How MozOvos saved a life

Early friday morning, we rushed the assistant director (Luis Manhiça) of the International Internship in Missioin to the hospital (Heart institute of Mozambique) with what we thought was an infection in the bloodstream induced by an abscessed tooth and root canal gone bad. When we got to the hospital Luis was unresponsive and his breathing, which had been labored, had all but stopped. He was immediately admitted to the hospital.

After a few days of constant care he is recovering slowly but has also been diagnosed with type I Diabetes. He is 27 years old and had no idea of the condition as it was a sudden onset. He lost almost 10-15 lbs within a 10 day period, complained of dry mouth with constant urination and need for water. The night before he became unresponsive, he complained that his fingers and toes were numb. By the time we realized something more and more sinister was at play he was on the verge of diabetic coma.

As we were not willing to risk his life we chose to take him to the same hospital where Rodger was treated for staph infection. We were not convinced that this was the right choice until others, including medical professionals and our Mozambican friends confirmed that had we taken him to the central hospital here in Maputo, he would have surely died just waiting to be treated.

We are so grateful for his recovery. However, he now faces a life time of insulin shots and diet modifications. We know that many people in the world suffer from diabetes and lead healthy and normal lives. This is comforting and we continue to pray for him as he recovers.

For many of you who have already been informed of this situation, we wish to thank you for your prayers for Luis during this time. He is a faithful servant and wise leader. We are trusting that this new development will only make him stronger in his faith, more compassionate in his leadership and even more passionate about the calling of God on his life.

Our choice to take him to the heart institute resulted in a $3000.00 hospital stay. We believe that our son Luis is worth every penny or, in our currency, centavo. We are also so thankful for the fact that MozOVos( our egg farm) exists as it was due to MozOvos that we had this kind of cash available to pay the bill (We must pay in advance before any treatment is offered). Many of you have prayed, sacrificed and given to make MozOvos a reality. Not only has this little business provided funds for the internship ministry but now, it can honestly say that Luis is alive and well in Mozambique because MozOvos exists. We praise the Lord for Luis, MozOvos, and all of you.

Though we are grateful that MozOvos was able to cover these costs in Luis' time of need, this expense is not part of the budget. If you would like to assist MozOvos in the care of Luis during this time we invite you to send a one time gift to the internship special project at WorldVenture (see address and account number below).

Please continue to pray for Luis as he faces a lifetime of insulin shots and dietary restrictions in a country where both are challenging at best.

WorldVenture

1501 W. Mineral Ave.

Littleton, Co. 80120

Att: Internship Special Project 6484-910

Blessings to all our family around the world.

Rodger and Lynne Schmidt