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Jim Awaiting Liver Transplant - Possibly Tonight

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  • #91
    Originally posted by Cow Poke View Post
    I thought I'd share the letter I got to read to the Church this morning.....



    Jim and I would like to somehow convey to all of you just how much your prayers, support, and countless acts of kindness have changed our lives. Without your love and prayers I would not have had the strength to see him through this past year. Without your financial blessings he would not even have had the opportunity to be at Methodist Hospital receiving the best possible care. But most importantly, without God answering prayers we would not be here today.

    I was literally watching my husband’s life slip away a little more each day. The doctors in the ICU told me that without a transplant he in all likelihood was only a few days away from dying. His kidneys had shut down, his liver had ceased to function, and he was in danger of bleeding to death as his blood could no longer clot. On the night of July 12th I was leaving the ICU, totally exhausted and feeling drained of hope. For so long I had prayed for God to heal my husband. But this time I prayed, Father if it is your will to take Jim home to be with you I just ask it is soon because he is a good man and loves you and I can’t bear to see him suffer any longer. But if it is your will to heal him please also help him soon. I believe it was that moment of complete, genuine, and total surrender to God’s will in which our prayers were answered.

    The next sound I heard was someone running behind me. I turned and looked back and saw Jim’s nurse from ICU running towards me. My heart sunk and I said “what happened, what happened?” She said “hurry, come with me. It’s good, it’s good!” The surgeon met me at the entrance to the ICU and said the words I had almost given up on hearing, Mrs. Odermann, we have a donor!!

    Since the transplant surgery, Jim’s recovery has been nothing short of miraculous. The doctors and nurses are astounded by his recovery and progress. But Jim is not surprised. He says, “God did not bring me through this for nothing, I have a testimony he wants me to share.” As soon as he was able to speak again he told them all he needed to get out and go to Church to thank everyone and then he would come back and do whatever they wanted him to do to get better. They did not let him, but not for a lack of him trying to convince them!

    We had several different chaplains come visit us while we were at the hospital. We shared with each of them our story of how our church family at _________ Baptist Church stepped in to help two people they had never met, who were in desperate need, and lifted us up and prayed us through this past year. They all said the same thing as they were leaving. “I came to encourage you, but instead your story has restored and strengthened my faith.”

    When we moved to Brenham we were looking for a church, but it turned out the church found us. It is because God touched your hearts that what we thought was the worst year of our lives instead was truly our most blessed year. The saying “There is no place like home” isn’t just about a house after all. We are home here, at ________ Baptist. You are all forever in our hearts and our prayers.

    Jim & Diane
    Oh, come on! You couldn't possibly have read that without blubbering yourself! I am blubbering just reading it!


    Securely anchored to the Rock amid every storm of trial, testing or tribulation.

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    • #92
      Originally posted by mossrose View Post
      Oh, come on! You couldn't possibly have read that without blubbering yourself! I am blubbering just reading it!
      Yeah, you got it! Halfway through, I stopped and looked at Diane and said "you're really mean". Everybody laughed ... and I was able to continue.
      The first to state his case seems right until another comes and cross-examines him.

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      • #93
        What a blessing!!!

        It has strengthened my faith too

        God is good!!

        Comment


        • #94
          So, Jim was in Church again Sunday Morning (and Bible Study Wednesday Night). He walked in much more steadily - last Sunday he was a little unbalanced, but this Sunday you would never know he had just been through major surgery just weeks ago!
          The first to state his case seems right until another comes and cross-examines him.

          Comment


          • #95
            Originally posted by Cow Poke View Post
            So, Jim was in Church again Sunday Morning (and Bible Study Wednesday Night). He walked in much more steadily - last Sunday he was a little unbalanced, but this Sunday you would never know he had just been through major surgery just weeks ago!
            Great news. As has been noted before, God is good.

            I'm always still in trouble again

            "You're by far the worst poster on TWeb" and "TWeb's biggest liar" --starlight (the guy who says Stalin was a right-winger)
            "Overall I would rate the withdrawal from Afghanistan as by far the best thing Biden's done" --Starlight
            "Of course, human life begins at fertilization that’s not the argument." --Tassman

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            • #96
              So how about an update on Jim? How is he doing?

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              • #97
                He is doing fantastic! He had a couple rough days last week, but I think it's because he really overdid it - he's not one to "take it easy". They are on a trip right now to Minnesota to visit family, but I hear from them through texts.

                Thanks for asking!
                The first to state his case seems right until another comes and cross-examines him.

                Comment


                • #98

                  Comment


                  • #99
                    "He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose." - Jim Elliot

                    "Forgiveness is the way of love." Gary Chapman

                    My Personal Blog

                    My Novella blog (Current Novella Begins on 7/25/14)

                    Quill Sword

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                    • So, the update on Jim is that he's doing SO well that he's "out and about", and will probably serve as project manager for the "I bought a Church" program we're working on in a neighboring county.

                      There's a picture of him in that link discussing the project with Pastor Charles.
                      The first to state his case seems right until another comes and cross-examines him.

                      Comment


                      • FOUR MONTHS after his liver transplant, Jim was chomping at the bit to get back into construction. Meanwhile, I needed to build a privacy fence behind my shop. It occurred to me to hire Jim to do that, so I could keep an eye on him, and he could "ease back into" physical labor.

