgery, as my
vitals are getting better and the infection growth has slowed down enough
that the antibiotics should be able to stop it completely. They remove the
intubation tube. and I wake up not knowing how close I was to not making it.

Aug 14 to present - The gradual process of healing begins, keeping me
hydrated, full of antibiotics and getting complete wound care to keep it
clean and free of bacteria. It might take awhile to fully heal, but it is
much better than the alternative.

Again I want to say thank you, thank you, thank you for all of your prayers
and support. It has made all of the difference.

I hope to be able to write you all again soon.

In His Grip,

Trevor

Trevor is back in Canada!

Trevor is indeed in Canada, in the hospital near his house. Rebecca tells me that he's very glad to be close to home, but he just got set up there Saturday, and he's already antsy to get out.

In reality, his wound has flared back up again in the move: some inflammation. I didn't get the impression that the infection was flaring up, just the redness, tenderness and swelling. On the other hand, I forgot to ask in more detail: please pray as you feel led.

And we finally have gotten the Macpherson van back to them in BC. Some friends were coming up from Portland this weekend, and they stopped to pick it up. We're getting close to "back to normal." Just need to get Trevor prayed out of the hospital.

Thanks for your faithfulness and encaouragement!!

Please Pray for Randy Emerson

Trevor also asks for prayer for his friend and mine, Randy Emerson, pastor of Cloverdale Christian Fellowship. We don't know much at this point, but it appears that his thyroid is acting up in a way that is causing problems with his heart, and he may have to be hospitalized as well. Please pray for his thyroid and his heart to come into submission with their original design and for peace. Might want to pray for the leadership of the church while we're at it.

You're a blessing!

They're going home!

I spoke to Trevor last night. He's going home!

The doctors in SF and BC have finally connected, and arrangements are being made for his return to BC. He'll be transferred to a hospital in BC, in fact, it's only about 5 minutes from his home. Even better, the doctor he'll be working with appears to be the same one that treated a previous issue with him, and who knows him.

Yet another answer to prayer. Thanks so much for your prayers!

Trevor and Judy are both feeling a great sense of relief!

Trevor and Judy are Restless

When I spoke with them this afternoon, both Judy and Trevor were very eager to go home. Judy says Trevor is about ready to walk home!

There has been missed communication between the Canadian doctor and the American one: they keep playing phone tag. Please pray that they'll keep up the game of tag until they actually connect, because Trevor's not going anywhere until they do.

Both Trevor and Judy sounded in good spirits. Trevor is getting stronger. The original plan was to transfer him to a Canadian hospital. Now (and this may be because of the delay), there's a chance that they'll be able to transfer him directly to in-home care. Woo hoo!

Trevor is back among the living!!

Wow! I just got off the phone with Trevor.

I spoke with him – through Rebecca – three or four days ago, and the docs were amazed that he was strong enough to sit in the chair, but he wasn’t strong enough to talk on the phone. This evening, however, was different.

I’m sure it wasn’t the whole story, but he sounded great! He was strong, energetic, even enthusiastic! I was amazed!

He shared some things with me, however, that made me stop and sober up. Guys, this has been a series of miracles for him. I didn’t realize how close he was to being gone. When the hospital called Rebecca and Judy and asked them to come down to SF, it was to say goodbye! Dang! They didn’t expect him to get up from that hospital bed; his organs had begun to shut down, and they didn’t have a handle on the infection yet. In fact, when Rebecca got there, she had information that they used to make the correct diagnosis, and begin overcoming the infection.

When Trevor decided that he needed to go to the hospital, we just checked with the desk at the hostel, and took him to the closest one. When we walked in, the ER waiting room was empty. In Canada (where Trevor’s from), the ER room would have 20 or 30 folks in it, so he though (he tells me), “What have I gotten myself into? Is this place safe for me? We just went to the closest hospital, we didn’t ask for the good one!” And that was the last thing he remembers for five or six days.

We knew the infection was fierce. Apparently, it was fiercer than we knew. I reported some days ago that it spread horizontally, but not vertically, not far down into his body. That is unusual for this kind of infection. In fact, if it had gone one layer deeper, it would have gotten into that layer between skin and muscles (is it the “lymph system”?) and spread all over his body from there. The only thing that kept it from being described as a “flesh eating bacteria” was the unusual fact that it never got to that depth.

He’s still not completely well, however he’s well enough to be transferred to a hospital in his hometown in BC. He’s well enough to be very grateful for everyone who prayed, and everyone who passed the news and the prayer needs on to their own networks as well.

Prayer is clearly the only reason Trevor survived this episode. In fact, when Judy arrived, she and Rebecca laid hands on the unconscious Trevor and rebuked stuff. They report that it was rather like in Star Trek, when all the meters over the guy’s head suddenly move to a relatively normal setting as they inject their 24^th century miracle medicine: Many (or all) of Trevor’s vital signs suddenly came back into alignment: for example, his heart rate dropped from 200 BPM to around a hundred BPM. The nurse’s eyes got real big, and asked, “What happened??” Rebecca just pointed at Judy, who still had hands on Trevor, praying. “Oh. Prayer!”

It was great! It turns out, as reported before, that the hospital that “just happened” to be 4 blocks away was indeed the best possible place for him. Even the name was significant: Trevor is in Saint Francis Memorial Hospital, in the city of Saint Francis (San Francisco is the Spanish name for him), and Saint Francis is one of Trevor’s heroes (that’s my word); his life has been influenced by Saint Francis for years.

