Patsy and her family are from a small town in Missouri and had moved to South Carolina a few years ago. Both she and her husband Tim had served in the military and Tim was working as a teacher. Several months ago Patsy a mother of 4 suffered a significant stroke requiring life support and has been in the hospital ever since. As if that weren’t enough during this time, Tim also lost his teaching job as well.
Tim called Grace on Wings for the first time the Thursday before the flight. I took his call and he shared with me their story. He told me he was able to find a teaching job back in their hometown in Missouri and a facility that Patsy could rehab at but they did not know how they were going to be able to get her home. He had contacted some other transport options all of which were quite expensive. After giving him our quote and explaining that the medical staff were all volunteers so there is no fee for us he was relieved that it was much less but still unsure of how they would be able to pull this off. I encouraged him to reach out to his family, friends, and church and then to sit back and allow God to do the rest.
Praise the Lord a week to the day we were on our way to take Patsy back home. As Matt and I were preparing to leave, I was looking over her paperwork and something really caught my attention….Woe Patsy is only 16 days older than me! I must say that weighed a little heavy on my heart.
We arrived at her bedside and I was pleased to see how well she was doing. Although weak she was able to move all of her extremities and speak softly, having just recently had her tracheostomy removed. She tolerated the flight very well and when we arrived at her new facility her sisters were there waiting on her and so very glad to finally have her home.
As we were flying from South Carolina to Missouri we were listening to music as we often do and the song “Even If” was playing. As I listened to the following words: “even if the healing doesn’t come, You are God, You are good, forever faithful One, even if the healing doesn’t come” I reflected on how God was working in Patsy’s life: He alone had made this flight possible, He allowed Tim to find a job back home, and now was bringing Patsy back closer to her family.
So many times we are so focused on the negative and in doing so we miss so many blessings. God wants us to focus our attention on Him not to look behind us or before us but to allow Him to equip us for whatever journey awaits. He does not allow us to see all of our life at once because we could not bear it. He uses “time” to be a protection for us. Stop and look around you this very minute and take your eyes off of yourself, take the time to see the blessings He has given to you. I know that I need to constantly remind myself to stop and look around.
Thank you to all who made this mission possible including Hal our pilot, Mike our flight follower, and as always Matt. It is a blessing to serve with you all.
Gen. 28:15 “I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.”
Many Blessings
Shelli RN
This is a report for Mission 305 by Grace on Wings.
