Another Update on JR Vigil

It has been 12 days since JR’s car accident. We have spent most of the past 12 days with the Vigils going back and forth between the OR and the ICU. Joyce and Josephine Mendiola have been there pretty much every day, all day with May, Tony, Mike and JR. Since my last post JR has had two more surgeries (Wednesday and Friday). Friday’s surgery lasted about seven hours. They had to amputate further up above his left knee but they were able to close up the left leg and the docs think that they have gotten “ahead of the infection.” Today they said that the left leg appears to be healing very well. Another surgery is planned for tomorrow afternoon. The doctor hopes to close up the right leg then. Please pray that he is able to keep the right knee. Once the infection and leg issues are taken care of the rest of his issues, especially the brain/skull fracture, can be focused on.

We are very thankful for the excellent care JR has received at the Naval Hospital Guam. The doctors and staff have been very professional and very good to talk with us and keep us informed about what is going on. The picture here is of a post-operation conference with his orthopedic surgeon. Many of the staff, including the gate guards, have told us they are praying for JR.

We have also been encouraged by having so many people visit us in the ICU waiting room. Joyce has been taking a picture of each of the visitors to make JR a memory book, so that, when he wakes up, he will be able to know who came to see him and pray for him. Please come up and see us this week if you can. Joyce would like to take your picture. Here is one good-looking couple who came to see us. JR is still in very critical condition. The doctors are hoping to get him stable enough to fly him to the Philippines where he can get the care he needs, but he is not there yet. Please keep JR and his family in your prayers this week.

Update on JR’s Condition

Thank you to all who are praying for JR, and Tony, May and Michael Vigil. He now has undergone 5 surgical procedures. Sunday morning it was determined that the right leg was infected and not getting proper blood supply so it was amputated below the knee. Tomorrow (Wednesday) the orthopedic surgeon plans to go back and clean up the wounds and hopefully close up the surgeries. Please pray that there is enough muscle and skin tissue to cover the bone, and that everything else there is in good enough condition to keep the amputation below the knee and they don’t have to go much higher. On Monday the doctor installed a drain for the gall bladder. He also said that JR’s liver was badly torn but is beginning the healing process. His heart and lungs are doing well. The doc says that JR’s excellent physical fitness before the accident has been a major factor in his survival.

They hope to be able soon to bring him out of the medically induced coma and begin to test brain function. He has a skull fracture on the left side of his head and there is some brain bleeding but there does not appear to be much swelling. We are praying for minimal damage to the brain and ask you to join with us in that. The picture is of May and Tony accompanying JR on his journey from the ICU to the OR for one of his surgeries. The family appreciates everyone who has come up to the Naval Hospital to visit them and everyone who is praying. The steady stream of visitors are welcome and have been a real encouragement to all of us!

Pray for JR (Anthony Jr.) Vigil

Last Tuesday night JR Vigil, the son of PIU staff, and our long time close friends May and Tony Vigil, was badly injured in an automobile accident. The picture here was taken a few days ago as JR has been helping us with the renovations on Mike and Sam’s house. As Mike and Samantha mention in their blog it is a miracle that he is still alive. He is in a medically induced coma to promote healing for his body and his vital signs have been good. Yesterday (Friday) his left leg was amputated below the knee. Tony just called me with an update from the doctor that they are trying to save the right leg but they will make a determination about it on Monday. Please pray that the blood supply to the right leg will improve so that he can keep the leg. We were encouraged that the brain bleeding was decreasing and we are praying that he will be ok when they bring him out of the coma later this week to test brain function. Please keep him and his family in your regular prayers. I am posting regular updates on JR’s condition on my Facebook page.

Joyce at the Japanese School of Guam

Yes I am still here and active. With so many of our staff away for the summer there are still a lot of things that need to get done.  But I am going to try to do a few posts this week and get everyone caught up on what is going on here. Joyce has been keeping busy as well, spending a great deal of time on the house renovation (more on that in a future post) while she continues to work at the Japanese School. She will be continuing to work at the Japanese school this summer until they go on vacation for a few weeks at the end of July. They are on a year-round schedule. Here are a few pictures of Joyce with her classes there. 

