Urgent Prayer Request

One of our next-door neighbors, a young lady named Christiana, was taken to the local government hospital on Saturday. She had been complaining of a toothache for awhile, and the night before it seemed a little worse than normal, but she was up and out visiting with everyone. But when we went to the clinic to visit with her, she was completely unresponsive, although she would sometimes jerk her arms or legs, and her eyes were open most of the time, but usually rolled back in her head. They ran some tests and she was diagnosed with both typhoid and malaria, but they also did a spinal tap and suspect she may have spinal meningitis as well. On top of everything else, we just found out she is about 5 and a half months pregnant. She had been hiding it because she was worried her family would be angry. The lab results for the spinal tap have not come back yet, but they are starting her on some broad-spectrum antibiotics, hoping something will work. When we went to visit yesterday, she seemed to be doing a little better. She was sleeping, and appeared more peaceful. She also showed some signs of deliberate movements, such as scratching her head or rubbing her eyes, and right before we left she would open her eyes and look at us, though she still isn't speaking. Please keep her and the baby in your prayers. Unfortunately, the "hospital" she is in really can't even be considered a real hospital. There is only one doctor, who is rarely there, and the nurses don't seem to communicate with each other at all when they change shifts. They have virtually no supplies, and so they send the family out to search for everything they need (from IV fluids, to a catheter and bag, and all of the medicines, syringes, and needles). They have had to go around to all the different pharmacies trying to find eveything, which just puts even more strain on the family who is already having a difficult time with this. Even the fluid from the spinal tap had to be taken by one of the family members across town to the lab to be tested.

Please keep Christiana, and her whole family, in your prayers during this difficult time for them. As far as we know, Christiana is not a Christian. We have witnessed to her in the past, but she has always been very much against anything that has to do with God. I am praying that He will use this illness to soften her heart and bring her closer to Him.