Thanks so much for your prayers. You’re the reason Trevor’s alive today!

Waiting for Trevor's Return

Hi David,

Just a quick update: I have arrived home safely. It was hard to leave my dad, but I had to come back home to help with Grace and deal with some work issues.

We are still waiting to hear about when dad will be transported back to BC, but it could be any day now. He is doing so much better than just a few days ago. He is still very weak but looking healthier. I am amazed at the speed of his progress and I know that everyone's prayers have a large part to do with that... as well as my dad's will to get out of the hospital :)

I will update again when I know more about his transportation arrangements. My mom will likely be traveling with him, which will make things much easier.

Continued thanks for everything. Blessings,

Rebecca

Rebecca is Returning to BC

Hi David,

Just catching up on emails now, sorry not to respond sooner but I've been spending as much time as I can with dad. He is doing better each day. Sitting up in a chair, talking, even cracking a joke or two. The doctors are very pleased with his progress. Vitals are all good, now he just needs rest and for his wound to heal.

The case manager is working on getting dad air transported to a BC hospital within the next week, which would be such a huge blessing. I have to fly home tomorrow, to help look after Grace and catch up on work, so it would put me at ease if he were back in Canada and we were able to still visit daily.

Thanks again for posting the updates David, it allows me to spend more time with dad. I will update again tomorrow, when I am home [in BC].

Blessings,

Rebecca

Other Casualties From San Francisco

It seems that Trevor isn't the only casualty from the gathering in San Francisco. Sharon and Ramona (aka "Shock and Awe") have taken some big hits as well, and could use your prayers.

These two champions came in to SF from YWAM in Hawaii, but their home is in Washington. Ramona has some food allergy issues, and they've got her flat on her back now, and both women are working hard to stay encouraged.

They're coming home now. They've made it as far as Redding (4 hours out of a 12 hour trip) and are hoping to connect with others coming north after this week's school is over.

Please pray for the ride, for their health, and their encouragement level!

Thanks!

Thursday Update: Continued Improvement

I’m not hearing as much news out of the hospital in San Francisco as I used, which I’m thinking is good news in itself. I called Trevor’s room yesterday, and ended up talking with Rebecca. She also kind of translated some conversation with Trevor, who was – if I understood correctly – out of the bed and sitting in a chair nearby! I’m really impressed with how quickly he’s recovering. He’s still very weak (that’s an invitation to pray), but getting better!

Trevor was full of questions like, “How is the rest of the team? How’d the Summit go? How was the convergence in the park?” Now that I think about it, that’s pretty normal for him, isn’t it?

Please keep Trevor in your prayers, of course, but please also keep Rebecca and Judy in there as well. They’re heroes, staying with him, watching over his care, living in a strange city (without a vehicle!), and staying “up” all the time.

You’re great! Thanks!

Woo hoo! Good news!

I just spoke with Judy. There's lots of good news!

Judy's been talking to the staff at the hospital. The nurses - apparently especially the intake nurses - are talking about how they "can't believe he walked in here with what he had!" And now they're saying "I can't believe he wants to go home!" And there is much rejoicing!

Yep, Trevor wants to go home! He can't quite yet - he's only eating popsicles so far - but he's "getting cranky" (that's Judy's term), and pestering the medical staff to get him ready to go home. The staff are looking at ways to fly him home, some sort of medical flight; he still is very weak, but there is a chance that he might be able to go home in perhaps as soon as a week. That sounds like a direction to pray to my ears!

OK, here's the best one. He's recovering so quickly that his surgeon is saying it's a miracle! It's almost like lots of people are praying for him! (Thanks again and again!)

Please keep Judy and especially Rebecca on your prayer list: they're pretty tired, Rebecca more so because she's been in San Francisco twice as long. I was only there a week, and I came to believe that it takes a special kind of grace to thrive in that town, and I don't have it. I can understand how she's feeling it! She also has responsibilities at home that are asking for her attention.

David and Todd are finally home, trying to catch up on sleep, and watching for rashes or infections, per doctors' orders. Rebecca had the revelation that there's no way they're going to drive Trevor home, so we should probably drive it home. It's most of the way home now, and the lady that we had promised a ride to (her name is Tessa and now she's family!) has been safely delivered to Nate in Portland (he's cool too!).

I've been hearing reports that the feedburner feed (the subscription box in the right hand column) is not performing as consistently as we'd like; if you subscribe, you might want to check the website (www.dmclain.com) once or twice a day. (Being so far away means I get less information to post now.)

From: Rebecca Macpherson [mailto:rjmacpherson@hotmail.com]
Sent: Tuesday, August 14, 2007 12:45 AM
Subject: Update

Hi Dave,

I thought it would be too late to call but wanted to give you an update.

Can you please let everyone know (on your blog site) that their prayers are starting to work. My dad was taken off the ventilator this afternoon. The surgeon has not planned any immediate surgeries and at this point believes the antibiotics are doing their job and will continue to fight the infection away. He is stable and slowly being taken off the sedative. We got to speak with him briefly tonight, but he is still weak and needs to rest up and heal. He did have enough strength to hold the tv remote control... that is a good sign.

Obviously dad is not completely out of the woods yet, the infection is still present, so continued prayers are greatly appreciated.

