Humble apologies: The translater of Retha's original letter from Afrikaans to English made a mistake by saying Aldo's spleen had burst, when, in fact, it was his appendix. In the below version the mistake has been rectified. Thank you for your grace and understanding at this human error.
It was the Global Day of Prayer here in South-Africa some days ago, and that was also the day that Aldo started suffering from an extremely high fever and cold sweats. He just got worse and worse as the day went on, and soon he looked like someone suffering from leprosy as his skin had a terrible rash all over his body. Wisdom clearly showed me that the problem was with his appendix, and that it had already burst. I tried convincing the Doctors, but no one seemed to listen to me, and once again it was a matter of life or death for Aldo, because they waited too long.
X-rays were taken, numerous scans were done, opinions were given, allergic reactions were blamed – but I knew that Holy Spirit wouldn’t be wrong. According to the Doctors there wasn’t a sign that the problem was with his appendix. I stood with my hands in my hair because I know what Wisdom had said, and now the poison was spreading through his body. After the third day after he was taken up into hospital, they did a laparoscopy and found that the appendix had already burst. Immediately they had to remove the shunt that connects his brain to his stomach because there was a risk that the poison in his stomach could reach his brain through the shunt. About a month ago he got a new shunt in his brain, and now it needs to be taken out again, and the fluid still needs to be drained from his ventricles.
I pled with Yeshua to send a doctor here in Pretoria to help us with his shunt and the brain operations, because we can’t fly to the Cape again with Aldo in his current condition. I then remembered the small scrap of paper in my purse… two weeks ago at one of my ministry events a lady came up to me and said: “If you ever need a Doctor here in Pretoria to help you with Aldo’s shunt, this one is fantastic, and he also serves our Abba.” I put the scrap of paper in my purse and hoped that I would never need it, but when Aldo had to go to I.C.U again, Holy Spirit clearly told me, “I already put the right doctor in place for you. His number is in your purse.” Even though he was battling for his life, Aldo wrote “I heard Wisdom said that He sent you to the right doctor. I am so happy, Mommy.”
Before the doctors confirmed that it was his appendix, and the scans kept on hiding the problem because of all the antibiotics in his system. I fell on my face one evening, “Lord, how many times are we going to have to fight for his life? And you know how difficult it is for me to know what is wrong and then to have to stand back until the Doctors find out what is going on in his body. Thank you Holy Spirit for your powerful working through Aldo, and that You always reveal to us where the problem is.”
“Retha, I will sustain Aldo and protect him from the poison in his body,” the Lord answered. “The enemy wants to kill him, but My hand is upon him – I will carry him through, and he knows it.”
Through all of this, it was also our Ruth conference last weekend, and I know Aldo’s health problems were an attack of the enemy to distract and discourage us, and that is why I didn’t want to put it on the Website. We stayed with Aldo day and night, and even now Tinus still sleeps at his side in the hospital every night, while Ma’am Patrys and I take the day shifts.
The operation to repair the damage in his stomach took a very long time, but the intestines and his stomach were cleaned out and the appendix removed. The shunt in his brain also had to be taken out to make sure that the infection doesn’t spread. Once all the infection has been cleaned out, a new shunt will be put it – but for now, he has to heal.
The Ruth conference was wonderful! It was a day in the spirit spent with Ruth, Naomi, Holy Spirit, Boaz and Jesus – and through their story we learned that Moab was where all of us came from at one time or another. Moab will always try to lure us back and keep us from the fullness of the life we can have in Christ – that is why we need to make life changing decisions. Just like Ruth and Naomi, we must choose never to look back. Not to take anything from Moab with us into our new life in Christ. Moab is our past, but it doesn’t determine our future. If we choose Christ, we become new creations and we can live for His glory and receive a new inheritance and a redeemed destiny because He took us under His wing.
We ended the day on such a humble manner, where Ruth realized her entire journey can be summed up in one word: GRACE. It was through grace that Ruth could leave Moab, endure the wilderness, and be grafted in to God’s people. Her entire journey was because of a love relationship with God. She loved Him, even if she couldn’t see Him. She trusted Him, even though her situation was a miserable one starting out. Her circumstances didn’t determine her devotion to God, her love did. That has been Abba’s heart from the beginning – that His gentile bride should be grafted in to Him through Christ. The fire of God will fall upon the gentile bride, and because she knows from where she came from, she will sing and dance because of this great grace bestowed upon her.
Read how Naaman became free – he left his old life behind completely.
After the conference I sneaked out of the backdoor, not wanting to see anybody or receive a thank you – it had nothing to do with me, all the honor belonged to the King! I immediately drove to the hospital and as I walked into the I.C.U. I could feel how something wanted to climb upon my shoulders in the spirit. I said to myself aloud: “In the name of Jesus, Lord let Your holy fire burn whatever wants to attack me now!”
As I walked into Aldo’s room, I could hear him speaking to the nurse. I felt the Holy Spirit prompting me to plead the blood of the Lamb over him before I even greeted him – but it was too late – the next moment he suffered an epileptic attack. Immediately I rebuked the attack in Jesus’ name and in front of my eyes the seizure stopped. He laid there with big eyes staring at me. For a few hours his speech was impaired again and he wrote: “Mom, you walked in with the fire of God, and that is when they attacked me. But you fought them with the fire again and they had to flee.”
