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!