Jarretts Ministry

Jarrett’s Prayer Letter
Volume 6, Number 1
January 22, 2005

Reply to jarretts@tenwek.com

Dear Friends and Family:

We so appreciate your prayers for our travel and ministry here at Tenwek. This is the first “official” prayer letter of this term, but most of you received the urgent requests for a surgical patient, Regina, in the past few days. She is making remarkable progress towards recovery in the 24 hours since surgery. I even “released” the extra blood to the blood bank for other patients who may need it.
When I request your prayers and thank you for your prayers, I do so in all sincerity. It is with a well-founded belief in those prayers that I solicit them. Actually, my belief is in the One to whom we are praying. I have believed His word when he says in Jeremiah 33:2-3 –”This is what the LORD says, he who made the earth, the LORD who formed it and established it–the LORD is his name: ‘Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.’ NIV We are commanded to pray in spiritual warfare and for each other in Ephesians 6:18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints. NIV In this passage “saints” refers to other Christians, not to specifically ordained individuals recognized by a church as someone to be prayed to or through.
I believe that through prayer, God often reveals to His children what He is about to do. Genesis 18:17 Then the LORD said, “Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do? NIV
The people in the Bible were ordinary men like us. Acts 4:13 When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men , they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus. NIV
Sometimes fasting is involved with hearing specifically from God:
Psalm 35:13-14 Yet when they were ill, I put on sackcloth and humbled myself with fasting. When my prayers returned to me unanswered, I went about mourning as though for my friend or brother. NIV
Complete trust in God is a requirement for this close relationship. 1 Chronicles 5:20 He answered their prayers, because they trusted in him. NIV
We need to continually be in submission to God for His will in our lives as Jesus showed us in His own example: Hebrews 5:7 During the days of Jesus’ life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with loud cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission. NIV
I wanted to share a story of the experience of one of our Kenyan Christian sisters here at Tenwek, particularly with an emphasis on the power of prayer, fasting, and submission. We have known this woman, whom I will call Mrs. P, since 1999. She has two sons in their early 20’s and a daughter in her middle-late teens. The daughter has been in boarding school for her secondary education, which is very common in Kenya. Mrs. P has been an active Christian worker ever since we have known her, and we have always been impressed with her spiritual walk despite serious personal problems in her family.
Her husband at one time seemed to be walking with the Lord, but in reality was not a true believer in Jesus. About 5 years ago he chose a life of alcoholism and polygamy, which is common in the non-Christian community. He completely neglected support of his family and often consumed what resources that they were able to accumulate. He has periodically returned home only to backslide into this destructive pattern of living. Often he spent the family’s money on a woman; it should have been used to support his children in school. Despite this terrible example of a father, the children have become Christians through their mother’s prayers and effective Biblical training.
At the beginning of May 2004, Mrs. P began a 30-day fast, praying for her husband to give up the latest mistress and come home. As she began to pray for her husband, she also would see quick visions of their three children. On May 28 her husband left the other woman and came home. In June, she began to see a vision of only two children, but she couldn’t tell which ones. She continued to pray for her children. Then she saw a vision of one of the children digging a grave. She was deeply troubled by these visions, but continued to pray, pleading with God for her family.
On a Sunday in late June, she received a visit from the deputy headmaster and an administrator of the boarding school where her daughter, Y, was attending. Y had “gone missing” from school from the previous day. The school leaders were divided on what course of action to take. One thought it best to report to the police immediately, and the other thought that it would reflect poorly on the school to have lost a student. The first thought it would be trouble if they didn’t report the missing student. Since they couldn’t agree, they agreed to let Mrs. P decide the best course of action in regard to notifying the police.
Mrs. P now made the connection of her daughter’s unknown whereabouts with the vision, and she began to pray specifically for Y. The school leaders drove her from her home near Silobwet to Tenwek to meet with friends and ask for their prayers. They then drove towards the police station in Bomet, a distance of about 5 miles. Mrs. P was still uncertain what she was going to do. As they had nearly reached the busy town of Bomet an oncoming vehicle flagged them down. The driver was lost and asking directions. As the drivers conferred, the administrator noticed a young woman in the back seat of the other vehicle. “Isn’t that Y?” she asked Mrs. P, who at first wasn’t sure since she was in such a state of shock. But then, they all agreed that it was Y in the back seat of the other car. The deputy headmaster got out, approached Y, and brought her into their car while Mrs. P was praying. One of the officials remarked to Mrs. P, “Your prayers have been answered so quickly!”
Y was obviously very upset. The school officials said that Y should go home with Mrs. P and explain what was troubling her. They arrived safely back home, but when Y had trouble saying what was wrong, Mrs. P asked her if she were pregnant. Y then confessed that she was pregnant and had gone off to seek an illegal abortion. The person she had sought wasn’t around when she arrived, and she was returning to her home area in confusion. She then asked for her mother’s forgiveness and help. Mrs. P readily forgave her and helped her to confess her sin to God.