I felt death. He (God) was with us now. His fire is now in you. He says they wanted to fight against my brain with fire, but they are gone now, because we fought them.
What happened was the fire of God was with you when you came in, and then the enemies from hell fought against me when you covered me with the blood (of the Lamb). They fled when you fought against them.
I.C.U. is usually full of demons and I knew that I couldn’t let my guard down for one minute. He needs to be covered with the blood all the time, and the Word of God needs to be spoken over him. I set parameters around his bed again in the spirit with the fire of God. And then I settled in to watch and pray like Nehemiah did when they built the wall around Jerusalem. It wasn’t the end of the battle, because the wall of fire could clearly be seen in the spirit, and it caused chaos! I am not going to elaborate on this, but Wisdom revealed everything to me and more than ever before I know that my ignorance cost me a great price in the past, and that is why we need to be so alert and vigilant. I just kept on praying – Lord, let your glory light shine! – and I could see the confusion in the spirit realm as the darkness was exposed.
With all of this talk of warfare, I want you to know that your love relationship with Abba and His love for you is the greatest weapon you have. We need to overcome the evil with GOOD. Fight hate and darkness with LOVE and LIGHT. Wee need to BLESS when the enemy wants us to curse. I continually kept on praying, “Lord, let your glory light shine in our hearts, over our situations, in this I.C.U, in every area of our lives.” This glory light brings healing to a wounded soul, and it brings light in dark areas, and when Holy Spirit opens my spiritual eyes to discern those who are used by the enemy to bring confusion and destruction, I immediately pray that the Lord’s glory light will fall upon that person’s heart, so that the darkness can be done away with. It is amazing to see what happens when you start praying that prayer, and also: “Lord, I choose to bless and not to curse them back.” The enemy can’t operate in the light or in love. Aldo lies praying in his bed, and as I lean in closer I hear, “Lord, let your glory light please keep on shining in me and cover me.”
In my past life I was the one who wanted to run as far away as I could from people who always spoke about spiritual warfare – I truly believed that they were taking it too far and looking for a devil behind every bush. Today I know that most of us come walking out of Moab with chains around our feet, placed there by the enemy to keep us chained to the past. There will come a day when Holy Spirit reveals these strongholds of Moab in your life, and that you can’t fly like an eagle with these chains still around your ankles. Because most of us have taken to dislike dealing with these things because of past experiences with other fanatical Christians, we rather choose to leave the shackles where they are than get involved with any “weird stuff”. But as you get closer and closer to your Boaz, you know the shackles need to go – your ankles are chained but you want to fly! That is when Holy Spirit will show you so clearly that you need to loose yourself from the strongholds of Moab, and that is when your eyes are opened up to receive this revelation and this freedom, and you also realize how many layers of chains the devil has bound you with. The untying will be done by your Redeemer, and in His love you will be set free.
Even though I saw all these things in the spirit yesterday, Abba kept on reminding me: “I love them too, Retha. At the moment they are blinded by the enemy, but your love and your prayers can lead them to Me. Don’t give Satan a foothold in your heart, keep on praying for my glory light. The blood of My Son was spilt for the sins of the World. He came to save, not to condemn. Lead them to Him.”
As I drove home from the hospital late on Sunday evening, Holy Spirit reminded me about one of Aldo’s letters:
“From Nehemiah to Naaman free.” This is exactly what happened – he looked like a leprous Naaman because of all the toxin in his body – but now he is free! The enemy has been overcome through the blood of the Lamb and the Word of our testimony!
“By the power of the blood of the Lamb, and the witnessing of Jesus Christ in our lives, and because we did not love our lives unto death, we will overcome.” (Rev. 12:11, Ampl,.)
God knows your end from your beginning, and through Him we are more than conquerors.
Joshie and I covered ourselves with my tallit when we got home and prayed for Daddy and Aldo who were sleeping in the hospital that night.
“Abba, why are you so good to us? Thank you for strengthening us through all of these things that we need to endure and that we can learn so much through every trial. Thank You Lord, that you hold my mommy-heart in your hands, and that You keep me from despair.
“Even if all of these attacks may seem like nonsense in the eyes of the word, I know that I only see in part.
“Above all, thank you that you rescued us from Moab, and that us gentiles can be grafted into you, and have a place in Your house.”
Finally I received the phone call I was waiting for – Aldo’s blood count is better, and the infection is subsiding. Every day he is doing better and better!
From blessed to free,
From fluid on the brain to brain being blessed,
From weak mind, to clear mind,
From enemy, to redeemed
From build Nehemiah, to Naaman free,
From hear, to tell,
From disoriented, to clear minded,
From fluid, to blessed,
From needing help, to giving help.
Aldo can only eat liquids at the moment. “Doctor,” Aldo wants to know, “when can I have a hamburger again?” With tears in my eyes I smile and realize he is still only a teenager – Aldo is still alive and enjoying life, regardless of his circumstances!
The fire fight is over, and I am free and now I will also be healed quickly. I really feel good Mom, only my cut is hurting.
Keep your eyes on Jesus, and not on our situation! Your circumstances doesn’t determine how much Jesus loves you. He has already proven His love: “For God so loved the world that He sent His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:16).
Blessed be your coming and your going!
Love
Retha and the family.