'A Miracle Testimony to the Whole World': Prayer Still Key as Bethel Leader's Kids Battle E. Coli
The leader of the Bethel worship ministry whose son and daughter have been fighting the same dangerous E. Coli infection in the hospital says they're doing a little better but aren't out of the woods yet.
Joel Taylor posted a new photo and an update on his Instagram account Saturday of his two-year-old son Jaxon and himself looking at a laptop computer.
"In the last 24 hours Jaxon peed three times, ate all of his meals (and kept it down!), took several steps, and slept through the entire night," Taylor wrote. "Miracles don’t always look exactly like you want them to. God’s timing often doesn’t make sense until you look back to see that mountains were climbed and canyons were crossed on no strength of your own. And in that place, when God becomes your only option, you learn that it’s a gift that will mark you forever. Every moment with this boy is a treasure I’ll never take for granted again. I’ve been laying by his side this afternoon just staring at him, full of joy that I get to watch him grow up and fulfill his destiny."
Earlier in the week, Taylor posted a video of Jaxon and daughter Addie laughing, giggling, and chatting away in their hospital bed.
"Addie's feeling MUCH better and slept through the whole night with a dry diaper. She still has a stomach bug but God's turning that around. Today Jax ate a lot (and held it down), he painted, he played with Play Doh, he blew bubbles, and watched Blippi (his favorite show) and laughed the whole time," Taylor wrote in the Instagram post. "Now his kidneys need to keep healing...and he needs to pee, in Jesus name Pee! Please keep praying until he's sent home."
Taylor's cheerful update follows weeks of urgent pleas for prayer for Jaxon, who first fell ill with the aggressive infection. According to a website set up on the family's behalf, the Taylors' 2- year-old son, Jaxon, has been hospitalized since December 21.
It all started with what seemed like just a bad case of diarrhea, but Jaxon's illness quickly deteriorated.
"Jax was admitted first for dehydration because he had terrible diarrhea," Taylor's wife Janie told CBN News. "We quickly realized his kidneys were shutting down."
Jaxon has had to undergo numerous blood transfusions and go on dialysis.
“We’ve seen his lungs fill up with water, repertory issues. We went through a season where brain damage was a high potential. Seizures were happening. His eyes were rolling in the back of his head for a couple of days. We completely lost all communication with his where he wasn’t responding for days,” Joel added.
"About 11 o 12 days into it he started to see some improvement. We're happy that he is seeing some improvement now but we still need his kidneys to start kicking in. We're still waiting on those kidneys," she added.
The couple shocked the world days after Jaxon was admitted when they announced Addie had also been struck by the same dangerous infection.
"We just found out that Addie, our four-year old baby-girl, has the same strand of ecoli as Jaxon and needs to be admitted to the hospital immediately. Please pray that this doesn't turn into HUS, which is what Jaxon is fighting for his life. God be our strength," Joel posted on Instagram.
He had just reported Monday that they were starting to see some progress in Jaxon, but he's is still serious danger and now they're praying little Addie's condition doesn't escalate like Jaxson's did.
"Both of our baby's are on IV at UC Davis now. Thank you church for all of your prayers, keep praying. Pray that Addie's Ecoli doesn't turn into HUS like it did with Jax. And pray Jax continues to heal. His promises never fail!" Taylor declared on Instagram.
Taylor says he feels the world praying for his children.
"We're trusting God and we're praying. We're feeling prayers from all around the world. There's really nothing like it. Hundreds of thousands of people have been praying for us and we don't know how because we don't even have that many friends. God's using this as a miracle testimony to the whole world, we feel. So we're just staying strong in our faith. We've never lost our trust in God."
Here is the latest declaration and prayer request list for Jaxon from their GoFundMe page:
-Today will be a day of breakthrough for you Jaxon.
-I declare that your destiny is bound to your spirit, your soul and body, and that no weapon formed against you will prosper. Your future was crafted in the image of the invincible God and it can not be thwarted.
-Today the bleeding in your stomach will stop.
-Today your vomiting will stop, and your gut will be made new.
-Today your kidneys will start to function, and by tomorrow you will be peeing again.
-Jaxon you have the mind of Christ, and your brain will function in perfect harmony with itself and with the rest of your body. There will be no damage in your brain.
-Today your respiratory system will function and will be restored.
-I declare that all fluid will leave your lungs.
-God, thank you for a perfect catheter and central line and that they're staying in his veins with no infections.
-God, thank you for ending the intense pain and giving Jaxon perfect rest.
-We release rest, supernatural energy, grace and peace over Joel and Janie. Let them feel the nearness of your presence.
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