Voddie Baucham is also very sick , pray for him as well

Voddie Baucham Ministries
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Prayer for Heart Failure...
Allow me to clear up some confusion. I sent out a newsletter earlier that was subsequently shared on a number is Social Media platforms. Some of them provided links for donation. My newsletter, however, did not. This is not a VBM issue, but a personal one and anyone wanting to help needs to know that. For now, we are 1) soliciting prayers, and 2) trying to get ahead of rumors. Here is the content of the newsletter:
Brethren, if you have ever considered supporting us in prayer, please do so now. We are walking through the darkest valley we have ever faced. Not only have we experienced a great deal of loss in recent weeks, but we are also facing a family health crisis.
At the end of my Winter Preaching Tour, I felt unwell. I thought I had just worked too hard (17 preaching dates in 18 days, 7 sessions the last 3 days, etc.). However, as it turns out, I was experiencing heart failure!
I had first noticed the symptoms at the end of December when Bridget and I returned to Dallas to bury her mother. I experienced fatigue, and shortness of breath, among other things. However, I chalked it up to traveling with heavy bags and restrictive masks (not the trifecta of a hereditary heart defect, last February's mysterious "pneumonia," and untreated sleep apnea).
Six days after bringing Bridget back to Lusaka, I turned around and embarked on what ended up being the busiest tour I've ever done. On the way home, there were stretches when I felt what I could only describe as being waterboarded every two or three minutes. That night, upon arriving in Lusaka, I contacted our family doctor. The next morning I was at a medical center doing a series of labs and tests that revealed the worst. I was experiencing full-blown heart failure.
As I write this update, Bridget and I are making arrangements to fly back to the USA, where I will undergo a series of labs, exams, and treatments. Some of those will be significant. Hence, the call to prayer and plea for help.
1 Please pray that the Lord will grant us traveling mercies.
2 Please pray that he will grant me strength for the journey. Right now, it is challenging just walking from the bedroom to the kitchen table; I don't know how I am going to survive a 36-hour trip.*
3 Please pray for God's providential healing.
4 Please pray for my dear wife as she walks through yet another valley””this time with her 'rock' leaning on her.
5 Please pray for our children. They are terrified. May the Lord use this to teach them to trust in the Father who never gets weak or sick.
6 Please pray for the doctors who will treat me.
7 Please pray for finances to come through as we are currently uninsured and will have to cover everything out-of-pocket.
8 Please pray for our witness as we endure this trial. We often think our faith shines brightest when we are on mountain tops when in fact, it is the dark valley that offers the sharpest relief and clearest contours.
9 Please pray for me as I strive to lead my family while facing the reality of my own dependence.
*Update: On yesterday (Thursday), things took a turn for the worse, and I had to be admitted for treatment to stabilize me for our upcoming trip. By God's grace, things have improved, and we are clear to travel on Saturday.

Praying for him as well. I didn’t remember him being shared on this site. Sorry for the oversight.

hi mama27 paul washer and voddie preached at the g3 conference 2017 I think, he may be on those conference videos in the archive, I think that was held in john MacArthur fellowship, hes a reformed baptist as far as I know

Guess I should have known. They’re all my favorites.....

Does anyone know where to find updates on Voddie’s health? Would someone be willing to post them here so we can continue to pray?

There have been a couple updates on his twitter account.

On the 14th he posted:

The Journey Continues...

After spending the night in Joburg due to a cancellation, we are back at it today. We go from here to Doha tonight. Bridget and I are overwhelmed by the encouragement and support we continue to receive. But the struggle is real, in more ways than one.

I hate being the guy pushed around in a wheelchair. What I hate even more is the pride that the Lord is revealing. I have always been bigger than most... stronger than most... but now I can’t walk through the airport under my own steam. I was ‘the voice’ of the Genesis3D movie, but now holding conversations can be a challenge.

The Lord is reminding me once again, "But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us.” (2 Corinthians 4:7 ESV)

I want my strength back. I want my stamina back. I want my voice back. I want my healthy heart back. But what I want more is to be content when I don’t have those things, knowing that "godliness with contentment is great gain.” (1 Timothy 6:6 ESV)

So when you look at this pic, pray for the guy in the wheelchair... and don’t just pray that he gets up.

