Dear praying friends,
Thank you all for your faithful intercession for Whitney and for our family. We have been encouraged by so many of you that have e-mailed us in the last month asking about Whitney’s condition and letting us know that you are continuing to pray for her. You are ministering to us in a mighty way. Thank you!
Last Sunday, November 30th, Whitney had her first check-up with the eye doctor in Albania since we returned home from America. Over the past 2 months we have been checking her vision every couple of weeks with a home eye chart and monitoring the blind spot in her central vision. The retinal specialist in Houston told us that Whitney’s eye would continue to heal from the trauma in the 3-4 months after the injury. His hope was that these past couple of months would bring increased vision and that the blind spot would disappear. It has been a little over 3 months since her accident and we are thankful that Whitney has the ability to see at all. However, her vision has not improved much since we left the states in October. She still has only about 50% of her vision in her right eye. This is such a blessing and we are truly grateful to the Lord for this mercy in her life because she could have been blinded so easily.
We praise God that although Whitney’s blind spot has not gone away, it is lightening up more. She says that in the light she can see some things through the spot. In low light it is still dark and obstructs her vision fully in the center of the eye. However, the ophthalmologist was encouraged that the hemorrhage in the retina seems to be dissipating, although slower than we had anticipated.
The eye doctor here in Tirana also took a fundus scan of the inside of her eye. The scar that is clearly visible in this scan has changed some since her last scan in Houston. The scar has thickened and widened some and is closer to obstructing her vision. At this point it is not causing impaired vision, but the doctor here and the retinal specialist in the states are recommending this scan to be done every 2 months in order to watch it closely for further activity. Thankfully, the scan is digital and we can send all the results to the specialist in the states for him to review. God is so good to allow us that extra measure of confidence in her care. Both doctors are encouraged that her vision is as good as it is, but want to maintain a constant watch on that scar in the macular area of the eye. We will also need to travel to Greece or to Turkey in April to have a specialized eye test done that we do not have available here in Albania.
All in all, we are happy to report that Whitney is doing great and her decreased vision is not dampening her activities or her spirits at all. We praise the Lord for how He has shown Himself to be our Sovereign Father and
Faithful Solace. We do appreciate your continued prayers for Whitney’s recovery. Here are a few things to pray about:
• Pray that the scar in Whitney’s eye would maintain its present size and density. If it remains as it is, Whitney will not have any repercussion from it. However, if it continues to grow or if any of the tissue grows up through the scar then she will have immediate decreased and distorted vision. This would require surgical care.
• Pray that Whitney’s eye would continue to heal and that her vision would improve.
• Pray that God would continue to use this situation in Whitney’s life to draw her into an intimate and saving relationship with Him.
• Pray that we would have the opportunity to share the gospel with the eye doctor here in Tirana. We will be seeing him every couple of months and do not want to waste this “appointment” from the Lord to share the hope of the gospel with the doctor and his staff.
Psalm 107:22, “Let them sacrifice thank offerings and tell of His works with songs of joy.”
On Thanksgiving I was reflecting on what things I was most thankful for over the past year. It may sound odd, but Whitney’s eye injury was right up there at the top of the list. God used these circumstances to remind me in tremendous and obvious ways how BIG He is and how sovereign He is over ALL circumstances and the plans and thoughts of man. I am truly grateful for the privilege of seeing Him work in my life and in the life of our family in such intimate ways.
I was reading in Hannah Hurnard’s book, “Hind’s Feet on High Places”, and came across this great quote. “As Christians we know, in theory at least, that in the life of a child of God there are no second causes, that even the most unjust and cruel things, as well as all seemingly pointless and undeserved sufferings, have been permitted by God as a glorious opportunity for us to react to them in such a way that our Lord and Savior is able to produce in us, little by little, His own lovely character…Every acceptance of His will becomes an alter of sacrifice, and every such surrender and abandonment of ourselves to His will is a means of furthering us on the way to the High Places to which He desires to bring every child of His while they are still living on earth.”
Joyful in the journey,
Chelle Stire (for the Stire family)