And can you please thank everyone for their wonderful email messages. I have just printed them out and will read them to dad tomorrow. The support, love and prayers are being felt and it helps. And all of the offers for lodging and transportation have been great. At the moment we are ok in the hotel across the street, but may contact some people if we are here for a longer period of time.

Thank you Dave for keeping everyone up to date. I will be in touch tomorrow.

Blessings,

Rebecca

Monday Morning (and Sunday Night)

Technology is wonderful. I’m sitting out on the porch of the church riding their WIFI channel. I also use my computer and their WIFI (and Skype) to call Rebecca’s Canadian Cell number in San Francisco. We’re on our way home; we visited The Mission church in Vacaville this morning and Bethel Church in Redding this afternoon: two churches that speak into our lives and the lives of our churches.

Trevor’s vital signs are “OK”; actually, they’re pretty good vitals for someone fighting off a big ol’ infection like he is. His temperature wobbles up and down from time to time. He’s on more antibiotics today, but fewer sedatives.

The question of surgery is still somewhat up in the air. Sometimes, Trevor’s progress looks good; sometimes not so much. The infection is not receding; it is still growing, but the growth is pretty slow and relatively “under control.” They don’t want to do the surgery if they don’t have to – it really messes up his vital signs, particularly his heart rate.

The reason he’s sedated as much as he is is because of the ventilation tube; the only reason for the ventilation tube is in case he needs to go into surgery again; while it’s never easy to put a tube in, it’s a real bear to put one in again. So if they decide against surgery, then they can remove the tube, and they can take him off the sedatives. We’d like that; please pray that he doesn’t need surgery again so we can take him off the ventilator. We’d really like to see his “usual self” again.

I’m thinking it would be good to pray for the nurses who work with Trevor; they have a pretty hectic workload while Judy and Rebecca are there for just one person, so their priorities aren’t completely lined up; besides, the nurses have a patient, while Judy & Rebecca have a husband and a daddy.

Pray also for Judy’s and Rebecca’s encouragement level, for their courage. Unless you’ve lived through it, this is unbelievably wearying! I found it tiring and I wasn’t nearly as close as they are. They’re tough, those two, but this is awfully close.

Thanks again for your prayers, your notes of encouragement. I know that every prayer gets heard in heaven, and every note, every comment, gets read on earth, and both have an impact for the better. You’re great! Keep it up!

Sunday Evening

I apologize for not getting much on the prayer list today. We've been traveling all day (we're in Redding now), and will be traveling more tomorrow. I've had difficulty getting connected with Rebecca to get updates from her: I've been driving through desert and she's been in with her father.

In the meantime, I wanted to tell you something from when Judy arrived. It was kind of unusual, but I’m getting to expect that when I hang around Macphersons. Frankly some of us (mostly spelled, “some of me” perhaps) were getting a little tired of the battle (I’m really frustrated with the fact that Trevor’s down, durn it!). So I pick up Judy at San Francisco International Airport, and she’s had the flight from hell. She brought an expired passport, they think a battery she’s carrying looks like a bomb (it really does!!), she has to change planes and her luggage has been sent to Djibouti or something, and she’s really hurting physically. I’m thinking, “I’ve had enough of this crap!”, and I was frustrated, maybe discouraged if I was really honest.

Then Judy gets into the the van and it was like the weather changed. The sense I had was that a general had arrived on the field of battle – not some desk-jockey officer, but one who has won her stars on the battlefield in the thick of battle – with the intent of bringing some serious hurt to the enemy! MacArthur had returned or something.

And then I shook my head, and looked again: no, this really was Judy Macpherson, a smiling faced cherub of a grandma, who looked like she should have just come from baking chocolate chip cookies or something. What was I thinking, anyway?

Then I blinked, and I saw the warrior again. Dang. What an interesting people God has chosen, where grandmas wear combat boots and carry machine guns into battle, and the enemy shrinks away in fear! Pretty cool, eh?

I'll post more as soon as I know more. In the meantime, thanks again for praying!

Trevor on Sunday morning.

Trevor had a good night last night. The infection’s growth has slowed down significantly; it appears to be predictable. It’s not going away yet, but it sounds to me like it’s closer to “under control.” He indeed had no surgery yesterday because of this, and because his vital signs are becoming more normal.

Rebecca sounded more encouraged this morning about the whole situation. Judy’s presence (Judy is a nurse) is helping get some of the details taken care of that Rebecca couldn’t take care of.

They haven’t been in to see Trevor yet (they don’t let people in until later in the morning), but the word thus far is encouraging.

Late Saturday

OK, I just posted, and then I get to talk to Rebecca, so we get to quick posts.

The good news: Trevor’s condition is stabilizing. His heart rate is closer to normal, his blood pressure is closer to normal, his temperature varies, but spends some time near normal.

The infection is still spreading, but it’s “not out of control,” and that’s good. He’s still fairly heavily sedated. He was apparently pretty dehydrated, so they're re-hydrating him. At one point, he had three IV's in him at one time! That's a thirsty boy!

The wound has developed a staph infection in addition the more dangerous strep infection. That's actually not concerning the medical staff, and it's apparently a pretty non-virulent form.

He did not go into surgery today… I think. It’s a little confusing; it’s been pretty busy. I spent most of the day wandering around the perimeter of Golden Gate Park, trying to find a WIFI hot spot in order to get the post out. I wrote the last message on the top of “Hippie Hill” and this one in a Thai restaurant. The restaurant has WIFI!

