Joanna Testimony SUnday Service 8/25/24

 Typed out Joann’s story from my preparation of Testimony Sunday 8/25/24

So our story starts 3 days before Easter, the day before that Joanna was not feeling the best so when I got back from being at the church for our weekly pastors' meetings Jessie took her to patient first where they gave her some medicine to what was assumed another ear infection or something else. Anyway, when we woke up Thursday morning, we knew something was wrong, the best way I can describe it was Joanna our 4 almost 5-year-old appeared to lose most main functions of a girl her age. She had an accident in bed, was crying and appeared to be in pain. She however was unable to communicate to us or even support her own body weight. Jessie wanted to make sure we gave her a bath to clean her up and maybe that will settle her down. Nothing we were trying seemed to do the trick. In the tub if Jessie or I was not supporting her weight she would have easily slipped under the water. 

We Called the pedestrian to see what’s the next course of action and see if a visit there was an option or make an ER visit. They were able to get us an emergency appointment with her doctor so we arranged to drop the boys off and head to doctors with the hope to figure what to do and pick the boys up shortly later that afternoon. 

“Proverbs 16:9 states “We can make our plans, but the Lord determines our steps.” 

Most of us don’t sign up for difficult journeys or challenging steps. Unless you’re one of those weird people who sign up for marathons and what not. But we pay for those adventures. However tragedy, disaster, disease, sickness are not events most of us choose to sign up for, but they do still occur. If we declare God is good and he is good all the time then we must learn to trust Him when those steps he has determined in our life turn out to be difficult.  

We made it to the pediatrician where I carried Joanna up to the office, they were expecting us obviously and the call nurse who took our call met us and helped us into the room to get all the weight and stuff. I learned that day how much I weight because during this day any time Joanna needing her weight measured, I would need to step on the scale while holding her because she still could not support her own weight, I then would step off and get measured to determine the difference. Kinda like what you may do at the vet if you have a large dog and they need the dogs weight. 

Within about 1 minute of the doctor coming in the room and checking out Joanna she instructed the other nurse to call 911 Joanna needs to get transferred to hospital for deeper evaluation. Now I may not be a doctor, I know a few and I know the good doctor for sure but with this news and decision I knew things were more serious than we were hoping. I was able to Follow the ambulance while Joanna and Jessie got transferred to GBMC. 

Minutes became hours and nothing new was revealed, none of the test or evaluating could develop any answers or even narrow down the direction the doctors needed to explore. After all day at GBMC in the emergency room it became apparent we may be staying longer than anticipated. I went home to gather some things for the boys to stay at least overnight and returned to Jessie and Joanna hoping there was progress. We soon moved to a more spacious area but still a room in the emergency department at GBMC not yet admitted and with no certainty of what’s next. One of the doctors came in and all I could say was this medical Professional spend a significant amount of time with Joanna, evaluating, poking, and engaging just trying to get some type of reaction that could identify what could be causing the pain and symptoms she was experience, the doctor went through what seemed like an endless list of questions and intrigue. It became clear based on the line of questioning that this was something this doctor has never seen before or maybe even studied through medical schooling. It was not something like the common cold, or flu or even Covid where they can clearly identify the cause of the patience pain, provide a health process or medicine and the healing begins to bring restoration. Unfortunately for us This was not Joanna's Story 

The analogy I remember thinking about was we were in the preseason of the sporting season, but we did not know what sport we were training for. In the medical terms was this a brain issue, infectious disease, spinal issues, auto immune, the list of major functions of the body I can’t list but the doctors were asking almost every thinkable question just trying to diagnose what we were dealing with let alone what to do to bring restoration and healing to Joanna’s body. 

Late on the first day we were informed that the team at GBMC had been reaching out to Johns Hopkins children’s as well as UMMC to see how these more specialized hospitals could evaluate test and monitor Joanna in a greater way at their facilities in a way that GBMC was just unable to match. So, the call to be transfer to UMMC was made and around midnight the team from the medical center was there to transport Joanna and Jessie via ambulance. This time un like the transfer from pediatrician to GBMC when I got out of the hospital to get to my car the ambulance was long gone. So I could not follow and I had never been downtown to the medical center and was clueless over how to get there, where to park and even where to go once I was parked. All I knew was, it was not in the best part of town and it was not 1230am on good Friday morning. 

Looking back at our journey the words of Uncertainty and the unknown seem to play a major part to this testimony. 

