PRAYER ALERT FROM LITTLE BEAR
for Baby William
February 2, 2002

Dear Friends and Family,

We just got home from Colorado Springs yesterday evening and I shot right into my office to give you all an update on how baby Goforth is doing. After it was evident that there was minimal brain activity on his latest EEG, the doctors agreed that baby William would never be "normal." They repeatedly said that he would never have a good quality of life due to the damage to his brain. By Friday, January 25th, because of the excessive brain bleed and swelling, it was suggested by the NICU medical staff of the hospital "to pull the plug" on baby William. The hospital continued to pressure Josh and Noelle in this regard with ever increasing fervency.

However, our son-in-law Joshua has stood firm even in the bleakest moments--that only the Lord would determine life or death for William, and that if it would be the Lord's will for William to die, that He would take William even with him attached to the life support system. Therefore, he and Noelle decided to ignore the professionals, and instead, to continue to proceed with all measures to sustain life for their baby--commending William to the Lord, and praying for the Lord to allow him to live.

William is now 11 days old, and has been air-lifted to San Antonio, Texas, to a hospital with a level 4 NICU so that he would be close to home. The flight was an enormous amount--about $12,000 dollars. To give all the details here would be too tedious, but definitely, everything was orchestrated by the hand of the Lord.

Yesterday, before leaving the hospital in Colorado Springs, Joshua and Noelle, Aimee, Marilyn, and I anointed William with oil and prayed the prayer of faith for healing as given in James 5:14-15. Within a short matter of time the hospital here in San Antonio accepted baby William--knowing that the Goforths have no medical insurance. That was a tremendous blessing that we had been hoping for. The San Antonio hospital has performed another EEG, and has declared that his brain activity has improved from the first test taken 5 days ago, which has stumped the professionals.

Continued Prayer Needs:
1. Pray that William will shock the medical community with a complete healing to the brain. While anointing my grandson with oil, I was praying to the Lord and recalled when Jesus cried to Lazarus to "come forth!" that Lazarus was brain dead for 4 days, and yet God completely restored him. This is our hope. I told the attending doctor that my prayer is that
someday I would walk William back to this hospital and he would come up to the doctor and say, "Hi! My name is William Goforth and the Lord has raised me up from the bed of near death."
2. There is a possibility of the need for a shunt from the brain to the stomach. There is also a possibility of the need for a tracheotomy. Please pray these will not be necessary and instead that the Lord will heal him and make it obvious to the medical staff that these procedures will not be necessary.
3. Pray that William's internal vital organs will continue to develop at an extraordinary rate.
4. Pray that he will not be blind, nor deaf, and that his eyes and ears will open and be in full use.
5. Pray that the Lord will send praying Christians and doctors who will pay special attention to him and give him the best medical care.
6. Pray the Lord will open the windows of heaven and provide the necessary funds for the Goforths to pay the enormous medical expenses.

We cannot thank you all enough for your care and devotion. The Goforths have received an encouraging number of e-mail notes, postal letters, and gracious monetary gifts, too. I will continue to keep you posted as things develop.

In His Providential care,
"Little Bear"

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