Rebecca and Judy have settled into the hotel half a block away. Sounds like a nice spot. I’ll be taking some things to them shortly.

We’ve found the right way for Todd and me (David) to get home, too: Judy & Rebecca will fly Trevor home when that time comes, so they’ve asked us to drive the van to Olympia, and we’ll work out how to get it from there to BC later. Works well for all! So I’ll be writing from the road for the next couple of days.

Some folks asked about sending money via PayPal. You can send it directly to Rebecca at:

Pickly(at)hotmail.com.

Thanks again for your prayers! We're making a difference!

Saturday:

Rebecca couldn’t get any info from the medical staff this morning. In fact, we’ve just gotten the first word of the day about Trevor’s well being, and it isn’t a good word. Last night wasn’t a good night as far as overcoming the infection goes. There’s some question (“dispute”) about how serious the infection is: either “pretty darned serious” or “oh my gosh! serious,” and we don’t like either situation.

The infection refuses to stop spreading. Heretofore, they thought it had stopped spreading in depth and they hoped that the antibiotics had slowed the spreading in breadth. This morning, it appears that it is still spreading in breadth, and they’re no longer certain that they’ve stopped the spreading in depth. Both are serious, though the depth issue is the more serious: where the infection spreads, it leaves dead tissue behind.

It appears that he’ll be in surgery again this afternoon, to remove dead and dying tissue in and around the infection.

Please pray for the infection to stop spreading, and to respond to the treatments. Pray also for wisdom for doctors and family.

On the good news front, Judy is in town; she just arrived this morning, though her luggage has not caught up with her yet (sigh!). The airline had mercy on her, however, and gave her an aisle seat: in first class!! And Rebecca has found – along with the hospital’s intervention – a place for them to stay near the hospital, at least for one night, and possibly for several nights.

Several of you have been asking about helping the Macphersons with their expenses. We’re still working on the PayPal alternative (which will be faster, but offer no tax deduction), but their mailing address is:

Worldshakers Christian Growth Centre

Attention: Trevor Macpherson

16340 96th Ave

Surrey, BC V4N 2C1

Judy assures me that the insurance company (the BC government) is actually paying a goodly amount of their expenses, and she is just not going to worry about the costs until later. My advice: as you’re praying for them, listen to God more than to Judy or to me, and do what He says!

Thanks for your prayers!!

Judy is Arriving

It's now early Saturday morning. Trevor's wife Judy is arriving mid-day today. It looks like this will be another opportunity for prayer: she hasn't been able to find a hotel to stay in, but she's coming anyway.

San Francisco is celebrating the 40th anniversary of the Summer of Love, and there's supposed to be 10,000 gathering in the park today, repenting for the errors of the first Summer of Love in 1967 and asking God to do it again, only bigger, in the upcoming generation!

I haven't heard anything from the hospital about Trevor yet this morning. I'll post again as soon as I do. I hope to post a means for donating to the Macphersons' support this afternoon as well.

Please pray for rest for those of us involved as well.

Thanks for your prayers!

Friday Evening Update

I continue to be impressed, maybe amazed is a better word, at the level of favor that is all over this adventure.

Todd and I went to the hospital this afternoon to check on Trevor and on Rebecca, and to bring Rebecca's suitcase to her. We felt the need to wait until the end of the work day, so we waited until 5:00.

When we got there, Rebecca was talking with one of the head guys of the burn center. Trevor has been transferred to the burn center because his wound is open and is a lot like a burn wound. It has turned out that this is the best place for him to be in the whole Bay area, and the specialists here have recognized some fairly hard-to-see signs that the infection is not as bad as it had been thought, and not nearly as bad as it could have been. It turns out that the hospital that was 6 blocks from our hostel is head and shoulders the best place for him to be. Does that sound like an answer to prayer to you?

The danger of others getting his infection is lower than had first been feared as well. Todd & I have some steps to take (hey, we needed new toothbrushes anyway), and we need to check in with our doctors when we get home, but the panicky tone of voice is completely gone. That sounds like another answer to prayer to me.

Trevor has been sedated pretty much all day. His heart rate is too high (for several reasons which are known, but not "serious", like the large load of antibiotics in his system); please pray for a healthier heart rate.

Oh yeah: other signs of favor: the director of infection control has not just approved visits from friends, but aggressively requested visits from "people who love him". (There are limitations and conditions; please check in with Rebecca or Judy first.) He's trying to get Rebecca a parking pass for the van (you've no idea how costly parking is in this town!) and also a room inside the hospital for her to sleep tonight.

Tomorrow, Judy arrives, and the plan today is for the two of them to get a hotel room; there's a hotel across the street from the hospital, but we don't know if it's affordable; rooms inside "The City" are substantially more expensive than rooms just across a bridge.

So Trevor is in very serious condition, but he’s in some of the best medical hands that are available, at least in the area, and the doctors who wear those hands are encouraged about his prognosis. “He’s going to have a pretty nasty scar,” they warn, but they’re quite hopeful.

Please pray for clear communication: between the medical staff and the family, and between Trevor and his needs and the medical staff; there is room for some improvement there.

We’re still looking for God’s solution to getting Todd & me home, so thanks for your prayers there. I just ran into a new friend who ‘has a friend’ who is a travel agent, and we ran into someone going as far as Portland, but they already have 11 people in a 12 passenger van. As much as we’ve walked in God’s grace thus far, I have no doubt He’ll pull yet another fast one for us.

