Urgent Prayer Request

I am asking everyone who reads this to pray for our pastor’s son Thomas Hogg.

Thomas is an eighteen year old boy who has been having dialysis treatments every night for several months. Yesterday he received a new kidney from his former youth minister. Andy flew to Raleigh from Denver Colorado to provide that life saving kidney. Thomas, his dad, his mother, who has just completed weeks of chemo treatments for breast cancer, his two younger brothers  and our entire church family were excited that the end to dialysis treatments had finally arrived. The surgery went just as the surgeon had planned. Both Thomas and Andy were doing well. God is good!

Our pastor and his wife went home around eight last night. Soon after they arrived a call from the surgeon brought news that they had not expected, and they had to return to the hospital.  Blood flow to Thomas’ new kidney had stopped. Emergency surgery was necessary to find out what was causing the problem. There was a very small window of time in which the surgeon had to find and fix the problem. However, despite the efforts of two surgeons the kidney could not be saved. Thomas' life is not in jeopardy, but now he faces the same nightly dialysis treatments of which he had become so weary. He will also have hemodialysis as he recovers  from his surgery, and another surgery to implant a port for his continued dialysis. Last night before his parents left to go home Thomas whispered to his mother, “I’m glad that it’s over.”

Unfortunately for Thomas and his family this terrible journey is not over. Right now I’m sure they are thankful that Thomas has survived the horrors of yesterday, but the disappointment that hovers over them has to be almost more than they can bear. Our whole church family joins the Hogg family in their disappointment. Despite this terrible outcome we all know that God is still good. Our pastor, David Hogg , wrote this to the church family last night after learning that Thomas will continue to be on dialysis.

“God is no less faithful today than he was yesterday. God is no less loving today than he was yesterday. Our faith is unshaken even if our understanding is reeling. In the days ahead, pray for Thomas and Andy (we cannot even begin to imagine what he will feel when he finds out) that God would help them wrestle through this, and that not only for them and for us, but also for all who know this situation, we may “count it all joy when we meet trials of various kinds, for we know that the testing of our faith produces steadfastness” because when steadfastness has its full effect, as James tells us, we will “lack nothing”.”

I hope that you will join me in this prayer request from our pastor. Also pray for Thomas’ mother, Sarah, as she begins seven weeks of radiation next Monday. The last year has been a nightmare for this dear family, yet they are in agreement that God is good all the time.