An Invitation to Pray

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

I have a personal  need I would like to enlist your prayer about. I was riding my bicycle yesterday here on the island with Champ attached to his jogger. I decided to take him down one of the unpaved roads that criss-cross the inner parts of the island. It appeared to be dirt and grass, so I was going too fast and unprepared when I hit some deep sand. With the front wheel not tracking straight, and Champ's added energy pulling the bike from the side, I ended up taking a hard fall off the bike.

As I lay on the ground I took assessment of my injuries. I first noted that my left index finger was dislocated at the middle knuckle. I applied some pressure and put it back where it needed to be. It is swollen, but it is not painful unless I try to use it forcefully. It should be well mended in a week or two. I evidently slightly sprained the middle finger on my right hand as well as it is swollen, but nothing is broken there. It too will heal in short order.

The main difficulty I am having is that I landed on my right side with most of the force on my rib cage. I either cracked a rib or two, and/or pulled some muscles on that side, as it is quite painful to move about. I have had cracked ribs in the past, as well as strained muscles, so I recognize the feeling that they produce

Fortunately I do not need to do much moving about at this time, other than walking Champ so that he can take care of his business. I am leaving him leashed outside as I cannot lift him into his dog crate in the bus right now. It is quite painful getting up and down, and I have found that I cannot lie down in any position and get comfortable. Last night I slept in a reclining lounge chair that I have set-up under a canopy next to the bus. This allowed me to keep an eye on Champ as well and to tell him to hush if he got barking during the night (he only barked once). I anticipate sleeping in the lounge chair until I am able to lie down comfortably and put Champ inside. The temperatures at night right now are pretty mild.

I know some people who read this account will be alarmed, and the normal response is to say, "Did you go to the doctor?" However, having experienced broken bones more than a dozen times in my life, as well as dislocated shoulders, torn muscles, and other ailments, I am not as traumatized by these experiences as others may be who have not experienced the same. I know my body pretty well, and I do not perceive that I have any injury that will not heal on its own.

There is very little doctors can do for cracked ribs, or strained muscles. They will at times wrap the chest with something similar to an ace bandage to keep a little pressure on it, and may prescribe muscle relaxers for the muscles to keep them from spasms. Beyond this they will advise a patient to get plenty of rest, and to not overly exert themselves until they are healed up. I have ace bandages on hand from past injuries and have wrapped my chest with them. I also had some muscle relaxers left from when I was injured on a motorcycle about two years ago and I have been taking them. (I only took a couple when I was injured on the motorcycle as I did not need them very much and they made me very drowsy.) I am taking half a pill at a time now, and they are keeping my muscles from going into spasms.

My biggest problem is when I need to walk Champ, but Yahweh has given me grace to do so thus far. I don't walk him very far at all, venturing only about 50 yards from my campsite. That is about as much as I can tolerate at this time. This type of injury makes one catch their breath as any slight movement that pulls the muscles in the wrong direction can produce sharp pains.

I would ask you to pray for a speedy recovery, and for Champ to remain calm until I can once more exercise him thoroughly. Dogs have a lot of pent up energy and it sometimes manifests in misbehavior such as excessive barking if they are not exercised.

It is somewhat difficult to even sit and type at the moment, so please bear with me if I do not respond back at once to any e-mail that you send. Living alone has its drawbacks at times, but this is the experience Yahweh has chosen for me and I am daily grateful for His grace. There is grace even in injury, and there is certainly a message/parable in what occurred, but the telling of it will have to wait until later when I can sit at the computer and type a bit longer.

Thank you in advance for your prayers.


Heart4God Website: http://www.heart4god.ws    

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Mailing Address:
Joseph Herrin
P.O. Box 804
Montezuma, GA 31063