Judy & Rebecca haven’t mentioned it at all (and Trevor isn’t saying anything yet), but this has got to be a huge financial strain on them. Please keep their provision and their peace in your prayers.

What an adventure: not what we planned at all, but we’re all walking with Him every step of the way. Thanks so very much for joining us in laying a prayer foundation for this whole thing!

Friday 2 O'clock Update

I've learned a bit more about why there's been so much uncertainty about Trevor's infection: the test results take more time than we've had thus far. The infection results will be back Sunday, the "tick borne diseases" results will take noticeably longer. They're still not sure about "tick borne" versus "strep caused", but they're treating them both just to be sure.

The schedule has changed: Trevor's hospital stay will be measured in weeks, not days. That's a big deal, isn't it? It changes everything.

They've also contacted Todd and myself (David) and warned us about some dangers of infection to ourselves, so we're taking some precautions now, and will check in with the hospital later today for additional information. Sigh. There may be implications for others who have been in contact with Trevor or his daughter Grace, who also has developed a strep infection, and who may have had it first. Please pray for a serious limitation to these effects, here in SF and at home in BC; it's not likely that there's much concern here, but it's a possibility. I guess everything's a possibility for now, except that we limit the possibilities in prayer.

The doctors are saying that the extent of tissue damage (!) from Trevor's infection may be less extensive than they first thought. That's a very good thing! There are a couple of different types of infection that this could be: they told me, but I all sounded like Latin. Let's just pray (and declare and fight for) the least complicated and the most easily cured/healed option.

Rebecca is planning another night in the hospital with her father. It looks like Judy will fly in from Ontario tomorrow (Saturday), and then the two of them will probably get a hotel for a while. Todd and I are looking at alternative means of transportation home this weekend, and other scheduling and administrative issues. It turned out that we “just happened” to bring their minivan for the trip, instead of my Toyota which was the original plan; we’ll leave that with them, of course. We’re considering flying and rental car (both expensive) or Greyhound (ugh); all have pro’s and con’s, of course. Finances are becoming an issue, hugely more so for the Macphersons, of course, but also for Todd & myself. Thanks for those prayers as well.

Thanks again for the prayer covering. I was telling Todd & Rebecca this morning that it feels like every step we take is still warm from God’s foot being there before us.

Thanks for the notes of encouragement, too. They’ll all land in Rebecca’s email box eventually, but the comments that come here first encourage Todd and myself along the way. You’re wonderful!

Friday Morning Update

Just got the update from Rebecca. Please pray for her strength, too.

Trevor needed to be sedated overnight; he was uncomfortable with the intubation and fought it. His heart was racing when he was off of the sedation.

This morning, they're again looking at the concept of "This is a tick bite from Kenya, and it's complicated by a strep infection." The infection is pretty serious; they're looking at surgery today to get some of it.

I'm praying for clear insight for the doctors, particularly the good man (whose name I've forgotten) who is the head of infectious diseases: that they'd identify what needs to be done to get this under control, and quickly. I'm also continuing to pray for encouragement (for all involved), for strength (physical and otherwise) and for all of the administrative details to come together cleanly.

Rebecca spent the night at the hospital last night, and probably will again tonight. You can email her directly at rjmacpherson(at)hotmail.com, though she doesn't have consistent internet access.

Thanks for praying!

David McLain

For the team

Admclain(at)gmail.com

Thursday's Last Update

Just got the word from Rebecca at the hospital with Trevor, and it will likely be the last word of the day. Trevor is sleeping fitfully. The doctors have intubated him, and he's fighting the tube, trying to take it out while he's 2/3 asleep.

The doctors are saying that they're thinking less and less about tic-borne diseases and more about strep infections in his body. But they're apparently going to let Trevor sleep before they do more.

Rebecca will spend the night in the hospital; they got her a cot next to Trevor's bed. She'll update us in the morning. We'll pray for a place for her tomorrow night as well.

The Summit continues unabated, though they stop the entire gathering to pray for Trevor from time to time. Encouraging! I got to sit in on part of tonight's session, on the subject of apostolic movements in the work of God today. Dang, that gets me excited!Shaun Bolz has some good insight; email me for details & I'll send you a page of my notes.

Todd reports that during the drum circle in the park, they had a cool time with the drums and the Holy Spirit, to the point that a young man from New York (yes, he looks like a hippie) came and sat among them and declared, "I think I came here to give my life to Jesus." And then he did. He was in the gathering tonight. Others reported healed broken arms, divine appointments, prophetic encouragements and mostly hours and hours of relationship with hurting and needy people (is there really another kind?).

It has been a long day. Thanks for your prayers! Let's do this again in the morning.

7:30 Update

What a busy day. Rebecca is now here in San Francisco, and is at the hospital with her father. The hospital is:

Saint Francis Memorial Hospital

1199 Bush St,
(The corner of Bush and Hyde Streets)
San Francisco, CA

We "just happened" to find a parking spot just outside the hospital door, so I went in with her, and when we got to his (empty) room, the #1 Infectious Disease Specialist for the hospital was there, and we had 20 uninterrupted minutes with him. (If that's not an answer to prayer, I don't know what is!!) We answered his questions and he answered ours, but he had not yet seen Trevor, so his answers were limited; I hope to have some of his post-examination answers on here later this evening. While we were talking, they wheeled Trevor in, but he was unconscious. No conversations with him for a while.