And then early yesterday, the 15th:

UPDATE:

As I write this, we are about two hours from landing at DFW (our penultimate stop). The journey has been long, but God has been gracious. Because we have WiFi on the flight we have been in constant contact with our doctor in Lusaka and others in the U.S., all of whom are monitoring my vitals and how I’m tolerating the journey.

We have also been able to watch as our needs have been met in abundance! We praise God for his faithfulness in providing. We are indebted to Tom Ascol and @foundersministries for not only setting up the GoFundMe (link in bio), but for doing the legwork (with the help of medical advisors familiar with my case) to even get an idea of what the financial needs may be.

We are also grateful to our partners at @meigiving who have been a constant help and guide over the past several years of our work in Lusaka, and who have stepped up big time as gifts came in through them as well.

Finally, we want to thank the people of God whose prayers, words of encouragement, financial support, and offers of other forms of help have been nothing less than overwhelming.

This is not over by a long shot. In fact, in many ways we have only just begun. I will say more later about the ‘team’ the Lord has gathered around us to guide us through this process. But for now, know that we are in good hands.

At the end of the Joburg to Doha leg of the journey, I wasn’t doing well. We almost had to change plans. However, that wasn’t the point. The point was, as we were worrying about how we would pay for this, how/when we bring the kids, etc., the Lord reminded us, "Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.” (Matthew 6:34 ESV)

So for now, we just rejoice in getting through today’s trouble.

Bless you, Shmily.. Would you be able to keep posting about him here if you have the time?

Feb 16 Update:

Stuck in Dallas last night as our final flight was cancelled. Stayed with family and there was only power from about 2-3AM. Then power came today for two hours.

We have made a pivot in our plans as our flight was canceled again today. There’s a flight from DFW to Jacksonville, FL tonight and, Lord willing, we will be on it. Then we will start our journey with the team at the Mayo Clinic.

Pray the weather holds up. Pray our strength holds up. Pray my dear wife holds up! Pray our faith holds up. Pray we don’t waste these trials, but learn from them.

Feb 17 from the gofundme site

Update on Voddie:

As he mentioned yesterday, his plans changed & he & Bridge flew directly to the Mayo Clinic in FL last night. He is there now. Please continue to pray for him, Bridget, the doctors & others attending him.

Feb 18 from his twitter:

Health Update:

The Lord saw fit to open a door at the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, FL. But before I could get to my appointment, things took a turn for the worse. I ended up in the ER, and was subsequently admitted.

Someday, I’ll tell the whole story of how the Lord shepherded us here, but for now, I’ll just say we are grateful to be where we are.

Up to this point we have been playing defense (i.e. don’t die!). Now we go on offense (find the problem and fix it).

Thank you for praying and for your words of encouragement. This journey is a long way from over, but we are grateful for every step.

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places,” (Ephesians 1:3 ESV)

Oh pray, Saints, PRAY!!

Praying

Today's - Feb 20 - twitter posting

The Hits Just Keep On Comin’

Between the canceled flights, the storms, the delays, and the switch from Jackson to Jacksonville, @americanair lost our luggage. Not just any luggage; four @saddlebackbags 😩 (one bag was inside another). Three of the bags were gifts from GfBC when we moved to Lusaka. The other was a birthday gift.

So now Bridget is having to pick up clothes and toiletries to tide us over. Meanwhile, I am trying to navigate the @mayoclinic treatment plan for my heart (praise the Lord for a team and a plan!), while attempting to tackle a stack of forms, endless phone calls, and buck-passing from @americanair .

All this while connected to a heart monitor that alerts me (and the nurses) when I get "a tad impatient” with the @americanair luggage representatives. 😜

Ah, the lessons the Lord is teaching me these days...

Gives a whole new meaning to, "Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all.” (Matthew 6:31”“32 ESV)

Feb 21 twitter update:

We. Have. Luggage...

@americanair found our @saddlebackbags and delivered them. Praise the Lord for a burden lifted!

On the health front, I am still at the @mayoclinic and receiving care from some of the top doctors in the world in the field of heart failure.

