IT'S A LONG WALK FROM THE STREET - A journey with a guy called "Joe" - Part 19

The following Saturday I got a call from Joe’s brother informing me that Joe had been admitted to the hospital. When I got there to see him it scared me. He looked like he was facing death. The doctors found that his liver, kidneys and pancreas had stopped functioning and his heart was starting to malfunction. They determined that the virus was the culprit and was attacking his organs – as is characteristic of this particular viral condition.

We all started praying for him. His condition went from terrible to worse. He was taken to the ICU as they fought to save his life. Finally he started getting better. But we noticed him losing weight. He couldn’t eat much. It would cause abdominal pain. The doctors noticed a mass on his pancreas but weren’t able to diagnose the cause or nature because the fluid in Joe’s abdomen prevented them from getting a scope to his pancreas to effectively see what they were dealing with. Joe was in the hospital for a couple of weeks.

Then on day the family got a call from Joe stating that they had just transferred him from the hospital to the Norfolk Health Care Center. No warning. No communication with the family. No explanation. They just put him in a medical transport and sent him to the health care center with an order for a 10-week stay.

On the first Sunday that Joe was in the health care center, my wife and I were serving communion to some of the “sick and shut-in” from our home church along with some of the our other ministers. We included Joe on our list and went to serve him. His brother was there visiting with him. As we prepared to serve Joe communion, his stepmother walked in. This was the first time I’d ever had all of them in the same room. We served communion to Joe and his stepmother. Then I asked his brother if he would like to join us for the closing prayer. This was a God moment. We prayed for God to use this moment to reconnect this family that has been disjointed for decades. We sensed the Holy Spirit moving in the room and touching hearts.

Joe is getting better. He misses being in church. Please keep him in your prayers. He told me that I could share his picture with you all. He’s like my little older brother. I love him.