Isaac went home

Friday, November 4th, 2005
Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia

Dear Family and Friends,

On Thursday, November 3, in flight with both Mom and Dad on their way to Seoul, Korea, Isaac apparently had a brain hemorrhage and peacefully slipped into unconsciousness. On November 4th, 1:30 PM, Isaac was pronounced dead at the Yonsei hospital in Seoul, Korea.

As my family and I look back over the past days and weeks, we feel that we did everything we could for Isaac in this time. His case has been evaluated by a number of skilled Korean and American doctors working in Mongolia, with additional consultation from doctors in America.

Detailed medical records, x-rays, photographs, blood tests and physical examinations failed to pinpoint the cause of the lingering infection that began in Isaac’s left leg a month ago. At the end it seemed that some type of aggressive blood disease like leukemia rapidly swept through his body.

Although he was on a plane to Korea within minutes of confirming his high blood counts, his condition deteriorated so fast that he only survived the first hour of the flight. My parents were both able to be with him during the flight, and accompanied him in the ambulance to the hospital where life support was continued.

The CAT scan taken immediately upon arrival showed the brain hemorrhage and no brain activity. Korean law prohibits removing life support from a patient, even after all brain activity has ceased, so the respirator was continued until all bodily functions had ceased on the following day.

All of the children were back in Ulaanbaatar, waiting for the news of Isaac’s arrival in Seoul. We were awakened by a phone call from my parents at 1:30 AM, and they gave us the news that Isaac is in heaven.

Derrick, Rachelle, David, Sarah and I had a tearful time of sharing and praying together, and then we went back to our rooms to try to rest until morning.

At 6:00 AM, we woke the younger children, and gathering everyone together, we shared the news with them. Again there were many tears as the full realization slowly began to set in. We are so grateful for the comfort of knowing that Isaac is with Jesus, but we will still miss him.

The love of our Christian friends here has been overwhelming. Many have come to spend time with us and share words of comfort. People are bringing meals, taking the younger ones outside to play, and helping in any way that they can.

Mom and Dad were able to be with Isaac through this whole time, and are making preparations to return to Mongolia with Isaac’s body. At this point Mom and Dad feel it would be best to hold a funeral here on Wednesday, and to hold a State-side memorial service at a future date.

Korean friends and missionaries here have put Mom and Dad in touch with some Christian families in Seoul, and these new friends are providing meals, housing and a cell phone for Mom and Dad to use during their stay. They are currently planning to fly back to Mongolia tomorrow afternoon, and then we will all be together again.

God has given us much comfort in this time through His Word and Christian friends here, and while we deeply feel the loss of Isaac, we know that God has a plan and purpose through all of this. Sometime later I would like to share about some of the things we see God doing through this experience.

Please continue to pray for us in this time. There are so many details to work out, decisions to make, and the need to spend time with each other. Many of us are physically and emotionally weary, but God is giving the strength to go on.

May God bless each one of you, and I will try to keep you posted as things move forward.

In Christ,

– Adam

Adam Waller ~ MyAllForChrist@CadLinx.com

“And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.” – Galatians 6:9

A family picture at Sarah’s birthday on October 15th. Isaac is in the back row, second from right.