Have you ever wondered how an illness could be a blessing? In Kay's case her illness was a blessing to a 66-year-old German traveler and another "dot" in the picture.When Kay's cold and congestion developed into a pulmonary infection she was admitted at a local hospital. As the nurses were getting her settled, the doctor poked his head into the room and asked Dan if he could help.
Dan followed Dr. Bonilla into the next room where a man was lying in bed. Fluent in German and English, but unable to understand any Spanish, Nicholas had arrived in Guatemala two days earlier and suddenly needed an emergency hernia operation. Dr. Bonilla asked Dan to translate as he explained the urgency of the situation. Then Dan called a German friend who could comfort Nicholas in his own language.
As they waited for the surgery team to prepare, Dan visited with Nicholas. Nicholas confessed that, once a devout Catholic, he had left the church some years earlier. Because both his mother and his brother had died at age 66, he also faced a superstitious fear of dying during surgery.
We prayer for Nicholas that night, and we continue to pray that he will recover completely from his surgery and find healing for his spirit as well.