Ponder Anew What the Almighty Can Do!

Written by Melody DietrichMay 29, 2024

Dear friends and family,

Over the past few months I became increasingly concerned about the risk of rabies here in Chad, especially because our youngest daughter Eliora (age 4) wasn't vaccinated for rabies yet. I know in the USA people are not ususally vaccinated against rabies, but here in Chad, it is a different story because most animals are not vaccinated. Rabies is common, and so are bats! We had seen (and continue to see) some dead bats, which can carry rabies, at our place and at the hospital, as well. We have never seen bats just dropping dead in previous years but this year is different. I have been concerned that Eliora might even step on one! Just one little scratch from a bat can cause rabies in some cases. So, I was trying to decide how I should get Eliora vaccinated. Do I need to go back to the States or can I trust the vaccines here in Chad enough to get the vaccine here? After talking to a doctor friend from the States, I decided it would be okay to get the vaccine in Chad. Then, maybe the next time we are in the States we could get some boosters (vaccines). 

Jonathan had been traveling and would fly to Ndjamena from Gabon. I asked Jonathan if he could see if he could get the rabies vaccine in Ndjamena before coming home. So, on Sunday evening (April 28) he arrived in Ndjamena. The Lord had blessed his work in Gabon and he had been able to start a print shop there!  

Our children (Gideon, Liliana, and Eliora) and I were very eager to see Jonathan since he had been away from home for about 2 1/2 weeks. On Monday morning (April 29) Jonathan went out into the city of Ndjamena to see if he could get the rabies vaccine for Eliora and a few other things and then hurry and catch the late bus to Kelo. I told Jonathan that I could drive to Kelo to pick him up. Rather than Jonathan having to delay his return trip home by a whole day, he would get the late bus, and we would pick him up. I told Jonathan it didn't matter if the kids stayed up late for this, they were so excited to see Daddy and to go to Kelo to pick him up! The kids were also excited because they would be traveling in the night and this was very unusual.

That morning, I had asked Beni if he would be willing to go with us to Kelo if we went, and he had said that would be fine. Beni is one of our most trusted local friends here. It would not be wise to travel at night without someone.  

Everything went smoothly. We arrived in Kelo and soon Jonathan arrived on the bus! We were so happy! He loaded his bags into the back of the Land Cruiser and then we headed for home in the night. Jonathan had successfully bought the rabies vaccine for Eliora that morning, and was keeping it cold in his thermos water bottle with ice. On our way home, Eliora fell asleep with her head on my lap. I was sitting in the back seat bouncing along the road, the windows were open, and it was all dark outside. It felt good to have the wind coming into the windows because it was so hot.

All of a sudden, I saw something flying around in the vehicle. What was that? I saw it again and then realized it was a bat! We quickly tried to stop the Land Cruiser to open a door and let it out, but before we could get the bat out, Gideon saw it land on Eliora's shoulder/arm. Gideon was panicking and calling out, "A bat, a bat, on Eliora!!" Soon the bat flew out but Gideon said he saw it rest with its wing out on Eliora.

Almost immediately I rubbed hand sanitizer over most of Eliora's body, especially where Gideon had seen the bat land on her. I texted a medical Dr. friend from the USA and asked for advice. We were advised to start the rabies vaccine for Eliora immediately. Praise God Jonathan had just bought the vaccine for her that very morning! The doctor also advised me to communicate with another doctor (from the States) who had a lot more experience in this area than her. That night we were up late. I was communicating with the experienced doctor and he also helped me figure out how to give Eliora's first dose. (She would get 4 doses over a period of time). Besides the rabies vaccine, the next big question was if she needed immunoglobulin.

The next morning, Jonathan, I, and the kids went up to the hospital to buy a bunch of rabies vaccines. The experienced doctor said the whole family needed to get two doses of the rabies vaccine except Eliora; she needed 4 doses. The bat had brushed against Jonathan's neck and also either brushed against Liliana's hair or landed on her head, we aren't sure. So we all got shots that morning!

At first, I was thinking against Eliora having to get immunoglobulin. The chances of her actually being exposed to rabies seemed so slim. But we needed to decide fast what we were going to do because immunoglobulin has to be given within 7 days of exposure to unvaccinated people.

