The Inevitable

Life in India surely is the path of difficulty and challenge, it is not until you experience this path you begin to realise how privileged you are to be brought up in an country like New Zealand.  As with any work of the Lord it has its times of challenges and times of blessings.  The bible character Nehemiah comes to mind as he too set out in faith to do the Lord's work and faced many difficulties along the path, but yet it was a work that needed to be done. 

When making the decision to go to India I was fully accepting the consequences that could potentially follow.  Even after several people advising of the worst case scenarios that could happen I still made the journey.  By God's grace he has preserved me thus far but as expected at some point the inevitable had to happen.  It is in times like these where you are put to the test to see where your faith truly lies.  My father reminded me of 2 Corinthians 12:8-10 …"My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness."… For when I am weak then I am strong.  These verses take on a whole new meaning when facing challenges like this.

Picking up medicine from a local drug store 

So after three months of eating vastly different food than what I had ever been used to before my body had finally given up and thrown in the towel.  It could of been the result from many different things, such as too much spicy food, not enough water, overworked, food poisoning, or from inhaling bad dust, but whatever the cause I know it was a trial that was set before me from the Lord to teach me a lesson. To rejoice in trials is something that is very difficult to do, but looking back now I can see it was a blessing in disguise.

On Tuesday morning I woke with a sore throat which was slightly uncomfortable but nothing too major so I continued my work at the school and at the orphanage.  But as Wednesday morning hit so did something that I wasn't expecting at all.  I woke with mild stomach pain and dizziness but as I made my way to the kitchen things took a turn for the worst.  I suddenly came down with a fever, my vision went black as if I had stood up too fast, my whole body broke out in an intense sweat as if someone had thrown a bucket of water over me, I felt like vomiting and to finish it off I couldn't even stand up or walk as I had no control over my body.  But as fast as the fever had hit me it appeared to leave just as quick.  Within 10 minutes I was back in consciousness and feeling okay.  It's no coincidence that a few nights before I had taken a bible study on John 4:46-54 when Jesus healed a boy who had a bad fever.  I think I now have a slightly better understanding of what that boy must of felt like.

Buying fruit from a local vendor

However after the fever had left me the pain in my stomach started to become increasing intense.  It felt as if it was full of air as it was rumbling continually.  Unbeknown to me this pain would continue for the next 6 days.  What amazed me was the consistency of the pain, as generally you would think that gas trapped in your stomach would eventually ease off as time went by, but this pain was not going anywhere anytime soon.

I could write in great detail of each of the days events and troubles that followed but instead I will try summarise it down to a few points.

• On Wednesday afternoon I was taken to a doctor in Hunsur.  It was down a long alleyway through many different doors and rooms until we stopped at the place.  It was a small room with two hard wooden beds and a nurse sitting at a small table.  My stomach pain was uncomfortable as it was but lying on a rock hard bed made it just that much worse.  After a few minutes the doctor rushed in and asked what the problem was. He then spoke in Kannada to the nurse and rush off.  The nurse then stabbed me with an giant needle and drip fed me two bottles of glycose which was to help give my body energy to fight the stomach bug.  It took about 40 minutes to finish the bottles and in the meantime there were people being rushed into the same room as me while the nurse was stabbing them with needles in backside.  It was quite the experience.

• On Thursday the pain wasn't easing off but I was very thankful for those taking care of me as they were going out of their way to help me.  I wasn't able to eat any food but could manage to drink some coconut water which helped slightly.  It's a strange feeling lying on your bed in pain while knowing in the room next door there are 70+ children sitting on the floor with their faces bowed to the ground praying earnestly for you for two hours, it really humbles you.

• On Friday again the pain wasn't going away so it was decided I would be taken to Mysore hospital.  I was sure if the pain wasn't going to kill me it would be the one hour drive there which on Indian roads is not fun at all.  I had in my mind a picture of what an Indian hospital would be like but thankfully it was nothing like it.  It was actually very comfortable, clean and I was well looked after.  That could have been because I was in the special ward which is about $40 NZD a night and not the common ward which is free.

• Everything was done very quickly, I was taken into a room and made to lie down on a bed.  A very professional young looking doctor who spoke good English rushed in and began to scan my stomach. It was the type of scan which you would get when your pregnant, the one with the cold gel being rubbed on your stomach. There were 6 nurses surrounding the bed while the doctor quickly moved the scanning machine around while looking at the monitor.  It was like something out of a medical TV series and I was just waiting for him to say that I had some rare disease.  But no, it turned out there was nothing majorly wrong, just a lot of gas trapped inside.  He gave me some good advice on what to do and said it would take 2-3 days before the pain would ease.  Which he was spot on.  I spent the night in the hospital in a "special deluxe room" which was four walls and a bed.  The hospital wing that I was in had 5 floors and about 200 rooms but I was literally the only patient there.  It looked like something out of a zombie movie where there is an abandoned hospital. 

 

• At 12:01am on Saturday 13th February as I lay in that hospital bed in intense pain while hooked up to a drip feed of glucose, one of the young men from the orphanage, named Lokesh who had stayed by my side the whole night, shook my hand to congratulate me on turning 24 and then kneeled down beside my bed and prayed with me.  It is in moments like these that I am comforted by the Lord's presence.

• After a series of events on Saturday I had to stay another night in the hospital as the pain was still very intense.  On Sunday the pain started to ease off and I was able to eat my first meal in 5 days, a subway sandwich.  I was discharged in the early afternoon and then we caught the bus back to Hunsur.  Once I reached the orphanage all the children gathered around me wanting to know how I was doing as they were very pleased to see me.

Drinking coconut water while in the hospital

I've left out a lot more specific details but if I were to include them I think my mother would have a heart attack and demand I return to New Zealand.  I am just thankful to be alive and for the pain to have stopped.

So after 5 days of severe stomach pain, 9 injections, 4 of which were pain killers, I think 15 bottles of glucose and several bottles of antibiotics, by the Lord grace I somehow survived.  I am extremely thankful and humbled by the messages of support and prayer from those in New Zealand and India.  I hope to continue the Lord's work for as long as He wills.

Praise the Lord.  

All the children waiting for the school bus