After arriving home from Australia, a very sick Aldo met me at home. After his previous operation his recovery went well, but during this last week his health went downhill again quickly. So much so that he couldn’t sleep at night because of the pain – but we are not without hope!!
He wrote yesterday: “Replace my shunt. My ventricles are full of fluid and that causes the pressure on my brain. The pipes are blocked.” Even after no sleep, and him being very confused because of the pressure on his brain, he still writes accurately – Wisdom is revealing to us through his pen what is wrong.
At 2’o clock last night I went down on my knees. “Abba, we are going to replace this shunt because it keeps giving us problems, but will you please give me a confirmation that we are doing the right thing.”
Aldo is not sleeping, and keeps on talking incoherently because of the pain – but he still wrote a very serious message regardless of his physical weakness:
Did Nehemiah have to receive confirmation all the time? Ma’am, my help is from God. Somebody, please take out my shunt… please, please, Mom.
As I read this letter, I immediately went down on my knees. “Jesus, I’m so sorry that I keep on asking for you to confirm Your words, rather than just trusting you and walking by faith.”
“Retha, why don’t you by this time just believe what Aldo writes? Has he ever been wrong? It is My Spirit speaking through him. When I speak I want you to listen – I ask radical obedience. Nothing has to make sense to you in the natural. You don’t have to understand it before you do it. No, please just be obedient. I am God, and I will lead you with My Spirit. You have Aldo in your house, and you keep on asking for confirmation even after you have seen how I work through him. How can you keep on doubting? Only because of other people’s doubts you didn’t make known all the other prophesies I gave through him. Put the letter on about the fire-mountain that I showed him – be obedient to My voice, Retha. I talk in lots of different ways, and yes, one of those ways is through a Prophet. Through ordinary people who are obedient to Me, through My Word, through Nature, through My Spirit in you. For those who have an ear to hear, let them hear and obey. This is a time for radical obedience!”
The letter about the “fire-mountain” was very difficult for me to put on the web, but Aldo kept on writing that it was all that he saw. In my mind I tried to find an explanation for this… but ice and snow and “fire-mountain” didn’t fit together, and then I decided these things that Aldo saw I’d rather withhold from the rest of the world, because it just doesn’t make sense.
While in Australia, I put the news on one evening and heard about the fire-mountain. “Where can this be?” I wondered… and then as I heard the answer I became ice cold. “Retha, you were disobedient. Why do you always seek a sign?”
Now I am in Cape Town, after we took the early flight this morning at 06h00 to be at the hospital as early as we can, only to hear that the doctors confirm Aldo’s writings (No, not Aldo’s writings – Wisdom’s writings). Holy Spirit was right. The shunt needs to be changed, because it keeps on blocking up and then the ventricles become full of fluid. Thant’s why he is so confused – because of all the pain and pressure.
While waiting for him to be admitted to the operating room, I come and sit in the cafeteria to write this letter. My tears are falling between the letters I am typing, because I realize once again that we are definitely no ordinary family. No matter how much I also want my child to go to University next year like your child, I know… “Abba, Aldo belongs to You. You can use Him as You decide is best. Not my will Father, but Your will be done.”
“I am already using him, Retha, but you are going to have to get used to how this road of faith works. Faith doesn’t ask for confirmation upon confirmation. It asks RADICAL OBEDIANCE. And even if you make a mistake when you act out of faith, I will still bring you back to the road. But know this – I am a God that acts on faith!”
On the airplane Aldo wrote: “Wisdom says you haven’t told me about the invitation to Pakistan. Why haven’t you told me yet, Mom? I will be healthy by then – I want to go with you!” I realize that God will use Aldo on the way that He wants to, not according to our western way of thinking, but according to God’s way!
Ps 34:1-3 says:
I will bless the LORD at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul shall make its boast in the LORD; The humble shall hear of it and be glad. Oh, magnify the LORD with me, And let us exalt His name together.