That afternoon, I communicated more with the medical doctors. I had thought that I would be able to see a bat bite if there was one, but one of the doctors said that bat bites are often not felt when people are sleeping, and sometimes they are hardly visible. The other doctor said they are often not seen. After learning this detail I felt extremely stressed. Rabies is fatal. Once a person gets the signs and symptoms, nothing can be done to save the person's life. Also, the country of Chad has lots of rabies.

"Lord, help me know what to do! Maybe I actually need to go back to America for the immunoglobulin?" I was taking some time to pray and rest, and one of the prayers of my heart was, "Lord, give me words of peace." But words of peace did not come! The experienced medical doctor gave me the number to the American embassy in Chad, and I called them, but they said they couldn't help me get the immunoglobulin. I made more phone calls for advice. By evening, I had been advised, by about 5 different medical doctors, to take Eliora to the States for immunoglobulin. One of the doctors said that I should come to the States with Eliora, no question about it! So it seemed to me that God was not giving me words of peace. I was feeling impressed that perhaps God was leading me to bring Eliora to the States for immunoglobulin.

Finally, around bed time Jonathan and I had some time to talk about it and pray together. We prayed that God would lead us. We both wanted to be led by the Lord. It was a hard decision. We knew that the chances of Eliora actually getting rabies were so slim. It was so hard for me, but I just felt like God was maybe saying I needed to go to America with Eliora. I kept thinking, "I prayed for words of peace, but words of peace did not come!" Soon, I was packing and Jonathan was trying to buy tickets with a very slow internet connection. We were up until around midnight. I woke up a few hours later, thinking I was in a nightmare, but it was real. I actually had to leave home! I would have to be away from my dear husband who had just returned from Gabon. And I would have to say goodbye to my two older children for this trip to America.

In the early morning, Jonathan went out to the print shop to print off the tickets while I woke up the kids. Gideon (age 10) was serious but understanding. Poor Liliana (age 8) started crying and crying when the reality hit her that mommy was going to America without her! We drove to Kelo and found the bus. Liliana was crying and crying at the bus station. Oh, how hard it was! I hugged Gideon, Liliana, and Jonathan goodbye and got on the bus. As I sat there on the bus with Eliora, I had to turn my face away from the people so they wouldn’t see my tears. I felt so alone. The only white lady on this big bus in Africa.

For the first part of the bus trip I just felt so sad, like crying and crying. Was God with me? Was I forsaken of God? This question came to my mind but I knew, of course, that God would never forsake me, but had I somehow moved away from being close to God? Why was all this happening like this? Why did that bat come into our Land Cruiser and land on Eliora, the only one in our family that wasn't vaccinated? It seemed to me that the devil sent that bat! Was God really leading in my life in this decision? But at the same time, I still felt like I was just doing my best to follow God's leading. My prayer was, Although I don't understand why all of this is happening like this, I still choose to trust in Him!

Soon, I started to notice evidence that God was there in that bus with us! First, I noticed that the TV screen that was close to us seemed to be broken! (On the bus they often show absolutely terrible, violent movies. We try very hard to avoid the bus; in fact, I hadn't been on the bus for about 8 years.) Now, from Eliora's position, she was unlikely to notice the screen far at the front of the bus! Next, I noticed that God was giving us a safe bus trip. The bus driver wasn't swerving like crazy back and forth on the road. Sometimes, we see carcasses of vehicles along the side of the road. Big buses sometimes crash, and people die. And then, when we were almost to Ndjamena, I got a message from the experienced medical doctor saying he had done some more research and he was absolutely sure the best thing to do was to get Eliora the immunoglobulin. He was sure it was the right decision. I was feeling more and more peace. God was with me on that bus!

Laurent, the taxi driver, picked Eliora and I up at the bus station, and then he went to a guest house to pick up another person before bringing us to TEAM (a guest house). I had no idea it was Dwain that he was picking up. Dwain is the construction missionary that works at the Adventist hospital in our village. His wife teaches our kids piano lessons. Dwain was as surprised to see me as much as I was to see him. I told him why I was going to America, and he reassured me that I was not lacking faith in going to America. He said, God expects us to do all in our power that we can; then He works miracles. He works miracles all the time for us, but we need to do our part. This was another way God seemed to be communicating to me that I was in His will.

