I'd like to tell you a couple of things about The Rev. Canon William A. Hio that weren't mentioned at the wonderful funeral mass last Saturday. I wonder how many people know that Fr. Hio played a very significant role in the return of Healing Prayer to America and the Episcopal Church specifically? I believe the American Healing Prayer revival was begun by Dennis Bennett and his wife. Dennis was a very good friend of Bill Hio's, who served as a mentor for him. Dennis would stay at Fr. Hio and Akemi's home when he was in the area. I know this because Fr. Hio told me about his friendship with Dennis, when I talked to Fr. about my interest in Healing Prayer.

Here's another little known tidbit. When Fr. Hio was a little boy, G.K. Chesterton was often a dinner guest in his mother's home. Can you imagine? No wonder Fr. Hio became such a spiritual giant. Eternal rest grant to him O Lord.

I knew that Fr. Hio had railed against women's ordination. I was told at his funeral that he didn't even allow women on he altar! As God is my witness, Fr. Hio was my sponsoring priest for ordination!!!!!! I guess you could say that he "acquiesed." (in the words of Dan Herzog)

An update on my life: I have recently moved to Gloversville, into a lovely apartment. Me and my 3 furry kids;Taz, Mindy and Kit. Mindy came from the Town of Minden, Taz and Kit came pre-named. A friend, who was even sicker than I was last year from brain aneurysms, had to move to be closer to her daughter. She could not bring her beloved cats with her. I had to say that I would take them. They I wonderful companions. I'm glad that they are with me. Taz is laying at my side as I blog away.

Please pray with me and for me that my strength will continue to increase so that I can begin supply work. I greatly miss saying the Mass and distributing the Sacraments. Thank you for your continued prayers. They mean more than mere words can convey! May God richly bless you and your loved ones.

Deja Vu

In August 2008 I was in a very similar situation to Fr. Nigel. I was admitted to Albany Medical Center because of Crohn's Disease. However, a couple of days later, I ended up in ICU on a ventilator with pneumocystic carni pneumonia. PCP is a deadly disease. You may remember that it killed many AIDS victims. I too was placed in a medically induced coma for about a month. I'm not posting this for sympathy. Rather, it is my heart's desire to give all glory to God. I want to tell you what the Lord God brought me through and why. I hope that my story of resurrection will strengthen your faith and lift up your hearts; especially as we all pray for Fr. Nigel's restoration to health. I died and was given the blessing of being with Jesus in heaven. I pray that Nigel is given this grace as well. My lungs were so filled with fluid that I literally was drowning and suffocating to death. 100% oxygen blew out my right lung, so that I had to have 2 chest tubes. I pray that this does not happen to Nigel. When I went to heaven, Jesus told me that it wasn't my time to come home, but He knew that I was in tremendous pain and was exhausted. He told me that if I wanted to stay with Him I could, but there was more that He wanted to do through my ministry as a priest. He also told me that dying would not hurt, but I would gently slip into His waiting, loving arms. As Jesus was saying all this to me, in a voice which cannot be adequately described as lyrical or a bubbling brook, I heard my daughter's voice say, "Mommy don't die." I told the Lord that I needed to go back to earth for my family and my sheep. When I awoke, there was an angel standing at the foot of my bed, with his sword brandished. I don't know how I knew it was an angel, because I had never seen one before. He was terrifyingly beautiful; very tall and sparkled with a very bright light. He told me that he was Michael the Archangel. I was very moved and said, " The defender of Israel has come to my bedside to protect me!" He told me that Satan wanted my life, but the Lord sent him to protect me. I have prayed that the Lord would send St. Michael to protect Nigel as well. I strongly feel in my spirit that Fr. Nigel is experiencing a spiritual battle. We must use every weapon at our command; especially the Armor of God (Eph 6:13-18). We know that we have the victory through Christ Jesus. Maybe God is trying to wake us up, by allowing the shocking situation of Fr. Nigel's critical illness. I confess that I have not done what the Lord told me He wanted me to do when he allowed me to live. I'm supposed to write a book entitled: Pray Without Ceasing. The purpose is to tell my story and bring Him all the glory. I'll tell you, briefly, what happened; being in a coma for a month was just the beginning. I spent a total of 11 weeks at Albany Med. 4 of those were in the rehabilitation unit, because I had not gotten out of bed for 7 weeks! In a nutshell I had (in no particular order) numerous petit mal seizures, which led to grand mal seizures, which put me back in ICU and on a ventilator. During 1 seizure I had a heart attack and a stroke. They also discovered that I had a blood clot, after doing a cardiac catheterization, which my doctors thought could kill me. My brain had been so starved of oxygen, as I had 3 types of pneumonia, that I had brain damage and memory loss. At one point I couldn't move or speak. I was fed by a gastric tube, had multiple IV's and arterial lines. At one point my doctors told my family that they had done all they could do. All that was left to do was to pray and to be patient. There was a point where I suffered from sepsis-a systemic infection which is usually fatal. I had 40 liters of fluid which had to be drawn out of my body. I felt 2 things very strongly. One is that Jesus was holding me and making sure that I wouldn't drown. The second is that everyone's prayers literally lifted me up. I know that I didn't levitate from my bed. I don't know how to explain it. Maybe it's what's meant by being raised up on eagle's wings. OK enough drama, even though it's all true! The main point is that the Great Physician brought me through fatal illnesses and incidents. I know that He can and will do the same for Nigel, in His will. So why did I have to experience all this? I don't know if this applies to Nigel or not. I had to be taught that His grace is sufficient. I had driven myself to exhaustion by trying to be all things to all people. I sincerely thought that I was ministering to my congregation, coworkers, family and friends through the power of the Holy Spirit. However, I was really ministering in my own strength. The Lord told me that He allowed Satan to bring me to the end of myself in order for me to totally experience His (God's) provision. He wanted me to learn the lesson of surrendering myself totally and completely to Him. I thought that I had, but it is clear now that before my illness I hadn't. It also became clear that the good that I thought I was doing had become the enemy of the best that God wanted to do through me. Well there's much more to say, but not tonight. This is my first blog ever! I probably droned on far too long!!!!!!!
God Bless