EMERGENCY APPEAL for a MISSIONARY

Krista Prince, a missionary in Swaziland, has been keeping me up-to-date about another missionary, Mitch Hildrebrandt, and the extreme medical situation going on with him. Today, she posted this:

EMERGENCY APPEAL for Mitch Hildebrant

If you've been around Children's Cup much, you know we don't use language like this very often at all. But we have a crisis and we need your help.

Children's Cup Swaziland Director Mitch Hildebrant has been in the hospital in Africa for seven weeks, with a projected six more weeks to go. He is battling complications following a surgery in his intestine.

Here's a short version of why Mitch is in the hospital in Africa:

A little over seven weeks ago, he had an emergency appendectomy in Swaziland, during which the doctors discovered a problem in his intestine. They successfully removed the affected portion of his intestine, but over the following days, a leak developed in Mitch's intestine, creating a very dangerous situation. Mitch was rushed to South Africa where a higher level of care is available
 

After several emergency surgeries and procedures, Mitch is stable, on a feeding tube and various other supports, and is being observed closely through a very slow recovery process that so far has been laden with setbacks.

We have been in consultation with several medical professionals in the USA and their consensus is that Mitch is receiving a very high level of care in South Africa, and that relocating him to the USA in his current condition would not be worth the potential risks involved.

Children's Cup is committed to stand with Mitch and Char through this. We are doing all we can to help them financially, but the truth is that we don't have a solution on our own. But we do have you, and we're praying that God has already put some of you in a position where you'll be able to help. Right now in ICU, every day that passes is another $5,000 in expenses.

Every Children's Cup missionary has medical insurance, but due to the extremity of Mitch's situation, they have exceeded their insurance's cap. In Africa, that means it is now a pay-as-you-go system, meaning that if the bills aren't paid as we go, he will be discharged.
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The only way to avoid that is for us to raise a lot of funds very quickly (doctors estimate the total needed will be more than $200,000). Will you pray for Mitch and give what you can to help today? Thank you for engaging this challenge. We know that God will be glorified through it all if we'll simply do what he asks us to do.

You can give online at http://childrenscup.org/give-now and choose "EMERGENCY MEDICAL FUND" from the list. That is the quickest way to help, but if you prefer to send a check, you can send one to:
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Children's Cup

P.O. Box 400

Prairieville, LA 70769
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and make sure it is tagged "EMERGENCY MEDICAL FUND."
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WE NEED YOU TO GIVE TODAY
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Mitch and his wife Char carry a high level of responsibility and have excelled in their roles with Children's Cup. But as you might imagine, these are challenging times for Mitch and Char. Their faith is strong, but the challenge is tremendous.

When you help with this need, you're helping us to keep giving hope to them and to many more.
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Thank you for doing what you can!
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For updates on Mitch, stay tuned here on our facebook page and be sure to post some encouragement on their facebook wall, too. (http://facebook.com/mitchchar)

Let's stand together on the truth that with God nothing is impossible as we uphold Mitch and Char. Pray for healing, for wisdom for the doctors and everyone involved. Pray for peace and strength for both Mitch and Char. And pray for God's glory and presence to fill their lives like never before.

Thank you in Jesus' name.
Krista Prince

To read more about the Hildrebrandt's ministry in Swaziland and to keep up with news regarding Mitch's medical condition, you can visit their blog:   http://mitchionary.blogspot.com/