My condition is much improved, and we have a clear, aggressive, and promising treatment plan. Bridget and I continue to marvel at the Lord’s providence and rejoice in his goodness. According to the doctor that brought me in (actually, his wife picked us up and rushed us to the E.D., but that's another story for another time), I was in the final stages of a catastrophic event, and within an hour or so of death.

When we look back at the amazing work of the missionary doctor in Lusaka who stabilized me (and saved my life), the GoFundMe, canceled flights, weather delays, my vitals during the Joburg to Doha flight, a last-minute itinerary change to Jacksonville, and the fact that Mayo was expecting and waiting for me upon arrival (including the paramedic who checked me in and said, "I’m trying not to go all fan-girl right now,” 😂 it is impossible to deny the hand of our Sovereign God and the way he shepherded us.

There is much more I could say and a great deal more work to be done, but we are resting and rejoicing in God’s goodness. Even in the ‘little’ things... Like finally getting our bags! Especially when we realize that, if we had waited and taken the same journey our bags did (our original itinerary), we would not have made it to Mayo in time.

Feb 24 Update from twitter:

UPDATE

The last week has been filled with ups and downs. However, everything has been moving forward towards a procedure that could not only repair my heart, but also give it a chance to ‘remodel.’

That procedure is scheduled for tomorrow at 11:00! To quote one of my doctors, "Tomorrow, the home takes the field and goes on offense.”

Please pray for the @mayoclinic team that will do the work. Please pray for my dear wife. She has had to watch me go through one traumatic event after another, including two cardiac events this week that set off alarms and brought the entire staff running into my room to intervene (crash cart and all!).

Tomorrow, I will be asleep (under anesthesia), but Bridget will have to spend several hours waiting for news. Pray that the Lord will make his presence known to her and grant her peace. Pray for our children, both here and back in Lusaka. Pray the Lord uses this to call them to himself and teach them to trust him. Pray the Lord grants healing and restoration. Pray that the Lord brings glory to his name through it all.

Feb 25 update from the gofundme site:

Update on Voddie Baucham. The procedure went well. He is resting. Thank you for praying. Continue to pray for him, Bridget and their family as he recuperates.

Feb 26 from gofundme:

posted by Tom Ascol

Update from Voddie Baucham:

We thank God for a very successful surgical procedure yesterday. Everything went perfectly, and, Lord willing, I should make a full recovery.

They suspect that the heart failure was induced by an arrhythmia (actually two). This is good news because the procedure I underwent is designed to eliminate such arrhythmias, this allowing my heart to recover and remodel. In other words, I am not expected to stay on the heart failure track (which ultimately leads to transplant) but regain full heart health.

Of course, time will tell if they fixed it all, and I will be monitored closely for the next few months. But we are hopeful.

April 5 posted on Facebook by Tom Ascol

Many have understandably asked what is going on with Voddie Baucham Jr's health. The last few months have been a whirlwind of discovery, trial, & treatment of serious heart problems. God's kindness has been clearly displayed in each step, sometimes dramatically so. Last week he, Bridget, and their children expected him to be released from the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, FL. When he went for what he expected to be a final test, new problems were discovered that require open heart surgery. That surgery is scheduled for today, April 5 at 2:30PM Eastern. He and Bridget are full of faith & hope, although still processing this unanticipated trial & the all change in plans it now necessitates. Pray for him, his surgeon & medical team as our brother walks this path, remembering that our God - the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ whom Voddie has faithfully preached for 3 decades - is the God who raises the dead and nothing is too difficult for Him. As I am able & with appropriate respect for Voddie and Bridget's privacy, I will provide an update after surgery.

April 6 Tom Ascol posted on facebook:

Quick update on Voddie Baucham Jr. He came through quad bypass surgery well late last night; had a good night; has been awake & responsive. Next 24-36 hours are crucial. Thank you for praying. He has a long road of recovery ahead. Praise God for His mercies on display.

April 13 Tom Ascol posted:

Update on Voddie Baucham Jr. Voddie has been released from the Mayo Clinic and has reunited with his family. He has a long road of recovery in front of him but is full of faith and determined to do the work to get back to the gospel ministry he loves. Keep praying!