Wonderful Great News!
I mentioned last week that I had heard from Pastor Shobanke in Nigeria. He told me then that he had news concerning Dorcas and that he would email me to explain. To say we have been greatly anticipating his email would be a slight understatement. The promised email arrived Monday morning.
For those who may not know, Dorcas was saved in our Gospel Crusade in Abeokuta in December 2009. When I invited people into the altar for salvation Dorcas literally drug herself 65-70 feet to the altar. She is physically unable to walk but she wanted desperately to pray for salvation. On the second night of the crusade she was wonderfully and gloriously saved.
This is Dorcas in the wheelchair during a Sunday service in Christ Ambassadors Holiness Church in Abeokuta in November 2013.
We have kept in touch with Dorcas since 2009 and we are always thrilled to see her when we are in Nigeria. She has a very pleasant and sweet spirit. Being handicapped is never easy but is especially difficult in a third world nation. Dorcas has a wheelchair that she uses in the church but the outside world is not accessible to a wheelchair at all in most of Nigeria. She drags herself wherever she goes outside or even inside if there are steps or other obstacles.
I often tell about the night of her conversion in my preaching. It still thrills our family to think about how God saved her and how she was determined to get to Jesus no matter what she had to do. I also tell how Kelly Jo and I have tried to send or take her a little money each year to help her survive. We know somewhat of her physical difficulties and we want to encourage her on purpose along the way.
During tent revival in Waynesville I mentioned Dorcas the first night of revival. Pastor Danny Morgan (Kelly Jo's brother) and his church were moved to give an offering to Dorcas. When all was said and done his church gave nearly $500! I had a few hundred more saved for her and I gave it all to Bro. Shobanke while he was in the states this summer.
I told him that I believed Dorcas would probably have a special financial need of some kind since God had provided the money through miraculous means. God knows what He is doing way before we have a clue.
While Bro. Shobanke was in the states, Dr. Kehinde Hunyinbo (Dr. Isaac) took Dorcas to the hospital for a thorough medical examination. Dr. Isaac is one of Bro. Shobanke's preachers in the church and a very fine man. It was determined that surgery could possibly help but she would have to be admitted to the hospital and it would be costly to pay.
When Bro. Shobanke arrived in Nigeria he told me he acted upon my words and asked Dorcas to use the money for the hospital bill. She was admitted and deposited the money for medical care and his church has been paying the balance.
According to the letter I received from the doctor they found muscle contractures in both hips and knees that prevented Dorcas from walking. She has undergone two surgeries and is still in the hospital receiving physical therapy. She will be in the hospital several more weeks and then in outpatient therapy after her release.
The wonderful good news is that Dorcas is now able to stand up and walk with a walker in the hospital. This is a dramatic improvement and they are praising God for it. We are rejoicing with our dear Sis. Dorcas and we are praying for a complete healing for her. Praise God for His help. Praise God for Dr. Isaac. Praise God for God's people helping to meet part of the need in advance.
There have been and will continue to be more financial expenses and we are going to try to help with that as we can. We will send an offering when we send school supplies in December. If you would like to help with either cause please let us know. Anything you give will be a great help and it will be appreciated tremendously!
Our God is great and greatly to be praised!
Davy
