A Promotion for my father

Two years and three months after my mother passed away, my father has joined her. Pappa passed away on 17 June 2009 at 7am. He was moved out of the ICU on the 16th since there was nothing else the doctors could do for him. He had gotten to the point where there was no more response when he is called. After he was moved to the room, we tried to make him as comfortable as possible. Since the neurologist had told me that he may still have his hearing, I called Charlie and asked him to bring some CD's with old songs that he likes, and the audio Bible in Malayalam. We played that in the room throughout the day, in hopes that he would be able to hear. He had said many times that since his eyesight is poor now, he cannot read the Bible anymore. That was a great loss for him...not to be able to read the Bible. I had always tried to get him to listen to the audio Bible, but he always said, "yes, but its not the same as reading it for yourself."

During the night, I was in the hospital room with Pappa. Since his breathing was heavy, I followed his breathing throughout the night. I woke up many times and would listen carefully for the sound of his breathing. Finally, in the morning at 7am, he breathed his last, to be with his Lord that he loved so much.

In 1998, when my wife spoke with my mother about the death of both of her parents, Mummy recited this verse: "Lord, you have been our dwelling place throughout all generations" Psalm 90:1. It is good to know that our parents served and trusted God and passed on that faith to us. That gives us hope to transfer the same faith on to the next generation.

Thanks to all who prayed for us during this difficult time. I know that it was the prayers of so many that helped us to gain strength in God. Thanks for the many emails, sms, and blog comments that were left (including chat that I did not reply). Thank you.

Update as of 12 June 2009

Currently, my father is in critical condition. There seems to be no change in his situation. It seems that the convulsions that he experienced may have done further damage to his brain, especially the left part of the brain. This has affected the right side of his body, and its movements. Nevertheless, his whole body seems to lack any movement. When we call him, he only opens his eyes, and nothing more.

The Nephrologist and Neurologist are working together on a solution (Cardiologist is also involved), but if by this weekend, the situation does not improve, there is nothing more that could be done for him. At that point, he may be moved to a regular room from the ICU for Palliative care. A special thanks to all who are praying for us at this difficult time. Pray especially for us that we will be able to make wise decisions at the appropriate time. Also, do not feel compelled to call us on the phone...an email (or a comment on this blog) notifying us that you are praying for us is sufficient. Again, thanks for backing us up with your prayers.

Recovering well

The operation went well. I spoke to the doctor just a minute ago. He said that at least 90% of the clotted blood has been removed. The bleeding was not in the brain, just within the skull. The rest of the blood that is left will be drained out gradually, and if necessary, they will need to go in again and remove more. He is responding well, but still weak from the surgery. His response is not fully normal, but that will take some time. There were various complicating factors such as his age, kidney problems, diabetes, blood pressure, and other items. The doctors were not able to give him general anesthesia, so only local anesthesia was given. He is still in the ICU. Let's pray that he will recover quickly.

He needs to be hospitalized for at least two more weeks to get things settled. The irony is that he has been going to this same hospital three times per week for dialysis. The one hour plus drive there is quite a drain for him at his age and his condition. But this is the closest hospital with a full time Nephrologist on staff. Kerala, with 31.8 million people, has only 15 nephrologists for the entire state. That is quite an alarming situation, and that affects the care given to the patients. Most doctors leave the country and go abroad for work.

For the next month, the blood thinning medicines cannot be used for him, which makes his dialysis more difficult. They say that this may result in less quality of the purification of the blood that takes place through the dialysis.

Thanks again for your prayers.

Several hours ago, my father fell and hit his head. Afterwards, he was quite disoriented in his response. After being taken to the hospital, the CT scan revealed that there is internal bleeding just below the skull. Their diagnosis is that there is only light bleeding, and that it can be cleared. The neurosurgeons have begun the surgery at Benziger Hospital, Kollam, Kerala, India. Please pray for the success of the operation and that there will be a speedy recovery.

The Next Dissertation Begins

So the waiting continues as the results of my dissertation will only come in March. As my work has been completed, Annie began her dissertation in January. She is planning to finish within two years. In the mean time, we were involved in several other exciting things.

On the 2^nd of January, we both taught at a seminar for Sunday School Teachers from a group of churches called PMG Church. All of the PMG churches from the Trivandrum, Kerala area gathered for this training event. As far as I can remember, this is a first for us doing some “team teaching” outside of our local church setting. Their response was good, and of course, we hope it benefited them.

