We just received this update from our dear friends, the Markleys...as the Spirit brings them to your minds please join us in lifting them before our Abba Father who knows all and sees all and loves this family so much more than we ever could! Our hearts ache to be with them and help in any way possible...I know that their families are feeling the same way and more. Thank you again for being prayer warriors!!
Dear friends,
Psalm 18:30 says, “As for God, His way is perfect; The word of the LORD is proven; He is a shield to all who trust in Him.” God’s way is perfect, sometimes its different than what we would have chosen or expected, but HIS way is PERFECT. As I unfold this story to you, you will see how this verse has been a comfort to us in the midst of this seeming storm we are passing through.
Friday night April had some stomach pain and bleeding and because we are so far from medical help, it was pretty concerning to us. The next morning we got on the radio and contacted our NTM clinic. The Doctor was not there so we talked to a nurse who told us to have April go to bed and call them back on the radio later that day to give an update on her condition. Since the nurse didn’t seem too concerned, April went to bed and I got to work on Literacy Preparation for our consultants who were coming on Monday to help us put together our Literacy Primers. Well a couple hours later we heard a plane coming in, at first we didn’t think too much about it, but then I realized that it was one of our NTM planes. I went down to the airstrip and the pilot told us to pack our bags because the doctor wanted to check April out at the clinic.
The next hour was pretty hectic as we ran around the house packing our bags, not knowing how long to pack for. The pilot also the pilot told us to pack all our important papers just incase we needed to be med-evac’ed to Australia. So needless to say it was a bit stressful, but soon we were in a plane on our way to Lapilo (our NTM headquarters in PNG). The doctor did some tests and saw that there was a problem with the placenta and that the baby could be in danger. So to make a long story short within a couple hours we were on another NTM plane on our way to Cairns Australia.
The flight to Australia was probably the most difficult flight I’ve ever been on. We left at night in the middle of a thunderstorm, April was strapped to a stretcher, Jordan was in the back of the plane yelling to us asking why it felt like we were falling out of the sky (really bad turbulence). Anyway, after 3 hours we made it to Australia where an ambulance was waiting for April and the boys and I took a taxi to a hotel.
We are still in a daze, but everyone is doing fine. April is still in the hospital and will be there until at least Wednesday, but she is feeling fine, the bleeding has stopped and all the babies signs are healthy and strong. The doctor here in Australia did some tests and found that there was a placenta abruption, meaning the placenta has become partially detached from the uterus. He said that with the size of the abruption he is surprised that Aprils isn’t in a lot of pain, and with this kind of problem, he expected many other complications but as of now are non existent. So we’re praising the Lord for looking after April and the baby.
As it looks now with this kind of risk we won’t be able to go back to PNG until after the baby is born. The doctor here says that there is a 50/50 chance that the placenta could become more detached, causing great distress to the baby. In that case she would need an emergency C-section. April is only 29 weeks along and PNG has no adequate medical facilities for C-sections or pre mature deliveries. So no what? Well since she is stable, the doctor may be able to release April from the hospital in a few days, but we will need to stay next to a big hospital until the baby is born. So the question now is do we want to stay in Australia, in the hotel, for possibly the next 4 months (if baby goes to term), or should we go home to Missouri. The obvious answer is that we would like to go home, but we’re not even sure if she would be safe to travel. Right now we’re just waiting to see how things go in the next few days, to make sure April and the baby are both stable.
Please be praying specifically for:
- Safety for the baby.
- Wisdom for the Doctors.
- For our team, as they continue literacy primer construction.
- For the boys, as their world has just been turned upside down (however, they are having a great time in civilization as they have been re-united with their old friend McDonalds).
Thank you for your love and support, we are comforted already knowing that you will be holding us up in your prayers.
Resting in His Grip,
Jeremiah for the Markleys
Psalm 18:30 says, “As for God, His way is perfect; The word of the LORD is proven; He is a shield to all who trust in Him.” God’s way is perfect, sometimes its different than what we would have chosen or expected, but HIS way is PERFECT. As I unfold this story to you, you will see how this verse has been a comfort to us in the midst of this seeming storm we are passing through.
Friday night April had some stomach pain and bleeding and because we are so far from medical help, it was pretty concerning to us. The next morning we got on the radio and contacted our NTM clinic. The Doctor was not there so we talked to a nurse who told us to have April go to bed and call them back on the radio later that day to give an update on her condition. Since the nurse didn’t seem too concerned, April went to bed and I got to work on Literacy Preparation for our consultants who were coming on Monday to help us put together our Literacy Primers. Well a couple hours later we heard a plane coming in, at first we didn’t think too much about it, but then I realized that it was one of our NTM planes. I went down to the airstrip and the pilot told us to pack our bags because the doctor wanted to check April out at the clinic.
The next hour was pretty hectic as we ran around the house packing our bags, not knowing how long to pack for. The pilot also the pilot told us to pack all our important papers just incase we needed to be med-evac’ed to Australia. So needless to say it was a bit stressful, but soon we were in a plane on our way to Lapilo (our NTM headquarters in PNG). The doctor did some tests and saw that there was a problem with the placenta and that the baby could be in danger. So to make a long story short within a couple hours we were on another NTM plane on our way to Cairns Australia.
The flight to Australia was probably the most difficult flight I’ve ever been on. We left at night in the middle of a thunderstorm, April was strapped to a stretcher, Jordan was in the back of the plane yelling to us asking why it felt like we were falling out of the sky (really bad turbulence). Anyway, after 3 hours we made it to Australia where an ambulance was waiting for April and the boys and I took a taxi to a hotel.
We are still in a daze, but everyone is doing fine. April is still in the hospital and will be there until at least Wednesday, but she is feeling fine, the bleeding has stopped and all the babies signs are healthy and strong. The doctor here in Australia did some tests and found that there was a placenta abruption, meaning the placenta has become partially detached from the uterus. He said that with the size of the abruption he is surprised that Aprils isn’t in a lot of pain, and with this kind of problem, he expected many other complications but as of now are non existent. So we’re praising the Lord for looking after April and the baby.
As it looks now with this kind of risk we won’t be able to go back to PNG until after the baby is born. The doctor here says that there is a 50/50 chance that the placenta could become more detached, causing great distress to the baby. In that case she would need an emergency C-section. April is only 29 weeks along and PNG has no adequate medical facilities for C-sections or pre mature deliveries. So no what? Well since she is stable, the doctor may be able to release April from the hospital in a few days, but we will need to stay next to a big hospital until the baby is born. So the question now is do we want to stay in Australia, in the hotel, for possibly the next 4 months (if baby goes to term), or should we go home to Missouri. The obvious answer is that we would like to go home, but we’re not even sure if she would be safe to travel. Right now we’re just waiting to see how things go in the next few days, to make sure April and the baby are both stable.
Please be praying specifically for:
- Safety for the baby.
- Wisdom for the Doctors.
- For our team, as they continue literacy primer construction.
- For the boys, as their world has just been turned upside down (however, they are having a great time in civilization as they have been re-united with their old friend McDonalds).
Thank you for your love and support, we are comforted already knowing that you will be holding us up in your prayers.
Resting in His Grip,
Jeremiah for the Markleys
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