11 Oct October 11 Update on Dan Paternoster

Dan Paternoster, serving as a greeter at the 2011 US National Conference.

We’ve not updated you on Dan Paternoster in a while. Dan, a veterinarian from Fowlerville, Mich., was hit by a car on August 28 while he was riding his bike. He has been a member of the Executive Leadership Team since 2001. The ELT met earlier this week, and missed his presence and valued input.

Here are a few updates from this week from Dan’s wife, Nancy. They include the troubling news that Dan, on top of his serious physical injuries, may also have cancer.

Monday, October 8. Dan continues to amaze the therapists with how well he is doing with walking. Today’s challenge was to walk toe-heel, which really tests your balance, especially when you can’t look down due to your neck brace. Speech is coming along too, but still much slower than the physical progress.

Wednesday, October 10. Just talked to the surgeon who removed a tumor from the lining of Dan’s bladder. It hadn’t spread to any other part of his body yet, for which we are grateful. Dan says he hopes the doctor got all of it. He’s in a lot of pain right now after surgery.

Thursday, October 11. Dan’s feeling better today–not as much pain as yesterday. Thanks for your prayers. I’ll attempt to fill in some of the blanks that I created yesterday with my message.

The surgeon doesn’t know how long the tumor was there, but didn’t think it was there more than a few months. Was it a result of the accident? Only God knows. He also said that he was 85% sure that it was cancerous, so Dan was given a chemotherapy treatment right after the surgery. Evidently that is what caused much of the pain yesterday. We were told that Dan would feel more pain today, but that is not the case. He’s feeling tired, but good other than that.

We’re to the point now where Dan is realizing what is going on and how far he still has to go. What he doesn’t realize is how far he’s come already! We were informed today that his medical team feels he could benefit from 3-4 more weeks of rehabilitation here. That will take us to the end of October/beginning of November.

It’s hard to live apart like this. Dan asks me every night who is at the house where I’m staying and offers to come home with me. He’s also concerned about getting to the point where he can work at a job so that we can go out to eat and he can pay for it. These are all signs of Dan returning to normal.

11 Oct Hermmy’s Surgery is a Success

A smile for Mommy Joan as Hermmy is prepped for surgery on October 10.

Hermmy on her way to the ER–still smiling.

We reported earlier about Hermmy Alexis, a 12-year-old Haitian girl who needed surgery to repair a hole i her heart. The UBs of Canada brought her to Canada for the procedure. She is staying with Joan Sider, who has made numerous trips to Haiti as part of work teams. The surgery occurred on Wednesday afternoon, October 10.

Six-hour surgery is complete. A great success! PTL!

We saw Hermmy for a few minutes, and she looks just like what you would expect. She is ventilated, has three chest drainage tubes. We could see they were doing their work. Obviously, she didn’t know we were there.

Her night nurse is a French-speaking Christian, and we’ve been most impressed with the care she is receiving–not only from Beth tonight, but each one who has been in the Cardiac Care Unit.

They will remove the breathing tube Thursday morning sometime. I’ve indicated to them that I want to be present when she is coming around so that when she opens her eyes she sees familiar faces.

How long will Hermmy be in the hospital? Good question. We’re not sure, but it will likely be two weeks.

It really helped as we were waiting to go see Hermmy, to watch several Youtubes to find out what the doctor had done. When he came out to speak with us, we had a picture up on the screen so he could point out what had taken place.

Hermmy’s fingernails are pink for the first time in her 13 years. Her oxygen level is 100–first time in life. She has been living with this level anywhere from 30 to 70 most likely.

Before her surgery, I told Hermmy that after she was well, she would play–run and skip–and her face lit up like a lightbulb. It was fun to see.

Keep praying for a good recovery.

04 Oct Thursday Night Church at the County Jail

Jim Woodward of First UB church (Findlay, Ohio) received the “Outstanding Service Award” in 2010.

Ryan Dunn, reporter for The Courier newspaper (Findlay, Ohio)

Before Jim Woodward asked the dozen jail inmates to join him for an opening prayer, he acknowledged change will not be easy for the prisoners.

“I think we all need patience,” Woodward told them. “I know I do.”

Each Thursday night, a Hancock County jail recreation room becomes a makeshift church, complete with pastors preaching growth through Scripture. The congregation is detained men and women. Some have been convicted of crimes, others are waiting while their cases inch forward in court.

Inmates can attend one of three 45-minute sessions, two for men and one for women, often discussing responsibility and opportunity after making poor decisions.

Woodward, who organizes the program and owns The Razor’s Edge barbershop in Findlay, said the meetings grew from a monthly guest speaker to weekly Bible study. “We felt if we did it once a month, they’d fall back through the cracks before we got back there,” Woodward said.

Despite strict searches by corrections officers, inmates consistently visit the service. “Would you go to church if you were patted down before and strip-searched after?” Woodward said.

They meet in a large room that makes tackling heavy topics difficult. Voices echo loudly off the cinder block walls and several air vents hum, but few inmates break eye contact.

The Revs. Darwin Dunten (right) and Teddy Fairchild, of Findlay’s First United Brethren and The Rock churches, respectively, routinely cite Bible passages that speak of strength through God. Both pastors said they deliver the same sermon, with additional explanation, as they do during regular church service. “What I preach on Sunday morning is what I bring here, literally,” Fairchild said.

After a year and a half of chaplain work, guiding both inmates and corrections officers, the jail has become a “second church” for Fairchild (right).

There are remarkable moments when inmates connect deeply to a reading, but Fairchild said his group aims more for long-term growth.

“I don’t think there’s ever really a success mark,” he said. “Our goal is to plant the seed for change.”

The jail church can guide that change, he said, through rehabilitation programs and job searches. If inmates prove to be committed to improving their lives after incarceration, Fairchild vouches for that progress.

Dunten said they try to encourage inmates, and hope they will later join a church. “When they come in, we’re not condemning them,” Dunten said. “A lot of these people have never been encouraged.”

Though some argue against jail programs working to inspire inmates, Dunten said Scripture clearly states the importance of doing so. “I understand the frustration, but it does not take away the responsibility the church has,” he said.

The personal approach is what draws inmates, such as James Waller, each week. He said he always wanted to attend church, but struggled to find the right fit. The program highlights relevant Bible messages that are applicable to everyday life, he said. “Every time I go to these, when somebody talks, it relates to me,” he said. Waller said he plans to visit Fairchild’s church after leaving jail.

A recent session hosted incoming County Commissioner Brian Robertson. He asked the inmates to share the burdens that continue haunting them. Some spoke of their past, ongoing temptations, and pressures to provide for a family. “It’s very, very easy to be a wayward son, but it’s hard to find a path to the straight and narrow,” Robertson told them.

More than 30 people attended Bible study that night, about a third of the jail’s inmates.

Word has spread quickly because the problems discussed, such as curbing drug use and maintaining relationships, are ones that matter, said Lt. Ryan Kidwell, jail administrator. “What I think makes (Woodward’s) program different is he tries to address real-life problems for the incarcerated,” Kidwell said. “He doesn’t put on any type of front.”

The team of volunteers improves jail life, he said, as inmates act with more respect toward corrections officers thanks to the program. After leaving jail, many inmates visit Woodward’s barbershop. He “sees them for who they are and not what they’ve done,” Kidwell said.

During sermons, Woodward passes a spiral notebook to the inmates. He asks them to detail any topic for him to pray over. Woodward holds on to those books, which are filled with personal messages. Most ask to stay dedicated to change, or be more accountable toward loved ones, he said.

“There’s always some who come to get out of their cells, no question,” Woodward said. “But they trust us.”