The leading "provisional diagnosis" is that Trevor got bit by a tick in Africa. In addition, there's a pretty good chance that the bite got a strep infection, and that infection got into his blood. The doctors are still "professionally confident," but not saying as much as I'd like.

Please pray for more discernment, for medical answers, for healing specifically of his kidneys and the infection (whatever it is, wherever it came from). Pray for rest as well; Trevor hasn't slept even "decently" for several days.

4 PM update

I saw Trevor in the hospital an hour ago or so. I'm glad he's there: he's looking pretty ragged.

They sound sure that they're dealing with an infection, but not sure what it's coming from. May have come from Kenya, may have come from an infected scratch or wound in his side that has been infected.

Pray for his kidneys. Pray for his family.

I'm picking his daughter up at the airport shortly. She was able to get ahold of Judy (thanks for praying!!). They're pretty concerned. Trevor is fussing about all the concern, which may be a good sign, if you know Trevor.

Todd is off at the drum circle in the park. I haven't heard how this morning's and this afternoon's sessions went, and I'm likely to miss this evening's.

Well, we knew we came down here for spiritual warfare. Guess we got more than we expected.

Thanks again for your prayers!

Trevor is in ICU

The hospital won't (can't) tell me much information, but they were able to tell his daughter Rebecca a bit more information. We can't talk to him right now apparently because he's in getting a C-T Scan, and when he gets admitted, he'll go to the hospital's ICU; they already have a bed reserved for him.

Stop the presses!

Just got a call from Rebecca: it's pretty serious! They think that he has an infection that he brought back from Africa, and they're concerned that it seems to have gotten into his bloodstream already. Please pray: that they'd find and kill the infection, that Trevor's body (and spirit) would be strong and would fight the infection well.

When she called, the hospital told Rebecca to drop everything and come to San Francisco. She'll be flying in this afternoon. I think we have a place for her to stay, but she may not leave the hospital.

Before she flies out, Rebecca has been trying to get ahold of Trevor's wife Judy. Judy is visiting family in eastern Canada, and did not leave an itinerary with Rebecca. There are voicemails and emails scattered to every possible place she might visit while she's there, but no response yet. Rebecca's very concerned! One more place to pray, please: that we can get ahold of Judy.

If you'd like to contact us: dmclain(at)gmail.com. Subscribe for the latest information.

Thanks again! You're making a difference!

Prayer Focus

Just got this prophetic word from Peter Wagner and Chuck Pierce. Seemed appropriate, considering the circumstances:

We Have Entered A Dangerous Season! Even though the enemy would like to knock your legs out from under you and drive you off of your path, decree that the Lord is taking a stand and illuminating your path. I recently heard the Lord say, “The confrontation of the enemy is at hand. You must be filled with praise to enter into that conflict ahead. War is stirring in your midst. War is rising. Unless I rise and inhabit your praises, you will not be able to praise in the midst of the conflicts ahead. I am calling you into a place and I am going before you so that I am waiting to give you victory. I will establish Myself in your midst. When your conflicts arise, praise Me and I will assure you of victory in your wars ahead.”

Decree that the Lord is exposing every shadow of death that has been lurking over you. We are entering very dangerous times. This is a time of opportunity, yet a time of danger. We must determine to see with eyes of faith, or else our promise could be seen like the spies who went to see the Promised Land.

Trevor is in ICU

The hospital won't (can't) tell me much information, but they were able to tell his daughter Rebecca a bit more information. We can't talk to him right now apparently because he's in getting a C-T Scan, and when he gets admitted, he'll go to the hospital's ICU; they already have a bed reserved for him.

Stop the presses!

Just got a call from Rebecca: it's pretty serious! They think that he has an infection that he brought back from Africa, and they're concerned that it seems to have gotten into his bloodstream already. Please pray: that they'd find and kill the infection, that Trevor's body (and spirit) would be strong and would fight the infection well.

When she called, the hospital told Rebecca to drop everything and come to San Francisco. She'll be flying in this afternoon. I think we have a place for her to stay, but she may not leave the hospital.

Before she flies out, Rebecca has been trying to get ahold of Trevor's wife Judy. Judy is visiting family in eastern Canada, and did not leave an itinerary with Rebecca. There are voicemails and emails scattered to every possible place she might visit while she's there, but no response yet. Rebecca's very concerned! One more place to pray, please: that we can get ahold of Judy.

If you'd like to contact us: dmclain(at)gmail.com. Subscribe for the latest information.

Thanks again! You're making a difference!

Trevor is in the Hospital (Updated)

The hospital won't (can't) tell me much information, but they were able to tell his daughter Rebecca a bit more information. We can't talk to him right now apparently because he's in getting a C-T Scan, and when he gets admitted, he'll go to the hospital's ICU; they already have a bed reserved for him.

Please add the family to your prayers. It's probably not a surprise that they're pretty concerned.

If you'd like to contact us: dmclain@gmail.com.

If you'd like to get the updates as they're posted, enter your name in the box to the right. You'll get a confirmation email that you'll need to reply to before you're officially on the list.

Thanks again!

Update on Trevor

The medical staff at the hospital won't tell me much because I'm not family, and there are some legal restrictions on what they can tell "non family". They did say that they'll probably admit him ("90% chance") to the hospital and that they're treating him for his breathing difficulties. They are taking this seriously.

