Letter from Josiah Leonard

A letter from Ray & Annette Ronk:

We received this good report from Josiah Leonard, one of Pastor John's nephews. Thank you for being faithful to pray for John and his family. We also appreciate your prayers for the Brasilian churches, especially those in the area of the shooting. Pray that they will remain faithful during this time.
Continuing in His service, Ray and Annette Ronk

Uncle John is doing so much better! When he arrived they had him on 100% oxygen, now he is only on 60%. The doctors quit giving him medication of any type in order to revive him, so he could in some way try to communicate with us. I had the privilege of being with Uncle John when he first started communicating to us with his head and eyes! It was so wonderful to ask him questions and get a response from him! We updated him on where he was, how he got there, how Josh was doing, and that he was going to be OK. He understood everything we said. When you look in his eyes, he seems to have a tired, dull gaze that appears as if he is meditating on you and taking you all in. For us, it’s the most beautiful thing! He started "communicating" with us Saturday night at around 9:00 P.M. My dad was with him around 5:00 A.M. this Sunday morning, and he was able to "talk" to Uncle John through pointing out letters of the alphabet and Uncle John nodded “yes” or “no” if that was the letter he wanted. After a long while, my dad and Aunt Bev managed to get the words “what happened” spelled out. They filled in Uncle John on what has happened since the shooting. He got a puzzled look on his face several times during the explanations. I saw the X-rays right across the hall from his room. There are bits and pieces of bullet shells and bones scattered throughout his arm and chest area. I don't think they have found an entire bullet in his body yet. Some speculation but no confirmation. Imagine this: someone takes a walnut and a hammer. They take the hammer and smash the walnut with all their strength. Pieces of the walnut scatter in all directions. That’s what the X-ray of his arm looks like. They have set it, but they won't use pins since Uncle John can't move it. He has feeling from his chest up. He was also feeling some pain so they put him back on some pain killers but no sedatives. Aunt Bev has been in and out of his room (mostly in) ever since he arrived Saturday around noon. Over the course of the night, she has fallen asleep several times next to his bed with her hand on his shoulder. He wants her there. He has made himself very clear on that matter. Jerrod and Aunt Bev just came out from his room. They were able to spell out “head”, which meant his was hurting, and “bullet out” which he was asking whether the bullets had come out or not. The doctors aren't going to do surgery until Uncle John’s vital signs continue to be stable. So far they have been excellent and are improving little by little! PTL! Thank you again for all of your prayers! The kids and Aunt Bev are all doing very well. Josiah