Miracles--Big & Little

August seems to be a month of miracles---some big.... and some not so big and important.  One little miracle involves one of our sweet sisters, Gwen.  She lives in a nursing home and comes to church every week in a wheelchair.  She told us that she has quit drinking coffee and wants to go to the temple!  She is so sweet and sincere and in spite of

her health challenges we hope that we can help it happen for her one day.

Also, an update on Sister Page.  We were able to help her come to church again.  And again, it was quite a challenge (oxygen problems, miscommunication with family & her getting locked out of her apartment)!  We did end up coordinating and communicating more with her family than last time, but it definitely still didn't go to smoothly.  Even so, she really enjoyed coming and participating at church.  Her son, who is not a member of the church, is planning to come with her one time!  Another little miracle.

Then, we were able to be eye witnesses to a REALLY BIG spiritual miracle!  We still visit people in the hospitals here every so often.  Around the first part of June we heard of a family from Texas who were at the Children's Hospital with their 8 year old son, Ian.  They brought him to Pittsburgh for some medical tests and expected to stay 3 days.  While he was here in the hospital he developed complete heart failure for some unknown reason...possibly a virus of some kind.  Anyway, his problems were so severe that he was on a bypass machine and then a heart pump with his chest completely open for several weeks.  He had priesthood blessings, but his condition worsened every day for two months.  They were at the point of expecting him to need a heart transplant.  We visited off and on, but only heard that he was going downhill.  It was such a strain for their family.  They had a sister of the mom bring their other two children from Texas once to visit, but eventually they had to return home again.

Anyway, the dad called two of the elders in our district to the hospital on a Sunday night and they helped him give his son a priesthood blessing.  The next day little Ian pulled out the ventilator tube and the doctors decided to see how he would do without it.  He actually did fine and tubes and machines were removed--one after another!  The doctors are the ones who began calling it a miracle.  They said they have never seen something like it.  One doctor said he wants is to write a paper about it.

Last week Ian was still having ups and downs from recovering from being in ICU and artificial life support for so long. We visited his mom on one of his bad days.  We were able to reassure her that we had seen some of the same type symtoms almost exactly a year ago with our daughter, Emily.  Ian's mom said it really helped for her to talk to someone who had also been through the same type of experience.  Somehow we feel we are put in people's paths for a reason.

It has been such a blessing for us and the elders to witness Ian's recovery.  He is now out of intensive care and he is talking and playing with toys.  We visited with the Elders this week and it was good for them to see him doing so much better.

Now for more of a worldly type miracle!  One day in August we were able to walk up to the Pirates box office and get 4 tickets for great seats all together......at a sold out game.... a couple of days before the event!   Still don't quite know how that happened, but we had a wonderful "Pirates P-day" with Sister Welch and Sister Sears. The stadium has to be one of the most beautiful in the nation and from our seats we could see a great game, the Pittsburgh skyline, and the boats sailing down the river.  The Pirates pulled through with a couple of home runs and even ended up winning the game.

PS  Another little blessing!   One morning recently we went on a morning hike around Highland Park, but we took a different route than what we usually do.  We saw a deer in this park that is bordered by a highway and is actually right in the middle of the city!  On another morning we saw a raccoon run right in front of us.  We are so grateful for being able to still hike together a few minutes from our apartment and enjoy the blessings of nature.