They sounded confident but serious, but I guess that's a requirement for working in a hospital anymore.

Because he's Canadian, he's covered by their (federal?) insurance, but because the hospital is American, they don't know how to deal with Canadian insurance worth beans. Another place to pray: that they'd get all the paperwork taken care of and not make a big fuss out of this.

Trevor is in the Hospital

Early this morning, Trevor woke Todd and me up and asked to be taken to the emergency room. He was dealing with very short breath, and it was getting worse. He's in there now, and they're assessing him. When I know more, I'll post it. Thanks for praying!

First Summit Session

The first session of the Summit was tonight, the session on Evangelism, and the whole summit is talking in the context of "What have we done? How has it worked? What do we need to do differently?

The schedule was re-arranged somewhat. Arthur Blessitt opened things up with entheusiasm, and Chuck Girard (of the band Love Song) followed up with a wonderfully candid conversation. Trevor represented the "alternative people": goths, punks, hardcores, ravers, metalheads, "retro-hippies", the "global nomadic youth" movement. He emphasized that we've focused on friendship evangelism, and now we only have Christian friends. His emphasis was that we need to rely on prophetic evangelism, or Spirit-led evangelism, or intentional "divine appointments."

It's interesting that we acknowledge the need for the power of God to bring anyone out of darkness into light, but we often overlook signs and wonders - what John Wimber used to call Power Evangelism - to bring the message of hope. Jesus certainly did! Just almost every time He taught the Word, he also healed someone (or many) or cast out a demon or six or something.

That concept was echoed by Cindy McGill who uses healing and prophecy at her Burning Man outreaches (I love her model!) and Matt Sorger who has tremendous success emphasizing the glory of God's presence. Preaching the knowledge of salvation worked for my generation; it does not work for the current one.

This Evangelism session ended with the main speakers praying for and imparting to those among us that feel called to a ministry of evangelism, and those prayed for the rest of the congregation.

Thanks for your prayers for impartation, for clear direction, for Trevor's health, encouragement, and for his speaking.

Oh yeah: I put a bunch of links in the last post: connections to many of the key people and groups; but I forgot the link for Promised Land Fellowship that's sponsoring all this. It's here. They're cool people!

A Day of Scouting

Trevor slept pretty much the whole day which was a very good thing! He's feeling better this evening, and he's still planning to speak at the Summit. I still think it's bad enough that he's following Arthur Blessitt, one of the most well-known evangelists from our generation. Praying for strength, clarity of thought, and clear communications.

Todd and I scouted the area. We walked to the little storefront church that we'll be meeting in (that is hosting this entire series of events!) and then to the park where Saturday's Convocation will be. Didn't realize that it would be so far! Found ourselves walking down Haight Street, and turned right at Ashbury. What a weird place: a mix of the counterculture and mainstreat, smoke shops selling "medical cannibis" next to commercial tourist shops. I estimate that we walked 6 or 7 miles walking, including getting meds for Trevor.

It looks like the wedding of young leaders that was planned has been postponed. I guess it was too big of a surprise for the families.

Found out that the place we're staying is in the heart of the "Tenderloin District" of San Francisco. The locals say, "Sure, there are loads of drug dealers, addicts, prostitutes and mentally unstable street people, but if you can get past that, you'll find it is also one of the city's most exciting and diverse locales." It certainly is diverse!

I've observed that almost nobody on the streets makes eye contact with anyone else, though they're certainly very aware of everyone else nearby. Inside the shops it's different, at least in the local ones (the tourist shops don't count): they greet you as an old friend whether you're buying or just looking. We had a wonderful conversation with the proprietress of a local Thai restaurant.

How desperate this town is for light.

Good Morning San Francisco

It's hard traveling with someone who's not feeling well. Trevor is still struggling with what appears to be the 'flu. It'll be interesting to see how he does speaking tonight. He's scheduled to be the second speaker in the Evangelism gathering tonight: right after Arthur Blesset. He's asked for help making sure that he actually gets to the church on time tonight.

B'fast in the hostel is an exercise in a) youth culture, b) international culture, c) all of the above. Almost no English, almost nobody our age. It occurs to me that these are the people that this whole thing is about! How cool is that!

We're in San Francisco!

OK, this is definitely a cross-cultural experience. But I'm getting ahead of myself.

The drive down here was long and it was not un-eventful. Twice, we came pretty close to getting hit, and that was before we got to San Francisco. Thank you for your prayers!!

Our team leader, Trevor, is pretty sick, so right away, we're asking for prayer! He's just back from Kenya, but it seems that he's dealing with the 'flu. We assume. We hope. Please pray.

We're ensconced in the San Francisco City Center Youth Hostel. It's a hectic place. The English language is scarce here; I'm sitting in the crowded "common area" and I don't hear English anywhere among the busy conversations. The van is parked three or four blocks away, and the streets between there and here are... shall we say, "an educational experience." I declined her proposed education, and scurried home quickly!

The Summit doesn't start until tomorrow evening; Trevor needs to be at a gathering of speakers at 6:00 pm, so he'll sleep in. We hope to have some time to pray together in the morning, looking for the day's instructions. If we get the chance, we might look around the city, to get our bearings.

We're already in touch with some of the others who are down here ahead of us, and some who will be coming later. It looks like we'll give a ride home (as far as Portland) to one person, and someone else may share our eclectic room here.