The wayward husband did give up the other woman although the alcohol continues to be a problem. Recently he has been gone for two months again. Just after we arrived, Y had her baby, a healthy little girl. Y has completely repented of her sin and is praising God for her rapid, safe delivery; she is thankful to God for saving her and the baby. She desires to walk with God wholeheartedly. Mrs. P is deeply thankful to God for sparing her daughter’s life and the safe birth of her first granddaughter.
Many women die as a result of illegal abortions in Kenya. It is usually a young, single woman who has become pregnant either through a friend or occasionally abuse by a teacher or other older man. Even when a young woman has been raised in a Christian home, the spiritual enemy will enter into her mind with lies and temptations to destroy her child in order to cover up her sin and shame. In this case, the prayers of a righteous woman were sufficient to defeat the spiritual enemy because of the power and love of the One to whom she prayed. Your continued prayers for Mrs. P and her family would be much appreciated.
Some people question whether God answers prayers. Does He intervene in people’s lives today? Does God consider His children to also be His friends to whom He reveals His plans and His will? Certainly the Bible teaches us that this is so. We are to desire and to seek His will, and we are to be willing to do His will. We are called to be living a life separate from the way of the world and to be dedicated to God with a mind that has abandoned the thinking that God doesn’t care, isn’t relevant, or isn’t watching over us [examples of a renewed mind].
Romans 12:1-2 Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God-this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is-his good, pleasing and perfect will. NIV
This doesn’t say that God will always do what we want or that our prayers will always be answered in the way that we think is best. We must start with the assumptions that God loves us, knows what is best for us, and knows in what manner that He is going to work out everything for good.
Romans 8:28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. NIV
God’s working was also evident in the life of one of my patients last week. Helen came to the Outpatient clinic with lower abdominal pain in early pregnancy. It was only about six weeks since her last menstrual period, yet there was a large, painful mass developing in her lower abdomen for the past week. She was seen by one of the clinical officers who is also her relative. An ultrasound revealed the presence of a six week pregnancy and a large, clear cyst of the right ovary that measured over 4 inches in diameter. Both the cyst and even the pregnant uterus could be felt in the abdomen; the weight of the cyst was pulling the womb up to where it could be felt about six weeks before it was normally possible to do so.
I came to see Helen, and I was concerned that the weight of the cyst was causing the ovary to twist thereby endangering both the ovary and the pregnancy which at this stage is dependant on the hormone from the ovary. I recommended that she be hospitalized for surgery the next day, where I envisioned draining the cyst and untwisting the ovary before it cut off its own blood supply. Helen, who speaks excellent English, then confided to me that she was unmarried with an unplanned pregnancy. Her family had insisted that she finish her college courses before marrying, but she had fallen to the temptation to be sexually active before the marriage. Now her secret was uncovered by this medical problem. I encouraged her that it was necessary for us to do everything medically to support the pregnancy despite the circumstances, and that she could ill afford to lose an ovary at this time.
Helen agreed to come into the hospital and during the evening, she was counseled by one of our chaplains. She confessed her sin and asked God into her life as her savior. She immediately felt peace about the situation. I came up to the hospital early the next morning to see her before the scheduled surgery. I was surprised to see her smiling without any pain. The mass in her abdomen was gone! The pain was gone! The uterus was back in the pelvis where it belonged! A skeptic might say that from a medical standpoint, this was no great miracle – a remarkable coincidence at best. The cyst probably had ruptured spontaneously thereby accomplishing what I had wanted to do in surgery. But God used the circumstances and timing to bring this girl to repentance and then mercifully spared her the ordeal and pain of surgery. This was His hand in Helen’s life. The miracle is that God intervened in the life of a young woman who was going away from Him. He brought her into circumstances where she was confronted with the consequences of sinful behavior. The Holy Spirit convicted her of her sin and her need to repent. And He led her to new life in Jesus Christ. That is the miracle that we see on a regular basis at Tenwek. God brings someone who is spiritually dead to life, which is eternal life. He creates a new person before our eyes – one who can talk with Him, hear Him, and return love to Him. 1 John 4:19 We love him, because he first loved us. KJV
How much does God love us? John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.” NASU As a father, I can’t imagine sacrificing one of my children to save anyone else, but that’s what God did for me and for you. It is up to us to respond to this love by confessing that Jesus is truly God and accepting His payment for our sin. Romans 10:8-10 “The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart,” that is, the word of faith we are proclaiming: That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. NIV
So, we do appreciate your prayers for our ministry. In our own strength, we can accomplish nothing. It is only when we’re “plugged in” to Jesus, that we can minister. John 15:5-6 “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” NIV
Please pray for Marty, Rachel, and Laura as they travel the next three days out to see friends and God’s creation at the Mara Safari Club. I’ll be staying at Tenwek, watching Jesus do the work that He is still doing.
Serving Jesus with you,
Paul, for the Jarretts in Kenya