Joshua 1:9 states “Have I not command you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be Afraid, do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” 

The Lord had truly gone with me that early morning day. Luckily, we have technology and without the ambulance to follow I plugged in my phone and made it to the hospital. With construction 🚧 blocking every way and not knowing where to park, I saw a parking sign once I made it to the hospital so I followed and parked in that garage. It turns out I parked in the garage connected with the hippodrome which is about 4-5 city blocks away from the emergency room entrance. So 1230am on Good Friday I started walking towards the hospital. To be honest there was no greater time in my life I was more glad to be a marathon runner then at this moment. I hoped I would not have to put it into practice but I knew if I needed, I could turn into my favorite movie character Forest gump and just start running!!! 

That was not needed that Good Friday morning because as I read above the Lord my God will be with me wherever I go, and this was just the start to the Lord moving in our story. (This is why I Testify) I made it to the emergency entrance, went through that metal detectors and ended up reunited with Joanna and Jessie. I would love to say we all came together through pray and supplication and we walked out the hospital that day. But that again was not the journey the Lord had for us to walk during this season in our life. The next two weeks in particular as well as the following weeks months and even up to this very day has been challenging to say the least. 

At no point in our journey did we ever clearly see the finish line. As an experience marathon runner, I have run now 25 marathons plus, endurance events in my adult life and more precisely during my 7.5 years in fatherhood when I started training for my first marathon 1 month after Joshua was born. And I cannot even imagine how difficult it would be for me to step up to the start line of one of these races and now knowing where the finish line was. Just to be told start running and your get there at some time. I don’t have to imagine this scenario because this was exactly what Jessie and I faced with Joanna. Even up to the actual day Joanna was discharged from the hospital the first time we had 0% clue or idea when we would cross that finish line and be able to go home together as a family. 

You see once we were admitted into the Pediatric ICU at UMMC downtown it only allowed for 1 adult to stay overnight with Joanna. So from that first Thursday until officially being discharged Jessie and I and the family were never together except when we were exchanging stays at the hospital or I went to get Jessie some subway at the hospital. Functionally it felt like Jessie and I were single parents during this time with one of us with Joanna 95% of the time and the other coordinating our boys back home and at school. 

Anyway, once we ended up down town we began what I reference to the ABC of medical testing. Joanna was still suffering; she was still showing almost all of the symptoms that landed us in this place to begin with. I knew of a few medical test like MRI EKG and others but we learned a whole bunch of other letters and test during our stay. Most of these came back negative. We are at one of the best hospitals in the State if not the entire country, the hospital that has Shock Trauma and the doctors with some of the most experience in the medical field.  As we stood around those first few days when they do rounds gathering all the doctors and medical professionals in the PICU talking and discussing about Joanna and what could be causing all the pain and misfunctions in her body. These doctors have more letters after their names then i have in my entire last name, and that's saying something if you can spell my name, and they could not easily determine identify the diagnosis. Even to this day we have narrowed it down this area called ADEM which i don't know what that exactly stands for. All I know is it's an extremely Rare Auto Immune reaction that we can't determine what caused it or if it will come back or what to even avoid to prevent these reactions in the future. We are living in the Unknown, uncertain and unexpected.   

When I first heard the area of disease was called ADEM my first thought was about and the first Adam we find in Genesis. You see this Adam sin against a holy and just God and as a result Sin and Disease and Disaster entered into God perfect creation. Because of this choose by Adam, we all have to face the reality of being Born into Sin. Now we cannot just blame Adam and eve for this because shortly after being born into Sin we too individually and personally have Sinned against this same God. The scriptures say that there are none that are good and none that truly Seek after God. However, This Adam was not the only one mentioned in scripture. There was going to be a second Adam one that came to restore the disaster caused by the first, one that came to provide a way of restoration and redemption for all those who trust in Him. This Second Adam is known as Jesus Christ, the King of king and Lord of Lords. And each one of us today has the opportunity to trust in him to Restore our souls.  