Aldo can’t even speak properly by now because of the pressure on his brain, and he prefers to write: “Mom, God is large. God is so so big. He is holy. He is too big for man to understand. Mom, please don’t ever question God. Just do! Just praise Him. Just praise Him! Just praise Him! Holy, Holy, Holy!”
Friends waited for us at the airport in Cape Town to give us their car for the long weekend. I felt so weak, so close to tears, but also so thankful because I knew I just had to look around me to see how good God is to us – in the midst of trails and tests. I have learnt in these dry times that worship out of our spirit is the greatest defense we have against the enemy. When we are down, that is when our worship should be strongest and most vibrant. It is Satan’s mission to try to cast our spirit down, but when we worship God in our trials and tests he has to flee! That is the turning point – God will then turn our valleys into mountaintops and our defeats into victories!
Remember, it is not the quality of your voice that makes of you a worshiper, but the quality of your heart! If your heart is sold out to Him, you will worship the Father in spirit and truth, and He is looking for such as these to worship Him!
Philippians 4 vs. 4: Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!
Psalm 119 vs. 164: Seven times a day I praise You, because of Your righteous judgments.
Psalm 34 vs. 1: I will bless the LORD at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth.
If we were to realize what is going on in the spirit realm, and how the angels write down every word, every thought, every act we do – we will start worshipping God more often. All day long, in fact. And we will stop having so many thoughts that entertain unbelief, fear, and doubt. These thoughts give demons ammunition to accuse us with.
Aldo wrote:
From brain injured, to brain healed.
From weak mind, to strong mind.
From building like Nehemiah, to being as free as Naaman. (2 Kings 5)
From hearing, to testifying.
From confused, to clear thoughts.
From “please help me”, to “I will help you”.
From fighting, to free.
From help-help, to thank you-thank-you.
From crying to laughing.
From young boy, to young man.
They will be operating on Aldo this afternoon and we trust that he will only sleep in the ICU hospital bed for one night, and then he will have the rest of the weekend to recover at home in Cape Town.
Josh is with Mrs. Patrys and her children and grandchildren this weekend. He was up packing until late last night, because his fishing rod, bicycle, tennis racket and golf clubs had to go with. He packed Tim-Tam’s from Australia for the girls (Mrs. Patrys’ granddaughters), and then finally he was ready. I laughed when I saw everything he wanted to take with him – it is only going to be him and the two girls, and I hope they are prepared for what’s coming!
At 3h30 we got up and started to get ready to go to Cape Town, but Aldo was already awake. Josh also got up and said to Aldo, “Wow, Aldo, this is your day! They are going to sort your brain out today. I am so glad with you, Aldo!” We all smiled at his enthusiasm. “I will miss you! But I am going to pray for you! Dad, will you send me a text message to tell me when they are going to start operating on Aldo, because I will ask my whole class to pray for Aldo.” Aldo only lifted his thumb in the air.
We then left the house while it was still dark outside, with Josh safely in the care of Aubrey the young man from Malawi that helps around the house. He loves the kids so much. It is so amazing to know that Abba guides our steps. Nothing will be able to stop us from reaching the finish line, because of what we have already experienced about God, we know He is such a big God that will never leave us nor forsake us.
The road of faith looks different from the road of doubt and fear. Faith leads to peace, Faith leads to hope, Faith leads to love. Faith is to know God and to love God – that is why we can trust Him!
To everybody that helped to color in our trip to Australia with such vibrant colors – Thank you!!!
Glory to the King who showered us with His Spirit, and healed the sick, and transformed lives, and keeps us humble with the knowledge of His power.
Love
Retha and the family.
Special note: Aldo just came out of the operating theatre. The shunt was malfunctioning just as he wrote in his letters. The doctors replaced the shunt, and the operation was successful. Glory to God who revealed this through His Holy Spirit. Yehovah Rapha we praise You!
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