EXCITING NEWS Re: Allen's Back Surgery

Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, blog readers of all ages… it’s the moment we’ve all been waiting for! (Or at least we have a date for the moment we’ve all been waiting for.) Allen officially has a date for surgery number one. It happens to be on April 1st, but this is no April Fool’s joke. Let the rejoicing commence! 

Allen's having to spend a lot of 
time in a recliner, but the occasional
visits from family help alleviate 
the boredom.

After a six month process to get insurance squared away, find a doctor, and jump through various unexpected hoops, Allen and Trish are abundantly grateful to God to finally see some real forward motion toward relieving Allen's pain. Insurance has approved the first surgery and things are feeling hopeful.

Apart from Allen’s surgery and recovery, the biggest concern is Allen and Trish’s temporary housing situation. They believe they will have their current house until the end of April. 

So far, they have been "loaned" the use of houses, and they hope that another such situation might be available for them, especially now that the folks who own homes in Florida that they only use during the winter might be returning north for the summer. Perhaps Allen and Trish can "house-sit" for someone.

Regarding other housing options (if a "loaned" house isn't available), Trish said, “We have talked about… well, it gets complicated. We don’t want to rent a place because we hope we don't need a home for a year, so we prefer not to sign a lease. We don’t own furniture in the US and don’t want the expense of buying furniture, and then needing to get rid of it later (assuming we return to Honduras). For now, aside from my harp, I can pretty much move all of our belongings in a car. We’d like to keep it that way. Of course, if God provides us with housing, we'll be thrilled. If not, we assume our next-best option will be to set up in an Airbnb. While that seems more expensive at first glance, since it includes furniture, utilities, trash, Wi-Fi, etc., it probably works out to be a better use of funds, for our situation."

Please pray that they will find housing that meets all of their needs. If you know of possible housing for them in the Orlando area, please let them know. Since Allen’s surgery will be in Orlando, they are thinking it is likely that his future surgeries will also be there. For obvious reasons, they would like to find a place near their medical hub. 

Allen and Trish are always quick to point out their current praises and how God has provided for them up to this point. They are trusting that they will continue to see God’s hand moving in all aspects of this unanticipated saga. 

Pray that Allen’s surgery will be a success. This is not a minimally invasive surgery. Allen stated, “The surgery will involve removing four discs, fusing together all five lumbar vertebrae. I’ve already been told that I could lose my ability to walk without this surgery. Please pray that the surgeon takes his time, and that the surgery will be successful.”

Don’t forget to pray for Trish during all of this. Allen’s care throughout the recovery period will all be on her. She will be trying to manage life and likely move them to a new home in the middle of his recovery. She'll continue her online work for the ministry, and is hoping to make progress with writing her book, while also practicing her harp. 

In the background, Allen piped up by sharing, “Plus, I’m just a downright difficult patient. I work so hard to not be grumpy, but I'm not a patient patient!” 

Other prayer requests not previously mentioned include:

• As a redhead, Allen is difficult to anesthetize. The doctor has assured him that he won’t wake up during the surgery. However, when he had his heart stents put in, they had difficulty putting him to sleep and keeping him asleep. Yeah. Pray that he’s out like a light for surgery!

• Finances are a concern. This first surgery is expected to cost Allen and Trish somewhere between five and ten thousand dollars. In the grand scheme of medical care, that’s not a fortune but it's certainly not something that they've budgeted for! There will be at least one more surgery to come, too. Please pray that the needed funds will be available! If you'd like to help with the expenses, you can donate through the Sowers4Pastors website donation page. (Use the donation category "Allen and Trish Sowers Support")

• Pray that recovery goes well. The tentative plan is to have a second surgery - on Allen's neck this time - about four months after the first.

Thank you so much for your prayers and support as Allen slowly morphs into the 6 Million Dollar Missionary with a bionic back!

 - posted by Christi