Dear Ones,
 The joy of our 32nd wedding anniversary and youngest daughter Bonnie’s birthday today is overshadowed by a heartbreaking tragedy we are suffering in our beloved Sakha family. You who know our work since 1999 know that Ludmila (our boss and head of the English Department at the Vilyuisk Teacher’s Training College) is a special sister in Christ, an indispensable member of our ministry team, and a choice vessel of God for the propagation of the Gospel to her people in 5 regions.
Four days after Mike and I left for our trek north, Ludmila suffered a severe head injury. Going to the Teacher’s College for their summer banquet, her driver was reckless (driving way too fast for the “road” conditions). He was unable to avoid a deep hole and Ludmila was thrown head-first into the jeep’s interior metal frame. We will not go into all details, except that her skull was fractured in three places with severe internal bleeding. One of the great debacles here is that Russian vehicles are not equipped with seatbelts.
She received two surgeries, and was comatose for several days. She is now out of the coma but her left side is paralyzed and she is speaking very slowly. She remains in critical condition with added issues of high blood pressure and other heart problems. Our tiny “hospital” is dilapidated, and overcrowded. The conditions are appalling and rooms very hot and unsanitary by any standards. We understand she is not able to be transported to the big medical center 500 miles to the south for at least another month.
Vasili and the family are daily caring for her personal needs and food. She has asked that Michael come anoint and pray for her, which he will do as soon as the doctors allow him in. The churches in Vilyuisk and in Suntar have been praying in around-the-clock vigils for our dear sister, and many in the churches and Mike are fasting.
The driver is responsible for her injuries and must reimburse her medications.
The doctors tell us that if Ludmila makes it through the next 3 weeks, she will have a long recovery and rehabilitation. They say that when she can be taken to Yakutsk, they will have to do plastic surgery and put a plastic covering on her head; currently there is only skin where the bones had to be removed to remove the blood clots. They say that she will be in the hospital for 1 to 2 years and will not be able to work.
As soon as we could be contacted, we cancelled the third leg of our summer trek, (the English camp in Verkniviluisk), and returned home to be available to our family. PLEASE pray with us during this critical time. We know that her life and eternity is in our LORD’s sovereign hands. Pray too that God will comfort and strengthen the family here. THANK YOU...
Blessings to you all,
Diane & Michael Meagher
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