Sunday Morning - International Women's Day 8 March

I simply need to report that David has the love and respect of the wonderful nurses (only one is male) at Greater Baltimore Medical Center. These multinational health providers have been caring for the wounds, keeping the nutrition and medicine tubes flowing, and encouraging Dr. Sack to communicate any problems. BRAVO for the women who chose nursing as their service careers. Please call and thank any female friends who are nurses or physicians on this day of celebration of women!

Healing is always slower than the "patient" desires after major surgery but his doctors are still very happy with Dr. Sack's progress. Rebecca wrote from Burundi that she was especially praying that the redness and swelling in Dave's leg would disappear. Sure enough...Today a wound drain was removed from his leg and a new dressing put on (the saran wrap post surgical dressing did well to prevent cross infection). You just have to believe in the power of prayer, dear friends! Dave will try to be sitting up more but don't expect lots of energy in e-mails yet. Dave is experimenting with talking through the trachea but mostlyhas the exhausting work of writing on a dry erase board to communicate.

Visitors are discouraged although Stan Becker is stopping by before flying to Dhaka so those of you in Bangladesh can get the first person report from him next week. I have a bag full of beautiful sentimental cards to take to David from so many of our friends. Thanks - these will be a big boost.

I stopped by our Fallston house after church today (very interesting peace sermon about the children of Abraham needing to live together without fighting from a former World Vision friend who has lived in Bangladesh, Cyprus, Germany, South America, etc.) and discovered the most magnificent box of orchids I've ever had in my house - better than those in Thai or Singapore airports. Thanks to Hopkins folks who must know that these flowers will outlast any others for David's homecoming (we hope late next week)! I'll be staying nights at home with our borrowed 13 year old daughter so I'm enjoying them (and taking 4 sprays to the hospital room as soon as I post this).