ONLY a little challenge

One week ago today, I woke up with groin like pains on my right leg. I took no notice of them and continued with my normal morning routines of getting my grand-daughter's school lunch ready, having breakfast and getting ready for work. By the time we were ready to leave home I found myself ambling in pain out the door. Mum noticed and called after me in Fijian, "nacava e vosoti?" 

I honestly did not feel it would be prolonged until we reached Fletcher Road and I began shivering uncontrollably. It felt funny, I reached for my phone to call my colleague, Torika Taoi but I could not even use it. I gave up and left it to Tulagi to call her and to ask her to pass the message on to our HR people. We returned home because I realised I would probably make a spectacle of myself at work. I decided, I would not take anything other than panadol for my pains and the good old hot water bottle was a good friend through this experience. But once again, I found myself losing my appetite and it was hard to get myself to eat anything. The pains continued through to Friday and by Friday evening I agreed to have Waisea call the Oncology Nurse at CWM Hospital.

My next two days were spent in the Lancaster Ward and that was an experience after my last hospital admission in the early 1990s. I found this time around that the iron bars on the bed base were painful and luckily the room next door had a few empty beds and we were able to double the mattress. I suspect it isn't old age :) but the pains on my hip bones which require a little more padding. The time in hospital was a blessing as well in multiple ways. There were so many direct messages for both Waisea and I that God is with us through this experience. The doctor who saw me on Sunday morning verbalised his puzzlement about my symptoms suggesting that my case is so different from most other ovarian cases. We had to tell him that this was because of the many prayers being sent out on my behalf and we believed it was a definite answer to prayer. In this time of sickness and pain, the church family, family members and friends across Fiji and the world have been upholding my name in intercessory prayer. 

The fact that I have been able to get to work and survive each day this week is evidence of God's answer to those many prevailing intercessory prayers. Over and over again I am reminded of the fact that those prayers have also been for my family who are bearing this experience with me. We are immensely grateful to everyone for the time given to praying for us, for encouraging us, visiting us from abroad and for calling to check on our well being regularly. Your support confirms the text: Proverbs 17:17 A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity. (NIV) May God bless you all.