Near screaming pain for 15 days—not constant, but very frequent.
As I write, I am in Puerto Princesa, the capital of our province of Palawan. The pain has led me to the emergency room twice, with a doctor’s visit in between. I have been undergoing treatment for a bacterial ear infection. Yet the two different antibiotics have produced no effect—only increasing pain. I have also been effectively deaf in one ear with a loud ringing and a feeling as if there is cotton on my ear drum.
Last night, the ER doctor consulted with an ear, nose and throat specialist by phone, and I have an appointment with him this morning. I am hopeful that this doctor will know the problem. At this point, it is suspected to be a fungal infection.
“I see what looks like cotton in your ear,” said the ER doctor. They gave me IV painkillers last night, but they did not help.
So why did I wait so long to see a specialist? It has been a time of focused preparation for campmeeting. Our local church leaders planned the theme, the topics, the schedule, and the workshops and prepared the housing, which takes days of many people’s time. We came alongside them during the last week of preparation to help tie up loose ends and clean and organize the facilities. More importantly, we spent several days specifically praying for more of the Holy Spirit in our lives and also preparing hearts for the work of the Holy Spirit during the upcoming meetings.
I had the privilege of teaching morning and evening worship on the topic of the Holy Spirit and leading our team in spiritual preparation for the upcoming event. When campmeeting started, I led the early morning devotional, continuing with the theme of the Holy Spirit. The studies were a good refresher for me, and the Lord blessed us throughout the meetings and workshops.
It was interesting that the pain would become more intense as I sat down to review my presentation and prepare my heart. I sensed that it would be easy to succumb to being sick and absenting myself, but I also knew what we were to learn was very important. By God’s grace, I was able to complete the series. And now, here I am, with a little time to receive care. I am hopeful this doctor will evacuate the fungus in my ear and give me the correct medicine.
Because of the difficulty of travel between villages, some as far as a difficult 12-15 hour hike away, campmeeting is a true time of reunion. And it was a time of renewal—not just old friendships but also spiritual renewal.
We had the thrill of baptizing 11 people, six of whom are the first fruits of an ongoing church plant in Mermà, where our daughter Jilin and her husband Junie serve. As I was telling people goodbye the last morning, a middle-aged man named Adan walked with me and said that he knew he was a child of God now and that he would be part of the next baptism. So the work in Mermà is truly bearing fruit.
Another friend of mine, who is extremely shy and reserved, messages me often to say hello and see how I am doing. I do the same with her. She is a baptized member who had backslidden, or at least quit attending, since she moved a long distance from the church. But I knew she was struggling spiritually and kept praying for her and reaching out to her. We also assisted her as she underwent a recent gallbladder surgery.
I had invited her to campmeeting (all are invited, but they like personal invitations), and she had indicated that she would consider it. So I was delighted to see her when she arrived with her eldest daughter and her family that first day. The second daughter joined after school a few days later. They attended every meeting and seemed to be responding to the working of the Holy Spirit.
After my friend returned home on the last day, she texted me, “I’m sorry I didn’t ask permission to leave” (a polite way of saying, “I didn’t tell you goodbye”). “But I just want to say thanks for everything you did for us during the meetings. Everything was great.”
When I replied that I was so happy they had been there and that we would continue to ask the Holy Spirit to do His thorough work in our lives, she replied, “That is so true. That is what I want: to walk again the trail of God because He has not forsaken me, even during the most difficult of times. God has not agreed that I should die two different times because He knew I wasn’t ready. The doctor told me that if I had waited much longer for the surgery, I would have died. I’m grateful I no longer feel the pain of illness, just the pain of my sins, and for that, God has the medicine!”
Another young man whom I had worked very closely with for years and who had become like a son to us left the mountains years ago with his family and pursued money. He was able to come to the campmeeting for Sabbath and Sunday and was blessed by the work of the Holy Spirit. He told me, “I’m coming back. The job isn’t worth my salvation.”
So many stories; my heart is full of joy. The campmeeting sometimes felt like a farewell get-together. In a way, it was, since our church family lives in so many different places. But we all felt a sense of unity and peace. I praise God for His work in us, through us and for us. In spite of intense pain, God reigns supreme over all. I know I can trust Him.
