To commemorate the 9th anniversary of the establishment of the church, Hangzhou Christian Panshi Church held a gospel praise meeting on the theme of "Just Believe and Don't Be Afraid" during the second worship service on Sunday, October 10th. There was a testimony sharing session during the meeting in which a sister gave her testimony related to the above theme to the congregation.
She first read Luke 8:49-56 which described the miracle that Jesus performed to heal Jairus' daughter in Israel two thousand years ago. The same also happened to her daughter Noah.
The following is her oral testimony.
My husband and I met at Panshi Church. Later our wedding ceremony was held here too. We have two children, the big brother Joshua and the little sister Noah who is now ten and a half months old.
When Noah was still in my womb, they found a black circle of half the size of a ping-pong ball in her belly. It was said to be a cyst which was actually a deformed lump. After I knew of the result, I cried. I started to make deep introspection and confess my sins to God for Him to forgive me for being ungrateful. We didn’t have family planning before. Hence, we felt very stressed both physically and financially and did not regard this child as an inheritance given to us by God. Instead, we constantly complained about her.
After Noah was born, she had a choledochal cyst. If the duct was blocked, serious systemic problems such as jaundice would occur. Later, the cyst got bigger and bigger. The doctor said that surgery was the only solution.
Noah was admitted to the hospital when she was three months old, to get ready for surgery. She was severely malnourished. Her whole body was swollen. All her hair turned white. And her blood test results were far from normal. The doctor said that it was impossible to operate in such conditions since she might die on the operating table. But the cyst was not supposed to be the reason for malnutrition.
The doctor suggested we consult the Department of Gastroenterology rather than the Department of Surgery to find out why she stopped growing. In the Department of Gastroenterology, the doctor treated her with nutritional supplements by perforating the vein leading to the heart with a tube in order to supply nutrients from outside the body. But the treatment failed. Her brain was infected with meningitis, the whole body was swollen, and her eyes couldn’t open for the swelling eyelids. As a result, the tube was removed, and there was no way to increase her nourishment.
In order to control the infection, doctors gave her the best antibiotics. At that time, I couldn’t breastfeed her. There were tubes all over her body including in her hands and feet for infusion, monitoring, breathing oxygen, and nasogastric tubes as well. The doctor issued a notice of critical illness indicating I might lose my daughter. Just as someone said to Jairus, “Your daughter is dead. Don’t bother the Teacher anymore.” It appeared that no one could save her.
I am hugely grateful that even in this worst-case scenario, God displayed his turnaround nature. Before she was hospitalized, our group members organized a watch prayer group. We prayed with tears for Noah in the morning, evening, and noontime, asking God to heal her. At this time, I also examined my own thoughts and feelings. I felt dirty. During my pregnancy, I was bitter both at home and at work. I often complained about my husband. In such a powerless situation, somehow, I calmed down with my reflection and confession. In the worst situation, I prayed to God: “God, if you take my daughter away, I am willing to obey your command. But please accept her soul.”
With the antibiotic treatment, the inflammation and the swelling were both reduced. But nutrients couldn’t be supplied if blood and albumin transfusions were stopped. No one could explain why she didn’t grow. At this moment, the situation began to reverse and her cyst began shrinking. The surgeon then suggested feeding her special milk powder. After eating the special milk powder, she began to gain weight.
One week after being discharged and returning home, we had her cyst rechecked. The result showed that it continued shrinking. When she was nine months old, I took her for another check-up, and the cyst was completely gone. The doctor told me that this kind of self-healing of choledochal cysts had never occurred in the medical world, which was a miracle. I told the doctor that I believe in Jesus, I am a Christian, and it was Jesus who healed her and brought my baby girl back to life. Now Noah is ten and a half months old. She has recovered very well. All the glory belongs to God!
- Translated by Shuya Wang
