Sendusout

When I ran into Jimmy’s mom’s room she had already stopped breathing and no longer had a pulse. I stood there with Jimmy, his 3 aunties, care giver, and teenage son and daughter. Everyone was starring at one another in shock. Jimmy and I immediately began struggling to get Legalia’s lifeless body down the stairs and into her wheel chair. I had borrowed our office’s FX for transporting a group of us to a concert the following evening so we pushed the seats out of the way and all heaved Legalia and her wheel chair into the back. Jimmy, Matet (the care giver), and I jumped in and began racing to the closest hospital.

About 5 minutes prior to all this it was about 10:30 on Friday evening and Melissa and I had been quietly working and reading when I head my middle aged neighbor calling outside our gate,”Sir, mame, please. Hello?” Even in the dark I immediately knew Jimmy was terrified as he asked me to come quick because his mom needed to go to the hospital.

Now as we were fighting the Manila traffic Matet was sobbing and Jimmy was just muttering, “oh man, oh man.” Lola Legalia (Lola is Filipino for grandmother) is very elderly and apart from having Parkinson Disease she had been strong and healthy. Her strength and health had been declining for the last 4 weeks or so and Matet managed to communicate that for the last few days Legalia had been refusing her medication, food, and water. I asked them if we could pray and they both quickly agreed. I reached my arm over the seat, found Legalia’s head and began interceding aloud for her as we continued our hair raising race to the hospital.

As we bounced up onto the curb outside the Manila East emergency room Jimmy confessed through his tears and broken prayers that this had been the longest 5 minute drive ever. Within seconds hospital staff and bystanders had Legalia out of the car and into the ER where staff started performing CPR. The shuffled Jimmy and Matet outside leaving us to watch through the glass doors at the drama before us. Jimmy began chain smoking and Matet continued to cry as she sent text messages to family and friends.

In talking and praying for Jimmy it quickly became clear he was not ready for his mom to go. His father had been a soldier in the post WWII occupation and Jimmy had never known Him. Apart from his aunts and uncles he had no other family besides his children. It was obvious Jimmy had not been able to say goodbye to his mom.

After about 30 minutes of nail biting prayer and talking a breathless doctor came out and told Jimmy that his mother was alive. She had a weak but steady pulse and while she was still in critical condition they were working to stabilize her. I could hardly believe what I had heard. I had been trying to prepare Jimmy for the inevitable news that his mom had passed on. While still hugging me in relief Jimmy pointed over my shoulder that the old FX we had driven over in and said, “That saved my mom’s life!” I look and then told Jimmy, “Yeah, but I think it was God who saved your mom’s life, because that is not my car but God planned ahead for it to be at my house while I was still awake to hear your call. God heard our prayers as we drove and now your mom is still with us.”

Another hour went by as they continued to stabilize Lola Legalia. Jimmy and I continued to talk and pray. I asked Jimmy if he thought his mom would be in heaven when she dies. He immediately said, “Oh yeah, my mom is a good woman.” I encouraged Jimmy to take advantage of his time with his mom and to trust in Jesus and He would welcome her home when He was ready. I left Jimmy and Matet as they transferred Legalia to ICU.

That was Friday night, this Mother’s Day morning Jimmy came by to say Legalia had passed in the night. He acknowledged that it was a miracle of God and answered prayer that his mom survived those extra hours allowing him to say goodbye and share his love with her. Despite his grief Jimmy was SO thankful.

God did many miracles this weekend including developing a relationship between Jimmy and I that would be impossible to have in any other way. Jimmy is not a Christian but he has seen God and experienced His power and will soon be in his comforting embrace. Pray for Jimmy as we watch for more miracles in his life in the coming days!