Missionary Emma Geswein

Monthly Update

Nahom Abenezer Bekabil was born at 10:20 AM on March 20, 2023.
Nahom means "God's comfort". We are so in love!

After delivery, Nahom was taken into the NICU to be monitored for what was going on in his brain. Thanks to God he was stable other than having an IV with some fluids to get his blood sugar up. The next day he was transported to Dayton Children’s Hospital NICU to be closely followed by neurosurgeons. The ventricles in his brain were still enlarged with too much fluid and they found that he had hemorrhaged in the womb so there were blood clots. But there wasn't too much pressure building up, so there wasn’t a need to do surgery yet. After being there for a week, he was released because he had remained stable.

We have had weekly or biweekly follow ups since his birth, getting MRIs to check what’s going on in his brain. He ended up having surgery scheduled for May 4 to get a shunt placed, but the day before, the MRI showed that the surgery wasn’t necessary yet. The problem seemed to be improving slightly. His case is quite complex and there’s no exact answer of how to fix it. We are trusting that God is healing him. As of now he remains stable, but we are still on the lookout for any signs of pressure. We still don’t know if surgery will be needed.

We have been incredibly blessed with amazing doctors and God has provided care for our son that wouldn’t have been available in Ethiopia. Because of what they’ve found, the neurosurgeon wants to follow him closely for at least the first year of life. While we had planned to fly back to Ethiopia in July, needing this care for our son means that we will not be able to return to Ethiopia. I will continue working with Be There Ministries in the states. This whole situation has been a whirlwind of emotions and it’s difficult to not know what's going to happen with our baby. It's also been very hard to know that I won’t see the people I was working with again anytime soon. But I am grateful that I still have a connection to where I can work with them from across the world.

"but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint."

Isaiah 40:31

I want to thank everyone who has prayed for us and our baby boy. Thank you to those who have reached out to see how we're doing. Thank you to those who sent gifts of support while we were in the NICU. Especially, I'm so grateful for my faithful partners who have and continue to support me. Thank you for sticking with me even through the ups and downs, when plans change unexpectedly. You are a tremendous blessing in my life.