God’S Divine Interventions

By Wendy Anton Abone

Gods Divine Interventions is a very touching story of an eleven-year-old boy from Papua New Guinea whose hope was gone when told by neurosurgeons at Port Moresby General Hospital that nothing could be done to remove a mass (tumor), the size of a golf ball sitting on the left side of his brain stem. Further, the mass was blocking out fluids that were compressing his brain, causing those severe headaches and, more alarmingly, threatening his eyesight. Lacking proper medical equipment and expertise in the country, the only solution was an overseas trip that would cost a lot of money. This was a luxury the family couldnt afford, and time being of essence as fluids kept building up, the only hope was to leave it all in Gods hands. Gods Divine Interventions shares the emotional experiences of a broken mother pleading for her sons life at the feet of Jesus. It is an inspirational story that will hold your mind in awe of how God works when there seem to be no way at all.

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: Dec 6, 2017
• ISBN: 9781512792294

Wendy Anton Abone

Wendy Anton is a geologist in Papua New Guinea. She is married with six children and works and lives in Port Moresby. Through her busy schedules as a career woman, wife and a mother, maintaining a healthy Christian home is always a test of faith due to traditional obligations as a wife and mother and further putting up with the wantok system that continues to reap the working classes of their earnings and savings. What is one to do when a large sum of money is required immediately to save your own child from a dreadful disease that cannot be treated in your own country and you dont have the money at all? God Intervenes

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GOD’S

DIVINE

INTERVENTIONS

WENDY ANTON ABONE

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Copyright © 2017 Wendy Anton Abone.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

Scripture quotations marked (NIV) are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.

WestBow Press

A Division of Thomas Nelson & Zondervan

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Bloomington, IN 47403

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Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

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and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

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ISBN: 978-1-5127-9230-0 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-5127-9229-4 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2017909617

WestBow Press rev. date: 11/29/2017

CONTENTS

1.   How It Started

2.   A Special Little Boy (Special Moments)

3.   Normal Family Moments

4.   Painful Moments

5.   Our Brisbane Family.

6.   Impossible to Possible

7.   Maters Children Hospital

8.   Sabbath Blessing

9.   Counting Down

10.   Tuesday, January 29, 2013

11.   Wednesday, January 30, 2013

12.   Thursday, January 31, 2013

13.   Friday, February 1, 2013

14.   Saturday, February 2, 2013

15.   Sunday, February 3, 2013

16.   Monday, February 4, 2013

17.   Tuesday, February 5, 2013

18.   Wednesday, February 6, 2013

19.   Thursday, February 5, 2013

20.   Friday, February 8, 2013

21.   Saturday, February 9, 2013

22.   Sunday, February 10, 2013

23.   Monday, February 11, 2013

24.   Tuesday, February 11, 2013

25.   Wednesday, February 13, 2013

26.   Missing Kieren

27.   No More Medicine

But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.

—Matthew 19:26

To my beloved firstborn son,

Kieren Jeremiah Abone

Son, you are a special child in the eyes of the Lord. You will always remind me of our divine encounters with God until we thank him face-to-face in his heavenly realm one day.

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A special thanks to my extended family and friends in Papua New Guinea and Australia.

In Brisbane—Mama Tee, the Ameans, Kewas, Piaris, Nitas, Lyambians, and the Ipswich Adventist Family.

Families in Papua New Guinea—the Parkils, Anthonys, the Pyalins, and the Lanekeps. A very special thanks to Mum and Dad, Mr. and Mrs. Anthony Lyambian, and the Messiah Prayer Group in Wabag. Your dedicated and continuous prayers and support in this special moment of Kieren’s life will always have a special place in my heart until we embrace with God’s love in heaven, where our destiny is.

CHAPTER 1

How It Started

Mummy, my head is aching! Kieren cried as he walked into the kitchen one afternoon in late 2011. I was preparing dinner, as usual, for twenty-plus relatives, my own family of four children, and my beloved husband, Jeffery.

Oh, my baby! Come here, I said, and I hugged my eldest son to my bosom. His little body was burning, and for an instant I pictured how tiny he’d been at birth. He weighed just six pounds four ounces, and he was hairy, with long limbs, and bright dark eyes.

Now, Kieren—we called him Kay for short—was ten years old. He was tall for his age, yet he was small compared to others in his grade at school. My heart ached to see my eldest son in pain. I took him into my bedroom and got the first-aid kit from the drawer. I scanned the contents for Tylenol to reduce his fever, and after giving him a little white tablet, Kay went to the kitchen for a glass of water. When he returned to my room, I told him, Come and rest, son, while I finish preparing dinner. I tucked him into my bed and went back to the kitchen.

Kay still had a fever the following day. I dropped the two younger children at school and then took him to Paradise Private Hospital in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, where he was treated with a malaria tablet and given doses for the next couple of days. The fever went down, and he was well for a while, but the terrible headache kept coming back. We would treat it with Tylenol, but at times it didn’t have any effect on him. He would hit his head against the walls or lie down flat and grind his teeth. Many times he would wake up crying in the middle of the night, or he would rush into the bathroom, turn on the shower, and stand in there for minutes. My heart ached seeing him in pain.

How I longed for the headaches to stop so that he could go back to sleep or concentrate on his studies. I would pray earnestly and painfully, crying out to the Lord to help my son. I didn’t know at that time, but that was the beginning of a lifetime experience with my son. We kept treating it like a normal headache associated with the malaria and other tropical infections that are common in this part of the world. It didn’t even occur to me that this headache was a symptom of something terrible.

I didn’t think anything bad would happen to my children. They were born healthy, and they had been on vegetarian diets from birth. I was never bothered by thoughts of what was to come in the future. We were only conscious of injuries and accidents that might harm the children or us. Most important of all, we believed in a living God who is the source of life and Creator of the universe. He protected us day to day and provided all our needs. I prayed every morning, committing my children and my husband to the Lord for protection and good health. I prayed, knowing that children are precious gifts from God and that he watched over them every moment.

There is a saying that many unpleasant things happen to the people we’d least expect to have misfortune. When someone is a special person with a fine character, good and healthy habits, or strong beliefs, we tend to conclude that he or she doesn’t deserve to be in certain harmful circumstances. It’s as if such fine people shouldn’t be ill or have accidents. Perhaps we think they shouldn’t even die, or at least that disasters shouldn’t befall them because they are generally good human beings.

But that is exactly what happened to my son. Many family members and friends have said many good things about Kay because of the characteristics he’s had from the time he was a baby to his early life as a young lad. He’s always been a very disciplined, well-mannered, neat, bright, and easygoing kid with a big heart. Yet he went through some very stressful and emotional moments. When this tragedy happened, it was hard to believe.

Kay had a brain infection. How could a beautiful person like him be sick so suddenly? And why would it happen to a very healthy vegetarian boy? Why was the one word that I kept repeating in my mind from the moment I got the CT scan result—it showed a mass sitting inside my son’s brain?

Only God has answers to questions we do not understand, and only he can justify why so many bad things happen to good people. Seeing my son today, I see that he is destined for something, someday that only God knows, because throughout his life, all that happened relates to his being a unique individual.

CHAPTER 2

A Special Little Boy (Special Moments)

Everyone is a unique individual. Every human being is born special in his or her own way, and all people are unique as they grow from infancy to adulthood. As we grow, we pick up many characteristics along the way, but I believe we were born with certain characteristics that make us who we are—and it is no mistake to say we are all special in the eyes of God and to our parents or guardians in this world. God made us in his own image and has plans for us. He created us with his own mighty and loving hands. No matter what kind of lives we live, he loves us. He made us his special creations.

My story begins with one of God’s special creations—my special boy.

Kieren was my first child. When I was pregnant with him, his dad was certain that we would have a boy. And I agreed, as I’d always wanted a boy for my firstborn and had been praying for this since I was a young girl at the University of Papua New Guinea. Many times I would pass time by dreaming of having a perfect and special little boy for my firstborn.

When I got married to Jeffery, it was the happiest time of my life, despite the issues that came with our courtship. I knew that I had chosen my partner for life, and my dreams were becoming real. Once, before becoming pregnant, I dreamed of a chubby, fair-skinned baby boy, lying on his bed, smiling at me. I didn’t want to tell my husband—I was embarrassed—until I confirmed being pregnant. I already knew that the baby I saw in my dream was the baby I would have—and it did turn out to be him! His due date was February 4, 2001, but Jeffery was away on a duty travel to Mount Hagen during that week. He thought his son would enter this world without his presence, and he was very worried. But when he returned and saw me walking down the steps with my big tummy to greet him, he smiled and hugged me, saying, Oh, so he hasn’t arrived yet.

I could sense that he was happy and smiled back. No, he is waiting for you, I replied. Indeed, he arrived two weeks later on Wednesday, February 19, 2001, and Jeffery named him Kieren, after his great-great-great grandfather—pronounced as Ke-re-ne.

My mum had come from home to be with me during this time, and she stayed with me all night at the hospital, sitting on a chair and watching me and Kieren at the nursery until we got discharged in the morning. She helped with bathing and changing Kieren in the first few days when I was not strong enough. Kieren was her first grandchild, and my parents were so happy. During the first week she handled him herself, as I was recovering from the birth. One morning while she was bathing him in his basin, I heard her laugh. Some boys want to stand so quickly! she exclaimed.

I looked across and saw my baby standing in his basin. I stared in disbelief as Mum held his two hands to balance him while he stood for a while until his legs gave way, and he sank into the water. Mum rinsed him and wrapped him in his towel and handed him to me. I was going to turn him around to massage his back with soap, she said, when he ejected himself with both his feet and stood up.

I smiled as I starting drying him, and she kept on shaking her head in disbelief all throughout the day. I smiled, as I couldn’t believe it myself—but it did happen. Later in the evening, I told Jeffery about it, and he was amused and happy. Mum left a happy lady when Kieren was two weeks old. She often tells this experience to us and to other family members, even to this day.

When he was two months old, Kieren’s gums began whitening. I thought it was from the breast milk as well as the baby formula, but later on, his dad was holding him on the veranda and realized that two little teeth were popping up from his lower gum. Hey, dear, come and see! Your son’s teething, he said with a laugh.

I went over to them, and I gasped when I saw two little white shoots. Oh, he is definitely teething! I shouted. I was so shocked and happy at the same time. But he is only two months. I picked him up from his dad’s lap and slid my thumb into his mouth, pressing on his lower gum to confirm that they were really teeth popping out of his gum.

He was big at the time too. During church service at Hohola Adventist Church, people mistook him for six months old, especially when he had the two teeth showing when he smiled at people. When he was four months old, something even more interesting happened. I was in the kitchen cooking after bathing and putting him to sleep in our room on a mattress on the floor.

Jeffery had taken a bath after returning from work in town and was on his way out of the bathroom when he shouted, Wow! Dear, come and see this—quickly!

I panicked and dropped everything and ran to him. He was standing at the bedroom door, and our baby was on his belly on the floor. What happened? I asked, confused. I was about to pick up Kay when Jeffery stopped me and hushed me to be quiet.

Just watch, he whispered and pushed me behind his back. I peeped eagerly over his shoulder—and saw our son push on his hands, as if to do a push-up, and then thrust forward. He is trying to crawl, Jeffery said with a big grin on his face.

I couldn’t believe my eyes. This little being was pushing up with his hands and dragging himself like a caterpillar—and he moved nearly ten feet across the floor. Jeffery laughed, and tears of joy flowed down my cheeks. I ducked past Jeffery to pick up Kay and cuddled him. I could hardly believe that a four-month-old was already crawling! Jeffery and I decided to put a mattress on the living room floor, and we lay Kieren on it on his tummy. It was exciting to watch our son learn to crawl.

At around that time, my younger brother, Roy, and Jeffery’s youngest brother, Brian, and their cousin-sister Rita were living with us. They were all high school dropouts, and we were helping them to upgrade their results through College of Distance Education at the University of Papua New Guinea. They would take turns babysitting while at home. Every time Roy came in, Kieren would point his finger at him as he remembered the first time Roy had said goodbye as he left for class—Roy had pointed a finger at Kieren. This became their routine greeting. One afternoon, the house was empty when I returned. I searched the neighbors for my son and his aunt or uncles, but they were nowhere to be seen. I sat on the veranda to wait and soon saw Roy, with Kieren clinging on his chest in his baby carrier.

Roy was smiling and sweating from his long walk from the bus stop. Kieren was asleep, so I carefully took him from the carrier. The others were not home so I took him for a bus ride, Roy explained. I nodded and took Kieren into our room and placed him on the bed. From that time forward. Roy, Rita, and Brian would all take him for bus rides, and we would not know until when they reported to us. Kieren was always happy and didn’t cause any problems, according to them.

Kieren was two months shy of two years old that Christmas. We had gone to the village for Jeffery’s cousin-brother’s traditional marriage ceremony. My cousin Smith (Mom’s younger sister’s son) was helping with Kieren as we walked around in Wabag town because he had become so attached to him. One day Smith bought a big yellow rabbit toy with a carrot to its mouth from a secondhand shop and gave it to Kieren in front of the police station where my dad had worked. Kieren was obsessed with plush toys, so he hugged and cuddled it and brought it with him to Port Moresby when we returned. He had a thing for soft stuff, and at times he would bite into mattresses and swallow the pieces, or he’d get his stuffed toys and rub them on his cheeks. He was a funny little guy.

A year passed, and Smith came to Port Moresby after his year-twelve exams. Kieren was nearly three and already talkative. One weekend we were visiting my eldest brother, Dr. Luke Anthony, and his new bride, Nita, at a house near Malarao Market. Smith was living with them then. It was a hot, sunny afternoon, and we were sitting on the veranda eating fresh watermelon from the market. Smith picked up a piece and teased Kieren in our native language, saying. "Hey, Kay, ange nengep da?" (Hey, Kay, do you eat this?) He would pretend to give Kieren a piece but withdraw it as soon as Kieren reached out, which made Kieren very angry. Smith continued to tease Kieren until finally Kieren stood up and shouted at him, "Nengep da, yu kanaka!" (Do you eat this? You native!) He turned and walked toward me. We all burst out laughing until our sides ached.

A week later, Smith visited and saw the rabbit toy on the living room floor. He picked it up and called for Kieren. Hey boy, do you remember this? he asked.

Kieren paused for a while and then surprised us all with his answer, Yeah, you bought it for me at Wabag Police Station. While we gasped, unable to speak, Smith picked up Kieren and hugged him tight. Oh, my nephew! You are a smart little one. I didn’t expect you to recall the details. It was amazing to know that my son could remember things that happened a couple of months back.

Before long we realized that he was remembering things about the places we went away from home. He remembered the scene from his previous visit and would surprise us by telling us the events or names of places and people we have met.

He would walk around the yard, saying things to himself. He then memorized his dad’s cell phone number and would test himself by calling the number to impress his dad every afternoon. One afternoon a friend came by our house before Jeffery got home. Kay was outside playing, and he told the friend that Dad was still at work. The friend asked if I was home so that he could get Jeffery’s mobile number. Kieren quickly said, Daddy’s number is 555-4384. Call him on that, and he walked off to play.

The friend couldn’t believe it was Jeffery’s number, or maybe he thought this kid was playing with him, so he came to the house to ask for the number again. When I gave him the same number, he was so surprised and asked. How old is your son?

Three years old, I answered. Why?

Well, he gave me the same number, but I thought he was just calling out numbers from the top his head!

Oh, he knows his dad’s number by heart, so he couldn’t have been wrong, I said, knowing my son so well.

He shook his head as he bid me farewell and left.

Later, I told Jeffery about it, and he was not surprised at all, and he praised his son.

Our neighbors at the back of our house were from Milne Bay. A couple of young girls lived there, and they liked talking to Kieren. Every morning they would call to Kieren and greet him good morning. He would sit near the fence to have a chat with them. Betel nut trees grew in their yard, so they would give Kieren some betel nuts for his uncles who lived with us.

At that time, Smith’s eldest brother, Edward, was matriculating at the university and was living with us too. He happened to be home quite often and was happy to babysit. Sometimes he would take Kieren to the Hohola off-season rugby field for training in the afternoons, and Kieren really loved