During January 5-11, we had the convention and graduation at Faith Theological Seminary. The convention lasts for the entire week, and the graduation was on Friday morning, with 85 students graduating. It is great to have watched these students develop spiritually, theologically, and as individuals during their time here.

The following week, our friends from the Delhi Vineyard came and visited us. Our acquaintance goes back to our first week in Florida (1992) as we were about to begin planting the Sunrise Vineyard Christian Fellowship. They stayed with us in our home in Kerala and visited a few of the Carecells and spoke at the missionary chapel at Faith Theological Seminary. On Sunday, he spoke at the church in both of the services. Their stay and ministry among us was a blessing to us.

Nathan has his final exams for the 9^th standard, and Sharon will begin her exams next week. For Nathan, he will be going on to the 10^th after his exams. This school finishes the 9^th early so they can begin the classes for the next year early. Their plan is to get them prepared for some major examinations that come up after the 10^th grade.

Please pray that we will stay faithful to the call upon our lives. Thanks for your prayers for us as we endeavor to be faithful in the work God has entrusted to us.

Completed!

After five years of work, my thesis is finally completed. I sent it yesterday, 30 November 2008. For the last few months, I have been intensely focusing on this work. I am sure that you figured out that the picture above is the table I've been using for study purposes. As a result of this work, many things have been put aside, such as emails, phone calls, and of course, this blog. I would like to share with you just the preface from the thesis given below:
Preface
More than just an academic exercise, the work on this thesis has been a personal journey as well. Interacting with the character of Jacob has opened up many thoughts regarding life and how we live it. Jacob is depicted as a man who kept moving regardless of the turbulent circumstances he faced at every turn. Through the rich traditions handed down to us, Jacob's life speaks volumes...reminding us that there is hope in the midst of hopelessness.
Most of the time spent on this academic pursuit was done with the normal load of everyday life: Teaching at Faith Theological Seminary, pastoring Lifetime Church, Missions in North India, and of course family life. Therefore this final production is the result of a few years of interaction not only with the literature mentioned in the Bibliography, but also with all the burdens of a full-time schedule. For me it has been a process of learning and developing in every area.
In addition to the normal, there was the unexpected. For over two years, my mother battled with Cancer, and finally passed away on 26 March 2007. In essence, about half of the time spent on my studies involved constant hospital visits which required a four hour one-way drive each time. Also in 2007, we dealt with my father's kidney failure, and the subsequent dialysis three times a week. My father-in-law's life and ministry was certainly an inspiration to me as he is quite adept in handling numerous responsibilities.
Special thanks are due to my promoter Dr. Willem Boshoff. I was simply blessed not only as a result of his great insight into the areas of my research, but also because of his accessibility and patience with me during the last few years of study. The library staff at UNISA has been gracious in their timely response to requests for books and articles.
I wish to express my gratefulness to the administration of Faith Theological Seminary for granting me flexibility in my schedule and a lighter teaching load during the years of my study, especially during the last two years while I focused more on my thesis. Lifetime Church also felt the burden as I backed off from many things and became less accessible to the people, especially during the last few months. Along with church members, many friends and family also encouraged and prayed diligently.
My family certainly had a prominent role and put up with so much during the years of my study. A special appreciation to my wife Annie for her prayerful understanding and willingness to carry a heavier load at home as my focus turned to my thesis (as she also began her doctoral studies during this time). In fact, even during the early years of our marriage, I sat there for hours without end translating Hebrew and Greek texts. Both our children Nathan and Sharon were faithful to pray for me daily and were an encouragement to me. They would constantly ask me “how many pages have you finished, Daddy?”
Of course, most importantly, I thank my God (the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob) for enabling me to complete something I thought that would never be possible.
Alexi E. George
Adoor, Kerala, India
November 2008

Do kids have all the fun? (VBS 2008)

Lifetime Church held its 2008 VBS in April. Since construction has not begun on our church property, we had to rent the facilities of a local college. Due to the holidays, they had only a few classes.

We had about 60 children gathered fro the five day event. The classes, games, songs, memory verses, and all the fun was enjoyed by the kids. Several of the children were hearing about Jesus for the first time. One of the kids responded after the first day: "Wow, so Jesus really can take away our sins."

Our final day was spent at Green Valley, a local community park. That day was packed with lots of fun, games, and food, topped off with a wild, exciting treasure hunt that the kids talk about even after two months.

(Update on my back problem: It was the week after the VBS that my back problem started. I spent six weeks almost completely in bed, and I am up now with limited mobility. Lots of rest is still needed. Thanks for your prayers.)