PS: I am including the last two urgent prayer requests for the benefit of those who get the letters through the postal service and for those who missed them the first time.
Thursday, May 20th, late PM
Please pray for Regina, one of my patients in critical condition tonight. She has a large uterine tumor, probably a rare, malignant fibroid tumor. We started surgery late this afternoon with only one unit of blood available, but hoping it was a fairly simple case. It wasn’t. The tumor arises from the lower uterus and is densely adherent to the bladder. It also enveloped the ureters. Once we got started, there was no place to stop, until we lost so much blood that no more was available to go further. Even after tying off the four major arteries to the uterus, the tumor is still pink and bleeds freely. It has “borrowed” blood supply from the bladder and other areas. Finally, we had to sew in some packs, sew a sterile plastic bag over the incision, since we couldn’t close it again around the large, volleyball size tumor, and send the patient to ICU to receive the remaining blood. We’ll look for donors in the morning; Laura will volunteer. Regina’s blood type is O positive, which is the most common, but Russ White used 6 pints of it yesterday for a patient with an arrow wound to the spleen. That was his 18th arrow injury since last Saturday, when a border war erupted; I believe it’s between the Masai and Kipsigis people. “Addin’ Injun arrows to the country’s woes” as the ballad of Davy Crockett goes.
Our game plan is to take Regina back to surgery tomorrow with Russ White to see if we can finish the surgery. She’ll die if we don’t, and she may die if we do. I don’t know if she’s a Christian; I’ve asked the chaplain to talk with her tonight when she’s awake.
Please pray for my stamina as well. Each day has been a minimum 10 hour work day; today was 14. I’m on call Saturday and Sunday for my first time on night call since I’ve been back.
My finger works fine! I forget about it having been hurt most of the time; it’s been almost 18 months since I nearly cut off the end of the middle left finger. Otherwise, we’ve been making the adjustment well. Marty seems to be doing very well with the separation from family trauma. Rachel’s helping with a lot of small children of visitors, and Laura’s busy with various projects most of the time. Her suitcase came yesterday – everything intact. I hope to have a formal letter out soon. Thanks so much for your prayers.
Friday, May 21, late afternoon
Thanks for your prayers for Regina’s surgery. Let me tell you how God has answered. When we finished last night at 8:45PM, there was no more blood available. By 10:30 PM a unit of blood was found and it was given to Regina. That helped her to be stable in the ICU all night. Overnight, six units of O Positive blood showed up and were crossmatched successfully for surgery today. I have no idea where this blood came from, since it’s unusual to have many donations at night, even though there is a lab technician on duty. He’s usually busy with emergency tests from the Casualty department. The head chaplain, Elijah, visited Regina during the night and discovered that she was very lucid, and that furthermore, she is definitely a born again Christian. She had peace about the resumption of her surgery. Laura didn’t have to donate blood this morning after all.
With this “reserve” of blood, we felt confident in resuming the surgery, which started at 1PM today with Russ White, myself, and a surgery resident from Mayo Clinic operating. I slept very well last night, not even thinking about the case. This morning, I woke up with the impression that we should probably tie off the internal iliac arteries before attacking the tumour again, since it still would be likely to bleed freely. It seemed possible that we might even need to take out most or all of the urinary bladder.
We began the surgery looking around at everything and cleaning out accumulated blood clots and the packing we had placed. After looking things over, Russ agreed that tying off these big pelvic arteries would be a good next step. We were then able to cut the bladder away from the tumor without all the hemorrhage we had seen the night before. The right ureter was traced through the middle of the tumor which had essentially wrapped around it without invading it. After another hour’s work, we finally removed the tumor without sacrificing the bladder. Since there is no pathologist at Tenwek, I carefully cut through the large [about 12 by 16 cm] tumour, uterus, ovaries, and tubes. It definitely looked unlike a fibroid tumour, but not like an obvious cancer either. Furthermore, I couldn’t be sure where the tumour had arisen from either. There was no sign of spread of this anywhere else, so we will have to wait for two or more weeks to find out exactly what it is. Even a Burkitt’s lymphoma is possible in this area. If it is malignant, then we’ll have to decide whether to go back in and take out the bladder and upper birth canal.
We completed all the repair of the urinary tract and gave Regina two more pints of blood during surgery. She stayed stable throughout and was in very good shape when she went to the recovery room. I would say that her outlook is very good, at least for the short term. She’ll remain in the hospital for another two weeks in all likelihood. The surgery was completed by 4PM, exactly 24 hours after we had begun. I even finished the day early, making it only an 8 and 1/2 hour day — pretty normal.
Thanks so much for your prayers!
I have been requested to preach the sermon next Sunday, the 30th of January at Tenwek Chapel. Would you mind praying that God will give me the message that He wants me to bring?