Yikes. Thanks again for praying!

Prophetic word for my generation

This is a prophetic word declared by Bob Jones over this movement, though not perhaps over the specific days that we'll be in San Francisco. This carries the heart of part of what we're praying towards:

The youth are gonna come in without number. It's started, you’re not gonna be able to stop it. But they will fragmentate if some of you over 50 don’t get behind them. You’ve got the wisdom of pain and failure behind you; that is really important to impart to this generation that is about to come forth. You can motivate and direct, but one thing you must not do is get in front of them.

Another very important part of the over 50’s is that they are the Joshua generation that’s gonna cross over. You’re gonna cross over before they are. And those of you that have been worried about dying young at 85 or 90 or 100, if you get behind this you’re not gonna die you’re gonna have something to look forward to live. So it really is important. I’ve sent those that have retired and they didn’t re-fire, and they weren’t here long. So it is really healthy for the over 50’s to get something to live for, get behind, fire-up and finance.

The over 50’s has got to scratch to finance it. Sow it in to the youth, sow it into your grandchildren and great grandchildren, because they’re gonna be around. So you over 50’s get a vision for living.

Down to the Wire

We're coming down to the wire. In about 36 hours, we'll be leaving for the Summer of Love Summit.

I spent the last weekend camping with my extended family. Several groups among them serve to sharpen my focus for this trip with their questions. They don't speak Evangelical Christian-ese, so I have to translate my expectations into actual English for us to communicate. That's good, but it is somewhat difficult for a trip like this.

Well, first of all, we're going there to repent on behalf of my generation for fumbling the ball when God started pouring out His presence in the '60's. Then we're going to plan for ways to help the next generation do better. Then we're going to party with the hippies and with Heaven. I didn't discuss the growing feelings of a specific prayer assignment once we get there: how can I? I don't know what it is yet!

Today, we're praying for clarity, for solid relationships between us as we travel ("iron sharpening iron" doesn't always look pretty, does it?) , for a minimum of distractions with directions or travel arrangements, etc. Focus, David; focus.

The Summer of Love is growing!

I keep hearing from folks already in San Francisco about how big this is getting. It appears that this whole event was planned as a small conference, a regional event, for the host church and anyone in the area who wanted to join them.

Then God got ahold of it. Now it's a national event, and people are already streaming into San Francisco, mumbling, "God told me to come!" Apparently, no speakers have been invited: they all invited themselves ("God told me to come!").

As a result, the event is growing in scope and in size. Families and churches are signing up to host the crowds of young people that are arriving, many with "no place to lay their head." The Convocation in the park at the end of the week is turning into a major outreach: booths for face painting, henna tattoos, personal prophecy, dream interpretation, whatever. Did I mention that a wedding has been added?

So we're excited about the Summit, and about the Convocation; we know that we're to be a part of the strategic planning for the next generation, of the impartation to the next generation, and we have this expectation that God will be whispering a few other things for us to do while we're there.

Please pray that we hear well, we obey quickly and completely, and that we don't get distracted. Thanks for your prayers!

The Schedule for the Summit & Convergence

Wednesday, Aug 8 Evening: Evangelism: Reaching the Coming Harvest

Proposed Panelists: Arthur Blesset, Chinua Ford, Sabine Ball, Adam Hood, Larry Rosenbaum, Trevor Macpherson

Thursday, Aug 9 Morning: Pastoring the Coming Harvest

Proposed Panelists: Gary Goodell, Michael Brodeur, Jay Grant, Richard Paradise, Melissa Brodeur,

Afternoon: Creative Renaissance and the Harvest.

Proposed Panelists: Shawn Bolz, Jonathan Fung, Rachel Ford, Trevor Macpherson and Others.

Evening: Apostolic Considerations for the Coming Harvest

Proposed Panelists: Che Ahn, Jerome Ocampo, Gary Goodell, John Isaacs, and Others

Friday, Aug 10 Morning: Teaching and Discipling the Coming Harvest

Proposed Panelists, Robert Gladstone, Chuck Mervin Adrian Simila, and Others

Afternoon: Marketplace Ministry and the Coming Harvest

Proposed Panelists: Leo Scott, Justin Eldred, Chuck Girard And Others.

Evening: Prophetic Considerations for the Coming Harvest

Proposed Panelists: Jill Austin, Ray Hughs, Shawn Bolz, Jesse Engle, Erica Greve, Adam Hood

Saturday, Aug 11 All Day: Summer of Love Convergence

In partnership with the Red Riders, we will be gathering thousands of passionate Jesus people in Sharon Meadows in Golden Gate Park. We will have seven worship bands from around the nation with key leaders who will be speaking. We will have space for artists to draw, paint and display their work. We will spend the day worshipping, praying and proclaiming the Love of God. Join the Summer of Love Procession @10am at the base of the Panhandle or join us at Sharon Meadows from 12-5 in the afternoon. Sharon Meadows is located near Stanyon St and Fell St. in the heart of the Haight-Ashbury District. For more info see: www.thecauseusa.com.

A late addition: there will be a wedding during the convergence. Angelo Jeanpierre will be marrying Hanna Proctor of Elisha’s Request. The celebration will be officiated by Rev. Shaun Bolz, and will be the centerpiece of a significant evangelistic outreach. It’s been a little while since I’ve been part of an outreach like this; reminds me of my YWAM days.