That evening, I was making some food for Eliora and myself in the guest kitchen. A very kind missionary came into the kitchen and I told her about our situation. She said, "Do you mind if I pray for you?” She prayed a very beautiful prayer that was so encouraging! I felt right then as she prayed that God must have sent this kind lady to encourage me!

That night, I felt so much peace. The next morning I would fly with Eliora, but from the evidences of that afternoon and evening, I felt like it was quite likely that God indeed was leading me to go to America with Eliora. I no longer needed to worry about the airplane trip. God knew just where I was. He knew I was just doing my best to follow His will. Even if I had made a mistake, God was surely with us. He definitely hadn't forsaken me! He never does!

I knew I had been stressed out. I had been full of fear while trying to decide what to do. I knew that the Bible says, "Perfect love casts out all fear." Had I handled this situation and decision without fear? Definitely not, but despite my weakness and failures God was still close beside me all the way! From an abundance of evidence, He had shown me His great love and care!

Just think about what God did. First, He made sure we were on a bus with a broken TV screen! Second, God made sure the bus didn't swerve back and forth in a dangerous way! Then God sent me another reassuring text from the doctor, saying it was best for Eliora to get the immunoglobulin. Then after arriving in Ndjamena, Dwain had given me encouraging counsel. And then that evening, God sent a missionary to pray for this whole situation. I went to sleep that night trusting in God.

 Psalm 61:1-4 was a special blessing to me while on the airplane.

"Hear my cry, O God; Attend to my prayer. From the end of the earth I will cry to You,
When my heart is overwhelmed; Lead me to the rock that is higher than I. For You have been a shelter for me, A strong tower from the enemy. I will abide in Your tabernacle forever; I will trust in the shelter of Your wings.

Also, hymn number 1 in the SDA hymnal has been very encouraging. While Eliora and I were bouncing down the road on the bus, and the windows were shaking, my phone automatically opened up to this hymn! I also was blessed on the airplane thinking over these words.

1. Praise to the Lord, the Almighty, the King of creation! Oh my soul, praise Him, for He is thy health and salvation! All ye who hear, now to His temple draw near; join ye in glad adoration!
2. Praise to the Lord, Who o'er all things so wondrously reigneth, Sheildeth thee under His wings, yea so gently sustaineth! Hast thou not seen how thy desires e'er have been Granted in what He ordaineth!3. Praise to the Lord, who doth prosper thy work and defend thee; Surely His goodness and mercy here daily attend thee. Ponder anew what the Almighty can do If with His love He befriend thee.

To summarize the rest of the story I will share a few more continued blessings from God:

When Eliora and I arrived in the States my sister-in-law picked us up and drove us to the emergency department. My pediatrician friend had arranged everything for us ahead of time so we knew where to go!

While on the way to the hospital I was able to talk to Jonathan. He asked me, "Did you have 3 seats on the airplane? We prayed that you would have 3 seats so you would be able to sleep." I said, Yes we did and we were able to sleep! A kind Ethiopian lady (I was flying Ethiopian airlines) came to the man that was sitting next to us and asked if he could please move to a different seat because there were lots of extra seats toward the back. Then the lady returned to me and asked me, "Is that better for you?" I replied, oh yes and thank you! I thought it was really neat that even this little thing seemed to be an obvious answer to my husband's prayer!

Eliora got the immunoglobulin, and also they restarted the rabies vaccines since we were not sure about the quality of the ones in Chad. The doctors were so nice and helpful!

Our time in the States was short but full of blessings. We stayed with my sister-in-law and family. They were wonderful!

On our way back to Chad I asked God if He was going to give us 3 seats again and He did! I prayed for a safe trip back on the bus with no bus movies and He did! (The bus screens seemed to be broken again! I didn't have to try to protect my 4 year old from the bus screens since God had taken care of those already!)

We arrived safely back in Bere with Jonathan, Gideon, and Liliana!

God answered so many prayers this trip. He really cares about the details of our lives and He is so full of love.

Remember that God cares about the details in your life, too! He loves YOU and CARES about your situation, also! Ponder anew what the Almighty can do!

Melody Dietrich