SIM Missionary David Writebol shared his thoughts and feelings in a telephone call with Bruce Johnson, president, SIM USA, about his wife Nancy and their battle to overcome the Ebola virus infection while serving in Liberia.
The audio of Writebol's call can be heard at simusa.org/davidwritebol. A transcript of the call will be posted as soon as possible.
In the call, Writebol said the following:
"It's been difficult, and yet I have felt in a very real and unexpected way...the peace and the comfort of God through all of this."
"It is a singular experience to look upon a loved one, especially one where we have spent 40 years together...we were junior high sweethearts....to see her on the brink of death and know there was nothing I could do to prevent that."
"There have been so many instances of his (God's) providence in ways that we'll spend a long time cataloging...a needed piece of equipment or a needed facility near where wouldn't expected it to be...yet it was provided for us, even if it was inside the isolation area."
"We felt so strongly supported by our home church.....how could they (the Writebols) be foolish to put themselves in danger...and yet it is that very calling and very sending and very going that demonstrates the characteristics of the great things Christ has done for humanity. If our lord has done that, then we willingly and gladly will do that so others might hear about Christ."
"I'm happy she (Nancy) is in a place that enables her to receive the best care possible and that will give her every opportunity to get better, to recover...I look forward to hearing more from Jeremy and the medical staff later today."
"I'm ok...in a comfortable situation, and I'm feeling just as I always have in these past weeks and days - just an overwhelming sense of peace and god's grace, when I should be beside myself."
The latest updates on Nancy Writebol's condition and SIM's role in the Ebola epidemic in Liberia are available at www.simusa.org.
SIM (www.simusa.org) is an international Christian mission organization with a staff of nearly 3,000 workers from over 50 countries serving in more than 65 nations. In addition to medicine, SIM serves on every continent in areas of education, community development, public health and Christian witness. While SIM stood for Sudan Interior Mission when it was founded 120 years ago, it is now a global mission known as SIM. Two of SIM's three founders died of tropical disease within the first year of the organization's founding. Yet SIM continued on to become one of the largest Christian medical missions in the world.
Courtesy: Christian News Service
Publication date: August 8, 2014