                        He's doing GREAT!!!!

                        jim construction.jpg
                        The first to state his case seems right until another comes and cross-examines him.

                        Comment


                        • Originally posted by Cow Poke View Post
                          So, some of you know that Diane needed $9,300 to get things started where Jim could even be on the transplant list. She was raising money through gofundme. I've mentioned this elsewhere, I think, but I mentioned one Sunday (several months ago?) that there was this need, and it covered the insurance premium, some very expensive prescription co-pays, and some other stuff that needed to happen.

                          That same Sunday after Church, one of my members handed me a check for $10,000 and told me "I don't want her to know where this came from, but tell that dear lady to go ahead and get her husband taken care of."

                          That man called me just a while ago, rejoicing that we have the good news that we have, and reminding me that the money is anonymous.

                          That $10,000 could QUITE LITERALLY be the difference between Jim living and dying. Jim has been sick the whole time I've known him, but shortly before that, he was a healthy construction worker, active in his Church in Oklahoma.

                          I'm getting excited knowing that pretty soon, Jim will be able to walk into our Church for the first time ever, and meet the rest of his Church family.
                          OK, this just in (from this past Thursday)

                          Diane had texted me earlier in the week, asking me to have lunch with her and Jim. Thursday, we met, and they bought me a steak at a very nice local restaurant. We talked about Jim's progress, they thanked me for all the Church had done for them, and for me being their Pastor. They told me how God had blessed them, they got back into the Insurance Estimator business for hurricane and disaster relief, and the company that hired them TRIPLED their standard pay, and made them supervisors over Florida, as well as coordinators for much of SE US, and Texas. They have actually paid off hospital bills, climbed out of debt, and said, "we finally feel like our heads are above water".

                          We had been sitting talking for almost 2 hours, and I had a meeting at the Church, so I thanked them for the meal and the fellowship, and told them I needed to be heading back to the Church.

                          Jim said, "yeah, we totally understand, but we want you to take this with you".

                          He slid an envelope across the table, and I could see Diane welling up with tears. I had a suspicion what it was.

                          Jim said, "when you gave us the $10,000 that saved my life, we never thought of it as a loan - we knew God had provided. But we also know that God has provided for us, beyond our wildest dreams, and we want to pay it forward".

                          The envelope contained a check for $10,000 made out to the Church "for any benevolence need you want to address".

                          God is good!!!!!
                          The first to state his case seems right until another comes and cross-examines him.

                          Comment


                          • Originally posted by Cow Poke View Post
                            OK, this just in (from this past Thursday)

                            Diane had texted me earlier in the week, asking me to have lunch with her and Jim. Thursday, we met, and they bought me a steak at a very nice local restaurant. We talked about Jim's progress, they thanked me for all the Church had done for them, and for me being their Pastor. They told me how God had blessed them, they got back into the Insurance Estimator business for hurricane and disaster relief, and the company that hired them TRIPLED their standard pay, and made them supervisors over Florida, as well as coordinators for much of SE US, and Texas. They have actually paid off hospital bills, climbed out of debt, and said, "we finally feel like our heads are above water".

                            We had been sitting talking for almost 2 hours, and I had a meeting at the Church, so I thanked them for the meal and the fellowship, and told them I needed to be heading back to the Church.

                            Jim said, "yeah, we totally understand, but we want you to take this with you".

                            He slid an envelope across the table, and I could see Diane welling up with tears. I had a suspicion what it was.

                            Jim said, "when you gave us the $10,000 that saved my life, we never thought of it as a loan - we knew God had provided. But we also know that God has provided for us, beyond our wildest dreams, and we want to pay it forward".

                            The envelope contained a check for $10,000 made out to the Church "for any benevolence need you want to address".

                            God is good!!!!!



                            Wow!!!

                            I am sure your church will be able to use that to help others, CP!

                            and didn't he have Hep C? And anyone with previous hep c and a transplant would probably have it spread back to the new liver. I noticed that right after his transplant they came out with a cure for Hep C. Were they able to cure his so he won't have to go through it again?

                            Comment


                            • Originally posted by Sparko View Post


                              Wow!!!

                              I am sure your church will be able to use that to help others, CP!

                              and didn't he have Hep C? And anyone with previous hep c and a transplant would probably have it spread back to the new liver. I noticed that right after his transplant they came out with a cure for Hep C. Were they able to cure his so he won't have to go through it again?
                              I think we (Jim and I) talked about that, and I'm pretty sure he said HepC is gone --- I'll confirm in a subsequent conversation. I know you have a special interest in this.
                              The first to state his case seems right until another comes and cross-examines him.

                              Comment


                              • Originally posted by Cow Poke View Post
                                I think we (Jim and I) talked about that, and I'm pretty sure he said HepC is gone --- I'll confirm in a subsequent conversation. I know you have a special interest in this.
                                You know how people claim that Big Pharma has a cure for cancer or other diseases but won't release them because it would decrease their profits? Well I think the Hep C cure proves them wrong. There is no conspiracy. If they can cure a disease they will. They won't hide the cure.

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