 

 

I  am very thankful for Joyce’s association with the Japanese school. Several of our staff and students at PIU have been able to work there part-time and they have provided a place where our students can do internships in teaching English as a second language.

 

Joyce has also enjoyed getting to know the people at the school, students and staff. I think the job at the school provides a different type of place for her to do ministry and is a nice break for her. And, of course, she loves working with the kids.

PIU Ministry Team on Yap

This morning I received a surprise visit from Pastor Asael Ruda. Asael is a graduate of PIU from Chuuk who has been serving as a pastor and missionary on Yap since the mid-1990’s. Last month Pastor Asael hosted nine PIU students for six weeks as they worked with the Yap Evangelical Church and the Pacific Missionary Fellowship of Yap. I was very pleased to hear a glowing report from him about the outstanding work the team had done. The team consisted of PIU staff member Billy Edwin and students Josh Ladd, Jesse Hart, Grateful Nokar, Erten William, Lucy Aunu, Joni Jones, Sophie Lucido,and Jaynee Sam. Drew Phillips and Nathan Cobb, interns from Beeson Divinity School also joined the team for a couple weeks. (The pictures and a lot of the info come courtesy of Billy Edwin).

The team was able to go to most of the churches in Yap including Colonia Church, Maap Church, Tomil Church, Rumu Church, the Palau Yap Church and PMF. The group led Sunday services in these churches. The students also had the chance to visit several other places for ministry- like the Yap High School, Yap Prison and throughout the town of Colonia. According to Asael “the church members were blessed by the depth of Bible knowledge and ministry ability of the PIU students,” but were even more impressed by how “the PIU students got right down in there with the people, including the kids.”

A lot of youth ministry was done during the time in Yap.The team led a week-long youth retreat. The theme for this retreat was based on I Timothy 4:12. Several practical topics were worked into the main theme of the retreat,“the Power of personal influence” including setting an example in speech, life, love, faith and purity. The team also led a week-long Vacation Bible School for the children.

The PIU team was joined in ministry by several of our PIU alumni who live in Yap. In fact, much of the pre-planning and logistics for the retreat and VBS had been done by the alumni so the team would be ready to roll when they arrived. Billy shares that they “met with some of the PIBC/PIU Alumni from Yap at the ESA restaurant. We had a great time of fellowship there and I was able to give them updates on the school and some of the ministries of the school. I was able to hear them sharing some of their goals as the Alumni from Yap. I was able to encourage them as well as being encouraged by them as I saw them all being involved in the ministry of the churches here in Yap.”

Billy’s assessment of the trip, “There is still much to do here in Yap. I see that there should be more teaching and discipleship so that they are able to understand and truly commit their lives to the Lord and be genuine in the work for the Lord. There are many that claim to be followers of the Lord but still need to be discipled in their walk with Him... We see that there are many areas that still need to be reached by the gospel of Jesus Christ and we believe that we are the ones that can be used. This is our time to make a transformation in the islands and even beyond our Micronesian horizons.”

I close with Pastor Asael’s assessment, “this is the best mission team we have ever had in Yap!”

Happy 4th of July!

We are done with our celebration of the 4th but I know many of you are in the middle of your celebration. Here are a few pictures of our celebration of the 4th. as you can see, Joyce prepared some very patriotic jello squares this year.







Courage and Titus decided that the 4th was a great day to try on all the costumes Joyce has in her costume box.  I think Courage is a kangaroo here and of course Titus went with the pirate look.

All three kids enjoyed the more relaxed “holiday attitude” allowing them many more snacks than normal.

Joyce and Jesse prepared the fish for barbecue. The fish were brought back from Yap by our mission team there and were very tasty.  They were also colorful!

A good time was had by all.

Happy 4th of July from all the Owen’s!