2023 was an interesting year for our family. God foretold through a prophet of God early in 2023 that something would happen to our son, Asher in September of 2023. He prophesied that in October 2023, Asher would experience a great breakthrough.
We thought in our heart that this related to other matters that our family was praying for. Late September 2023 Asher embarked on a business trip to Nigeria for 8 days. On his return to Europe, where he lived, he began to fall ill but being a fit young man who was hardly under any medical treatment, he thought of it as a flu or something he can easily overcome. However, Asher realized that this illness was something different and he got blood tests done and ended up being in the hospital.
By the time he was in the hospital, he had already descended into a serious condition of
Malaria Plasmodium Falciparum which could theoretically have been treated with Chloroquine and Hydroxychloroquine. However, this Plasmodium Falciparum of a West African Strain resisted the usual treatment of Chloroquine and Hydroxychloroquine. Owing to the difficulties to administer the right treatment he was flown by air ambulance to another hospital in Ljubljana, Slovenia where the medical team raced against time to treat him. The kind church members of the church were Asher attended pooled-in their finances and helped to pay for the air ambulance and medical team that went with Asher and Winnie, a member of the church. This occurred on the 6th of October 2023.
Paul and I were about to take our flight to the US on the 12th of Oct for some ministry and some personal matters. When we heard the news of Asher being in the hospital, I knew in my heart, I cannot go to US but had to be where my son is. I felt in my heart it is imperative that I go to Ljubljana. However, my dear husband was apprehensive to let me fly alone to a strange land where English is not commonly spoken. Through the kindness of pastors June and Kari who are missionaries in Montenegro, they arranged for a lady named Ira from their church to assist me and be my interpreter for the whole trip. Their church and intercessory groups also prayed for Asher.
Winnie was continually updating us about the condition, and from the reports, all seems bleak. Pastor Chew, our senior pastor, was an encouragement to us. He informed the intercessors to pray and generously paid for my airfare. At this juncture, the Malaria parasitical infection was 12% in his blood, which was dangerously high. If it was 2 or 3% it can be considered critical what more 12% parasitical level in his blood. He had acute pulmonary edema, pneumonia, and inflammation of his lungs, and was placed into an induced comma and intubated in the Intensive Care Unit.
Winnie who was taking care of Asher said on Oct 10th to his group chat: “I had just come from visiting Asher. I let him hear the prayer his father had sent as well as the verses from our church, and there was a very slight response from his hand. Praise the Lord!” Winnie later mentioned to me that he heard the beeping sounds from the electrocardiogram, and how the pulse rate collapsed. He prayed for God to have mercy on this young man. He said that according to Dr. Petrić, Asher should slowly be brought to wake up. The oxygen saturation had been 21-30% that day.…” This meant that his oxygen level had hit the lowest 21%. Yes he was on induced coma as he was intubated.
Hearing all these news of the worsening health condition of my son, I inquired of the Lord to help me see reality. “Oh God” I said, “Please tell me will my son survive or would I be seeing a dead body in a body bag?” I heard the Lord in His usual gentle whisper. He brought my attention to Romans 4:21 about Abraham how Abraham “being fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform.” God reminded me of all the promises and prophecies unfulfilled in Asher’s life. He wanted me to trust Him. He wanted me to know that God can perform whatever He had promised. I just need to trust Him. That’s all I needed to hear. Now regardless how tough the journey will be, I know I can rely on Him because God is the game changer! Asher’s song, “You will perform what You promise” was ringing in my heart.
My flight to Zagreb, Croatia was on 12th October. All through the journey the Lord ministered lovingly and reassuringly to me. He ministered to me through 2 scriptures.
Isaiah 26:3-4 – ‘You will keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on You because he trusts in You. Trust in the Lord forever, for in Yah, the Lord, is everlasting strength.’
God was explaining to me the importance of filling my mind with His Word and to let His word captivate my thoughts and my mind. He also made it clear when the full assurance of His word captivates our heart, God’s perfect peace, that is powerful, will be there in this war for Asher’s life.
Then God reminded me of another common scripture: Philippians 4:6-7 – “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your request be made known to God; and the peace of God which SURPASSES all understanding, will GUARD your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”
Again, I was reminded that the peace of God is superior to any medical knowledge or understanding that I may have concerning the challenge Asher was facing. The doctors and medical team were doing their very best but they are limited with the natural medical knowledge. Though God on the other hand worked through the medical team, we need to have faith in Him to perform the miracle. He wants us not to be in anxiety or stress out but simply let His peace saturate our heart and mind. The peace of God will overrule every other understanding. I have to be fully convinced and trust that God will make the impossible, possible! Yes, that supernatural faith was deposited in me.
