Mustard seed-sized faith

I remain hopeful that God will heal Mark Andreas, the little boy whom I have visited at Miri General Hospital already a few times. I continue asking God to take my mustard seed-sized faith and move the mountain of Mark's health problems.

On Thursday, Julianne and I had the chance to spend the afternoon visiting hours at the hospital with Mark and his mother, Anna. Pastor John dropped us off and we were able to find our way to the same pediatric room where Mark is staying.

His status is basically the same. Mark is on a ventilator, hooked up to a heart monitor and doesn't really move. Doctors did a tracheotomy surgery about one week ago because Mark has been on the throat ventilator for so long. But, get this! The hospital didn't have the breathing tube needed for the trach, and it's now on order from Kuala Lumpur. I asked Anna why the doctors would have done the surgery on her son without knowing whether the hospital had all the necessary supplies. Her response, a shrug of the shoulders. It makes me wonder if Mark would be getting better if he were in a different hospital.

Miri General Hospital is the public, government-run facility in the city. According to Pastor John many people would rather go to the private hospital, but cannot afford the fees. I asked Anna if her husband's job provides enough money to cover Mark's hospital bills. She said no, but that in the upcoming week she will be applying for more government aid. She said it's not too hard to get, one just needs to apply.

I had the chance to walk around the hospital with Anna and talk with her one-on-one while Julianne stayed and prayed with Mark Andreas. It was really inspiring to speak with her, and her happiness at the changes that have been happening in her family during Mark's hospitalization.

Her husband comes and spends each night at the hospital with her and Mark. They sleep in a tiny corner of the five-bed hospital room. Anna said she wakes up at 4am to start feeding Mark. But more excitedly she tells me that she and her husband read the Bible and pray together each morning before he heads off to work. It's something Anna says they never did during their 25 years of marriage until Mark was sent to hospital. Then she went on to tell me that her eldest son, Pares, is now going to church each Sunday, was recently baptized and cannot stop reading his Bible. The most amazing thing is that less than one month ago when I first met Anna she told me how Pares had no interest in God. Anna said she's not sure what God's plan is in all this, but that there are really fantastic things happening in her family.

After our walk, Anna and Julianne talked for awhile in the hospital room while I had a chance to sit, talk and pray with Mark. His eyes are fairly attentive and followed my face around. Poor kid is probably wondering "Who is this strange white woman with curly hair?" Ha ha!

I couldn't help but get choked up when talk to Mark about how I hope to see him running like any other 18 month-old boy. I sang the children's song "My God is so big/great", both as an encouragement for Mark and even more so for myself. I will continue to pray for his healing - strength in his lungs, his heart, his muscles and nerves. I know that God is bigger, and stronger than any illness, and He could heal Mark with the snap of His fingers.

Our outreach team had time this week to reflect on our time in Malaysia has progressed, and think about what we still want to do with our week left here. My number one hope is to visit Anna and Mark again, and to witness a miracle and God's healing power.

But will I?

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Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. Hebrews 11:1 (NIV)

I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you. Matthew 17:20 (NIV)