ON MY BROTHER JOEL...

Leaving the house

My youngest brother was born Caesarean Section....that’s why whenever he leaves the house he goes out through a window instead of the door! It’s just a habit that he was born with!

His name is Joel.  He had the biggest cheeks you ever did see.  What a cutie he was. I didn’t have the opportunity to grow up with Joel since I was already married and gone from the house. It so happened that he was born just six months before our oldest daughter Estelle was born. Joel is now 32.

Joel seemed to have a rough beginning in life. On the night Mom went into labor, dad and I were at the Married Couples Retreat in Fredericton. Dad was one of the speakers so he felt he should go. Esther was in Bathurst with mom. Dad had left his car at home and we went in ours.

That evening everything seemed normal and while mom was talking to Shirley Lewis on the phone, in the course of conversation mom calmly said to Shirley, “I think I’ll be going to the hospital tonight.” Then just a few seconds later said, “Oops, my water just broke, I guess I should be going.” Esther heard what mom had just said and went into high gear trying to get mom off the phone and ready to go!  Mom wasn’t too concerned, in fact she asked Esther to do a load of laundry. Esther threw the clothes in and set the washer to “short load” and then when it just started the wash cycle she jumped it ahead to spin! Esther says, mom just took her good ole time. Finally they got into the car. It was the end of February so there was a lot of snow to contend with. It was the first time Esther had driven dads car, plus she had no idea how to get to the hospital so mom was giving her directions as they went. Every so often mom would grip the door handle really tight, either having a contraction or tense with Esther's driving...we're not sure which. When they got close to the hospital mom said, "Turn here!" But it was the wrong street. Esther got the car turned around and just as she pulled back onto the main street a car was passing in their lane straight toward them. They had nowhere to go because of the high snow banks. Esther said she just closed her eyes, and said, “OH LORD HELP US!” She just knew that there would surely be a head on collision!

Mom didn’t know at the time that Esther was three months pregnant herself expecting our first child, Estelle. There were four in the car! Not just mom and Esther! When she opened her eyes the other car had miraculously passed around them and all was well. They arrived at the hospital and mom was in labor for many hours. Dad arrived from Fredericton before Joel was born and since mom had been in labor for so long the Doctor decided mom would have to have a C-section and said, "We only have four minutes to get this child out!" Joel was born on February 29^th.  A leap-year baby!

At the age of one Joel was playing and somehow got his hands on a large diaper pin that was OPEN and got it into his mouth and swallowed it! He began choking and dad and mom rushed him to the emergency. The X-ray showed that the diaper pin was located part way down his throat, open in a V position with the needle end pointing upward. They explained to dad that there was nothing they could do for Joel in Bathurst and that they would have to rush him to the Hospital in Moncton two and a half hours away. 

Joel, Misty, Gracie, Ava

Dad immediately ran out of the hospital and jumped into the car and took off toward Moncton before the Ambulance left. Dad told us how that he was driving extremely fast down through Harcourt, sometimes burying the needle! Just then he looked in the rear view mirror and here came the lights and siren of the Ambulance literally flying! It passed him like he was sitting still! They rushed Joel into Emergency. Somehow they were able to get the diaperpin out by pushing it all the way down into his stomach, turning it around and pulling it back up through his throat! He recovered fine. Thank God!

Ava and Gracie

Then there was the time the family were at a place where Joel was swimming in a pool and the next thing they knew, there was Joel floating face down struggling to get his head out of the water. Dad quickly rushed to his rescue pulling him out of the water by the scruff of his neck! Another close call! Joel was only five!(see correction below)

I could go on telling about his terrifying situations like his trip home to Oklahoma just a couple years ago when his wife Misty had to rush him into Emergency with severe bleeding ulcers! He was one sick boy!

I think you get the picture. This boy’s life has been spared several times for which we thank God! He has an incredible ministry as he connects with people, preaching the Word of God, in a most extraordinary way! He is definitely an extension of our dad’s Children’s Ministries ability. Joel assists at John and Jody's church in Lone Grove, Oklahoma. He carries a wonderful testimony of God’s protection! He and his wife Misty, have two beautiful daughters, Ava and Gracie! We thank God for this wonderful family!!

Joel just getting home!

Well, I guess I better sign off for now because it looks like Joel just got home!   SRR




STORY CORRECTION BY MOM ABOUT THE NEAR DROWNING: 
Mom says:  I was cooking at the camp site. Dad was talking to Grampie. All of a sudden I said to dad you should go check on the boys. And he started talking again with Grampie. I said in a more firmer voice Ray I feel like you should go right now so he got up and went down. Jo'el was at the bottom of the pool and dad jumped in and grabbed his hair and pulled him up. There were bubbles coming from his mouth while he was under the water. Dad asked Jo'el later were you trying to say something under water, Jo'el said I was trying to say help me! 
Jo'el was standing on the edge of the pool. Randy went down the slide with his arms opened up wide - and by mistake his arm caught Jo'el and swept him out into the pool. And of course Jo'el couldn't swim. It must have been at that instant that I felt Ray should go now and check on the boys. Ray told me later the boys didn't even know Jo'el was in the water. Jo'el threw up a lot of water! It was a miracle!!