You may not need a Physically healing like Joanna was in need of but during this process during this exact month of April as I went back to UMMC to the exact same room number in different part of the hospital my grandmother was admitting into shock trauma. AT this time I realized yes, we all need to continue to pray for physically healing but along with that Spiritual healing and emotional healing. The Lord our God, Jesus Christ the second Adam has provided the way and each one of us has a decision to make. A declaration must be made 

Joshua 24:15 “But if you refuse to serve the Lord, then choose today whom you will serve. Would you prefer the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates? Or will it be the gods of the Amorites in whose land you now live?”  Joshua 24:15 as for me and my house we will serve the Lord 

Aug 2009, I declared in my own personal Life to follow and trust in Jesus Christ as my savior

Aug 2010, we declared as Dating couple Jessie and I will serve and honor the Lord as our relationship was just beginning

April 2013 We got engaged and i professed my intentions of serving and honoring the Lord with Jessie the rest of our lives. 

Jan 2014 we got married and we declared I do and we will serve the Lord. 

Dec 2015 5 days before Christmas when we miscarried our first child and through that pain and suffering we continued to declare our intentions to honor and Serve the Lord through this most difficult time. 

• 2016 even through the months of sorrow and fear the Lord Provided and Joshua was born at the end of the year, as a New Family we Declared to Serve the Lord.
• 2019 Joanna born and as a Family of 4 we together declared we would serve the Lord.
• 2022 Caleb was Born and we are still declaring we will honor and serve the Lord
• March 2024, we are still standing and declaring that we will serve the Lord 
• We did not wait until Disaster hit our life, the moment of rock bottom to make this declaration. We made this commitment to the Lord when things were great, we gave honor to the Lord in those times.  
• Your testimony does not start when the trial or temptation or test comes into your life. Your Testimony starts right now and the Lord can build your foundation stronger and stronger so when not if you face struggles, you will be strong enough to overcome them. 
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Just because I knew all this in my heart and in my soul, it did not mean it made the path smooth sailing. Infact on one of the most glorious days of the church calendar, a day i believe is the most important symbolic day of our Fatih, Easter, on this morning I was in the Darkest of Valleys 

Picture of Boys first easter not together as a family at church 

• Testimony Joanna 

I first was going to text Laura to try to find an alternative or plan B for announcements / giving talk but even as I am typing this email, I can Barely keep it together let alone be able to keep it together live while communicating to the church. 

Psalm 23:4 “even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for your rod and staff shall comfort me.” 

Rock bottom, foundation of Christ, 

Day 1 struggle, day 2 was calm and silent, day 3 starting with Easter the Lord started to move. 

Identify key areas of miracles 

◦ Sunday Easter before church eyes open (Open eyes photo) 

◦ Physicians said it was the smoothest LB he has ever done. He has done the procedure with Sudaded individuals and had to attempt three times. 

◦ 4/3 Wednesday “I Love you” church gathering prayer instead of marriage matters 7-8pm, 7:26pm 

◦ (Plasma) Joanna almost finished she did amazing the lady said she did better than her bigger kids she does. She slept the whole time we only gave her a little Benadryl which seemed to do the trick in an easy way. Her body responded really well and blood pressure and temperature stayed perfect. So they got the pace and speed right for the blood coming and leaving her body. This is treatment 1 out of 5. She will be here at least 10 more days to receive them unfortunately. Steroids are continuing to helpGet rid of this and get Joanna back to herself. She will start OT and PT and therapy for eating as well again hopefully soon when she wakes up. 

◦4/11 8-9pm prayer for corporate gathering Joanna discharged on her birthday 

◦ (race photos) 4/21 On the third day, Easter Morning she opened her eyes for the first time. On the Third day after plasma started during the exact hour Kingsway were collectively and intentionally gathering to pray at our homes she spoke for the first time. And now on the third week she lines up to complete her first race 😁😁🥹🥹 the Lord has something significant with these 3s during our third year of the vision focus 😁😁
 

◦ Joshua gets perfect attendance 4th quarter. 

◦ 7/19 3 rd eye follow up swelling went down significantly 1st was bad, 2 sent to er 

Along with these exact details we also had networks of prayer chains from Baltimore to Salisbury and throughout the state of MD along with many others that gathered together to pray for Joanna and the Lord heard these Prayers and provided a Solution.

Romans 8:28 

• Spiritual connections ever here we went 
• Inspired these doctors' years and decades ago to study medicine 

Blessing now go be a blessing 

• Support from everyone, Gift cards, food, general logistics support 
• Testimony about working time in march 
• Testimony about insurance 

These have been my notes from my sermon message on august 25th 2024 at our home church of Kingsway Christian Center. The video of the entire service can be view on Facebook and hopefully one day i can include here on our website to encourage and inspire you in your faith today.