The newest patients from Iraq--Mustafa (wearing the orange sweater), his sister Lara, and Sana--have arrived in Israel. However so far, the theme that already existed, and which has become more highlighted since our subsequent trip to Haifa, is... waiting!

Sana has been waiting since last year’s echocardiogram screening to be accepted by a center who could treat her very complicated heart condition. Mustafa and Lara have been waiting for word their visas were approved and they could be accepted together for surgery. Last night we all waited on opposite sides of the passport control area of the airport in Amman for over one and a half hours until immigration allowed our newest patients to officially enter Jordan. Today we had to wait while Israeli security went through an extremely intensive luggage search process. After arriving at Rambam Medical Center, each of the children went through initial exams and echocardiograms rather quickly, but little Lara required extra tests to determine whether she has pneumonia, and as I write, we have been waiting for about four hours for those results.
Thankfully the children have forgotten the unhappiness induced by lengthy tests after spending most of the waiting time in the hospital playroom area. When told we would have to wait longer, we also took a break to the kanyon (mall attached to the hospital) for some schwerma for dinner.
The children seem content; the mothers, on the other hand, are feeling the fatigue of the travel, the emotion of their children’s conditions and upcoming treatment, and the challenge of having to wait so long for these test results. But wait we must, in the event that Lara might need to be admitted this evening for pneumonia.
 
And now we know, because the space between these paragraphs was another waiting spell while we tried to find a place to plug in the laptop after the battery died – Lara is being admitted tonight for pnemonia. Here at Rambam there is a parents’ hostel on the top floor in which parents from out of town are allowed to stay. Currently the hospital is working to arrange one of these rooms for Mustafa's mother and sister for the duration of her stay.
 
Please pray for the mother of Mustafa and Lara as she enters Israel and finds herself immediately overnighting in the hospital with two children. Pray for wisdom for the doctors as they seek the best course of treatment for Lara and determine how to schedule Mustafa’s heart surgery in these circumstances. We know that all three children will require a catheterization before the doctors know the best course of treatment for each child’s heart. Earlier today the doctors determined that Mustafa would likely have his catheterization on Sunday… this could change now that Lara is admitted.

All of the family members need your prayers as the days unfold and God--who is always on time--does His work in the midst of every detail of these events.

Ruth Ann, a short-term volunteer, adds her reflections of today's events:

Today was my first experience as a volunteer.  I had heard wonderful things about the ministry and wanted to help.  Donna was planning to bring over two families by herself, which would be very difficult.  I was asked if I’d like to go with her.

I met Donna in Amman, and we left for Israel early the next morning.  We were loaded in two taxis for a trip across the border.

As the little girl played quietly, the mother was very nervous. I held her hand at every checkpoint. The doctors and nurses greeted us so warmly; I could see the relief from both mothers.

Ministry in the States requires you to be flexible. Here you must be fluid.  Airplanes arrive late and security is always an issue. Waiting for hospital test results requires patience. Just when I would hear “and next we will . . . ” the situation changed and we were off in another direction.

Through the long day I saw the dedication of the hospital staff, and the welcome smiles from other patients and families. When translation became difficult, a stranger who was at the hospital with his son came to our assistance. A medical question asked in Hebrew was translated to Arabic by a parent with the shared concern for a critically ill child.  

Donna is well known by the doctors and staff. She is writing down information and making arrangements all through the day. The love and dedication shown by this ministry has been a blessing for me to see. Although this is my first experience, I certainly pray that it will not be my last. 

Notify me when Mustafa's page is updated
at this email: