The Annointing

Most of you will know that my son, Peanut, has Prader-Willi Syndrome. He was also born 6 weeks premature and spent over 5 weeks in the NICU. One of the primary characteristics of PWS in infancy is failure to thrive so he came home with a feeding tube in his nose. We really wanted him to be able to eat on his own and worked diligently to that end, but one of the hardest things to do for me, was to pray about it. How could I pray that he would begin to feel hunger knowing that one day he would never stop feeling hungry. When he was about 3 or 4 months old, Filbert and I asked the elders of our church to anoint him with oil and pray over him, specifically that he would be able to get off of the NG tube. It was really a wonderful experience. A couple of the elders felt led to pray for healing for Peanut and they all prayed that the effects of the syndrome would be mild. It was about a month later that Peanut pulled his tube out and drank enough that we didn't have to put it back in.

However, keeping Peanut's weight up remained an issue until about a month ago and now the pendulum has begun to swing the other way. The weight is coming quickly, now and we're starting to keep a close eye on what he eats. Filbert and I decided that as we enter into this next phase of Peanut's life we should begin it much as we began the first phase. To that end, this Sunday, we have asked our elders to anoint Peanut with oil and pray over him again, that his weight will be able to be maintained and the hunger will not be too severe. Also, we're asking prayer for Filbert and I that we can have the discipline necessary to raise this special child. If anyone reading feels lead to include us in your prayers, we won't turn you down.