Hebrews 11:6 states “But without faith it is impossible to please Him(God), for he who comes to God must believe that He(GOD) is and He(GOD) is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.”
God reassured me that God is a rewarder not a punisher of those who seek God diligently. That calmness and peace saturated me all through my journey with worship songs that welled up from within me. When I arrived at Zagreb, Kari and Winnie received me at the airport. Kari drove us to the University Hospital in Ljubljana, Slovenia. We met Ira at the hospital and saw Asher for the first time under intubation and in coma in the ICU. Asher’s oxygen level was at 40% then. My heart was broken to see the state Asher was in. I was like numb inside of me but then I remembered God’s promise to me. We began speaking life over Asher and all of us prayed over him. Winnie and Kari returned to Montenegro that same day, and Ira and I returned to our lodging place.
The long walks daily of 45minutes to & from hospital to my lodging place
Asher intubated in ICU 
I sought the Lord that night as sleep left me. I put on recordings of an audio bible and read the word together with the audio bible. It really helped me concentrate. I decided to stick to Psalms. Normally I would cover a few different books of the bible. But that night I felt David’s Psalms synchronises with my own emotions. Tears poured out of my eyes as I read from Psalm 92-118. I felt the whole reading was like my prayer to God. However. when I came to Psalm 118:17-18 I felt the Spirit of God was stirring in me. “I shall not die, but live and declare the works of the Lord. The Lord has chastened me severely, but he has not given me over to death.”
I hung on to that scriptures and repeated them over and over again. I said Lord, if there is arrogance and pride in Asher that you have chastened him, in Your judgment please remember mercy. I felt the Lord’s reply that God has not given Asher to death. No this is not his time to die. Then I heard the Spirit of God whisper, to play “At the Cross I bow my knee” by Hillsong.
I wept as I played that song and worship ascended from my heart to God. The last part of the song says. ‘The veil was torn, He made a way, When He say that it is done’ I played that part again and again. I felt God’s impression so strong that it is done! Yes it is done. The next day when we went to see Asher in hospital, his oxygen level had shot up to 91% in one day..
He was still on intubation as they need to lower his dosages. He was given 3 strong parasitical medication in heavy dosages. They cannot stop immediately as he would be plunged into hallucinations and his body needs to cope with gradual reduction of the medication. From the time the Lord stirred in my heart it is done, the recovery rate was simply incredible. His oxygen level very quickly rose up to normal 100% mark.
Every day there were significant improvements and the determination to walk and be whole again was evident in Asher. Seeing how Asher recovered suddenly and incredibly, Asher’s doctor wanted to have a conversation with me. Previously the doctors communicate with me via my interpreter. But, in fact all the doctors could speak English. Dr. Pedric began to explain his entire condition to me about his infections, inflammation, and pneumonia, as well as the fact that when his oxygen hit the lowest, they stopped the intubation but the lungs miraculously was breathing on its own. To give the young man fighting chance, they put him back to intubation. The sudden removal of the mediation threw him into hallucinations so they had to do it gradually.
The doctor mentioned that the medications were so strong that it eradicated all kinds of parasites in his body. The doctor reassured me the malaria will not return as there was no trace of it in his body. What an amazing miracle! The doctor was puzzled how he managed to pull through. The doctor said to me, “He is an athlete, and I think that is why he pulled through. His body is very fit and could overcome such a terrible attack.” I replied through the word of knowlede, “No doctor. You had patients who were athletes, but they didn’t pull through with lung infections during covid?” Dr. Pedric said “Yes, that’s true” I continued. “It’s not because Asher is an athlete, it is because the hand of God is on Asher!” The doctor agreed and he said, “Yes, it is the hand of God on him.”
The doctor specifically instructed to me that Asher must not run for any marathon as he is not strong enough. However, Asher’s recovery was simply outstanding. When we returned, he could fend for himself with no issues. Our special thanks to many who were led by the Lord to pray for Asher. May the Lord reward you for your faithfulness towards Him.
Asher wanted to run Marathon of 42km on Dec 17, but with the counsel of good friends around him, he only went for half marathon despite most around him disagreeing with the decision to run. Yet, he ran the half marathon on Dec 17 in 2 hours and 5 minutes, just 6 weeks from being discharged from hospital and he is as fit as ever. Praise be to God. See what the Lord had done in Asher and how far God had delivered him!
God is also able to change your story and turn your situation around if you trust in Him.
