A sick baby, a late night, a powerful prayer, and the dove...

Last tuesday was a day that I won't soon forget. I had just gotten back from BLAST a weekend student ministry retreat with almost 700 in attendance, where I was helping lead the set-up and tear down of a monstrous set design. I was tired but glad to be home. Lisa and Elijah had returned the night before on the train from spending the weekend in macomb, and Tuesday morning sunlight had come earlier than I had hoped.

Lisa was getting ready earlier than normal because her school was up for final approval from DCFS, and it was my responsibility to give elijah a bath and take him to the sitters. Well lisa had left and I was just finishing Elijah's bath when something didn't seem right. I don't know how to explain it, but I knew that I needed to stay with him that day. I called lisa and told her, and she then let the sitter know.

Only a few hours later I was sitting with elijah in the living room when he started to get sick, and then again, and then again. He threw up everything that was in his stomach and began a horrible cycle of getting sick, crying, sleeping and then repeating. This went on all day. I was on the phone with the doctor, and lisa. I surrounded him with towels, and held him as he continued to get sick. I have to admit that this was absolutely horrifying. As an 8 month old he didn't know how to get sick, he kept looking at me as if asking whey this was happening to him. There were moments were I had to hold him face down to make sure he wouldn't choke and by the end of the day I was holding him on my lap, surrounded by towels, and praying as tear rolled down my face.

Lisa and I got some pedia lite (as instructed by the doctor) and every chance we got made him drink it(Which didn't last long).

I didn't know what do do except to pray, I knew that I could pray but I thought I might as well ask someone who I know is a powerful prayer warrior. Lupe Kalter. If you know Lupe you know there is something powerful about her prayers. Not that there isn't when others pray, but when Lupe prays...well, its powerful. At about 4pm I emailed Lupe this email:

"Lupe,
My son elijah (8 months) is very sick with the flu. He has been throwing up all day, and now we are scared that he is getting dehydrated. Please pray for God to heal him. We are very worried...
Thank you
-Nick Plassman"

Lupe responded shortly with this:

"Right now Father your healing hand is being summond. That you would bless Elijah. This baby is very sick with the flu and needs healing now. Father I believe in the power of prayer and in your love for us. Lord hear my words and know the deep consider for Elijah and be the blessing he needs right now.

Lupe. I will continue this pray silently."

So after I wiped the tears from my eyes from reading her email, I also prayed that God would give Lisa and I the wisdom to know what and how do continue caring for elijah. Also that we would have the energy to stay up with him all night if need be.

So the night continued just as the day had, Elijah was completely exhausted by night time, but he kept his cycle, get sick, scream and cry, then collapse into sleep, then about 10 minutes later repeat. As the night went on Lisa and I had the energy to care and be focused on him.

At about 3 am I went to the front window and looked outside. I knew there had been a light snow that night, and I wanted to seen how much had fallen. When I looked out front I noticed a dove sitting in the snow. No tracks around him, just sitting out front on the new fallen snow. At first I thought the bird must be frozen in the cold temperatures and considered going to rescue it... but I just watched. Then I thought about it for a moment. I couldn't remember seeing many birds in our neighborhood. We live in a newer development area and there are few trees, and the trees that do exist are very young and certainly not old enough to house a nest. So I wondered what the bird was doing at that moment, outside our house, on the new fallen snow. Well I needed to get back to elijah, and so a few hours passed by. Then at 5 am I went to look outside the window again. The dove was still there, sitting, calmly on the new fallen snow...



I'm not going to pretend that I know how exactly God works every time or what He always will or won't do. What I will say is that the dove I saw that night was real. The dove was gone when the sun came up, but it was there during the night. Whether or not God sent that dove doesn't make much of a difference to me, because the dove was a comfort, and a reminder...

Elijah is better now, he made it through the night and the next couple of days. They were very tough, and not easy to care for him. He has his smile back, and he has almost gained the weight he lost back and I haven't seen the dove since.

Thank you God for the Dove, and thank you Lupe for your prayer.