A Miraculous Recovery

My dear friends, Larry and Priscilla Larsen, are the featured story on Healthy Outlook, a quarterly magazine published by Overlake Hospital Medical Center in Bellevue, Washington.

Larry suffered a sudden cardiac arrest in January 2010. A number of miraculous events occurred during those critical moments that led to Larry's rescue and subsequent healing. They would be too numerous to list in this short account. I was blessed to have been a part of the prayer team interceding for Larry and Priscilla during those minutes, hours, and days. Priscilla was a tower of strength, demonstrating the power within her -- the power of the Sovereign Lord sustaining her through that time, and besides staying by her husband's side and encouraging him, she also took the time to send email updates to everyone.

An excerpt from Healthy Outlook article says this:

"The team raced against the clock in those first few minutes, but Larry still wasn't entirely stable. On his fourth day in the Critical Care Unit, his heart started quivering erratically; he stopped breathing and flat-lined three times in six hours. Doctors shocked him 24 times and worked tirelessly to save his life. Ten days after the heart attack, Larry's cardiologist delivered the welcome news that Larry was well enough to go home. Hours later, Larry walked out of the hospital."

"Larry's cardiologist said, Clinically speaking, Larry died in the car -- and three more times over the next several days while in the hospital."

Larry and Priscilla tell their story:

Larry can hardly believe his recovery. "I'm biking a few miles a day, and by the end of the summer, (my doctor) says I'll be able to hike up the nearby mountains again."

Priscilla adds, "I'm so grateful to all the doctors and nurses who healed Larry's body, but I also believe the fact he came back to me with his mind intact is truly a sign that God gave us the miracle we asked for. Just think, six and a half weeks after he died, and the doctor has just given him the go-ahead to continue his life as before! And once again, I am observing the miracle which our loving God granted us."

It has only been six months since Larry's death and life experience. Not many people come back from the dead. But he did -- several times. His healing is a witness to God's loving mercy, compassion, and Divine healing.

A little more about Larry and Priscilla Larsen:

 Priscilla is the chairperson of the Global Missions Department at her church. She and Larry travel the globe, visiting several mission ministries that they have helped establish, and lend their help and support through short-term mission trips and financial contributions.

For further reading about Larry's miraculous recovery, go to:

http://sammamishreview.com/2010/02/08/larry-larsen-comes-back

Dandelion Wind

Dancing In the Rain

Two years have passed (all to my surprise) since my last entry. It’s not that I’ve been so busy that I haven’t had time to write. In reality, I’ve continued to write, I still suffer, I continue to be strengthened in the midst of it all and I’ve delighted in receiving power and wisdom through the journey. I scribbled notes here and there about my voyages and stored them in various journals and sticky notes so that I can transfer my memos to somewhere more secure. However, regrettably, I’ve not been able to remember where I put them. I’m confident that they’ll show up when the time is right for them to appear.

It seems to be my assignment in life to suffer. I have a very intense awareness, however, that this is not the final purpose for my life on earth. I’m a listener, an observer, a learner, and an encourager. Life has many things to teach and I think I learn best in the storms of life. I have a new diagnosis concerning my health, but I'm grateful that there is treatment. At the present time, I'm waiting out the time of tests and test results and researching information.

A dear friend often says, “Life isn’t about how to survive the storm. It’s about how to dance in the rain.” I frequently find myself praying for strength to dance in the rain until the sun shines again. Strength dosen't come often so I am content to enjoy the sun-breaks during the waiting. Fortunately, I don’t have to wait very long for a sun-break to happen. Living in the Pacific Northwest means that we have frequent, glorious sun breaks during the rainy season. At the same time, I know that being a child of The Most High and keeping my focus on eternity instead of the passing things of life means that I have frequent Son breaks during the darkened storms of life.

Let me describe the joy of a sun-break in the midst of a dark, gloomy, rain-soaked day:

Within minutes, the stormy clouds begin to dissipate and the gloom of a drab world is transformed into bright, wonderful hues of blue. Tiny patches of white fluffy clouds dance across the sky on the breath of a quiet wind and a long bold arch of radiant colors appear on the horizon. Bird song joins the celebration and all the vegetation shines and shimmers with astonishing brilliance in the glow of the sun. Tiny raindrops cling to the tips of every pine needle and sparkle in the small breeze that brings the scent of clean, refreshing air. It is during this time that I feel the Master's tender, loving touch upon my heart and I am reminded of His words, "I am making everything new!" (Revelation 21:5). I breathe in His goodness and mercy and I know, deep down in my spirit, that after the storms have passed, God's loving mercy will open doors to new beginnings; and I am at peace with the world and the circumstances of life and joyful to be in the presence of the Sovereign Lord who shows me great and mighty things as He reminds me that He loves me with an everlasting love.

Now who could possibly resist dancing in the rain in joyful anticipation?!

Sometimes I want so much to dance in the rain, twirling with the strength of my youth and with new-found joy at the freedom of dancing in a downpour. I did that once, as a child. Well, as a young adult, actually. I was looking out the window, watching the torrent of rain as it pounded my little corner of the world. My younger sister came into the room and sat beside me. We had just returned home from church that stormy Sunday morning.

"Would you like to go for a walk with me?" I asked.

She gasped with surprise that I would suggest such a thing. "It's pouring rain outside!" she exclaimed.

"All the more fun!" I answered, as I reached for her hand and raced toward the door with an astonished little sis in tow.

Still dressed in our Sunday best, we greeted the rain with laughter and giggles as we twirled down the sidewalk, jumping and splashing in puddles and in streams of running water trickling down the street. Our clothes were soaked with rain and our carefully coiffed dos were stretched into lengthy strings of limp wet hair. But it was a treasured moment. We were dancing in the rain and absolutely nothing could have snatched that joy from us. All the troubles of the world disappeared in that wonderful time frame.

It's a memory I still love to visit.

It is now 50 years later since that cherished time, and I find that the strength and energy just don't always come when I need to dance in the rain. It comes less and less lately. During those times, I have to tell myself that it's OK not to dance in the rain when I absolutely cannot; that it's sometimes better just to be still and enjoy the stillness, knowing and trusting that the sun breaks will happen again... and maybe, just maybe, during another downpour -- I will be able to twirl.