Award-winning artist Susan Clark, above, with her first place 2019 Plein Air Paint Out landscape, thought she would participate in the refurbishing of a playground in the Dominican Republic by painting a mural for the children.

1. Compassion International

EDITOR’S NOTE:

The following letter was written and sent by Iberia resident Susan Clark two days after discovering 100 percent blockage in an artery in her heart which required two immediate stints, two more this week. It is her story, followed by Q&A.

Dear Friends,

I am so filled with gratitude for the love and mercy that our Savior Jesus Christ has shown to me that I must shout it out for all who might hear and be encouraged by my message. From May 27-June the 1st, I went on a mission trip to the Dominican Republic with my granddaughter, Emma. I went with many wonderful people who are members of Our Savior’s Church. It was a pleasure to meet all of these people as well as the loving and gracious people of the D.R.

While I was there, we were working with Compassion International that has a mission to free children from poverty. They work through the local churches and treat the whole spectrum of the children’s lives. Their love and support through sponsors for these children have changed the course of this country and many others. During the course of our stay, I began to feel prompted by the Holy Spirit to slow down a bit and not participate in the work outside to paint a playground for one of the church groups.

This was not my own thoughts because art is one of my gifts, but I felt so strongly that I shouldn’t do it that I asked permission to have another task that day. The rest of the mission trip was wonderful and I came home early Sunday morning, the 2nd of June.

Tuesday night I went to play pickleball and I felt some discomfort across my chest and just figured that I was out of breath because I had worn a boot for almost two months on my ankle for a stretched out tendon and had not exercised. The feeling subsided and I was able to play six games.

Wednesday morning I woke up and had some of that feeling again. By 2 o’clock the feeling had not gone away so I took my blood pressure reading and it was higher than usual. I waited until 4 p.m. that afternoon and took it again. It was very high so I called Dr. Buttachi’s office and requested an appointment asap.

The office was closed and the nurse practitioner I spoke with told me that the doctor was double booked and that there were no appointments available. He decided to look anyway, and there was suddenly an appointment at 8 a.m. the next morning.

It was obvious to me God wanted me to take this seriously. I always live healthy and take good care of my body so I didn’t connect this with a heart attack. The N.P. cautioned me to go to the emergency room if I felt worse or if my blood pressure continued to rise. At 9 p.m. that evening I felt so tired that I decided to try to go to sleep. As I lay there the radiating pain across my chest and down my left arm became worse.

My husband David took my pressure again and now it was up to 250 — he immediately said get dressed, we are going to the emergency room. We got there and the team at the Iberia Medical Center began assessing my condition. The preliminary tests didn’t show a heart problem but my symptoms were progressing. They called Dr. Buttachi and he decided that I was indeed in the middle of a heart attack. My heart enzymes were elevated so he used a small camera in the artery of my arm and went exploring into my heart to see the level of damage and then to place two stints into the artery on the back of my heart. He said that this artery was 100 percent blocked. Gratefully, I don’t remember much past the emergency room because David said I was writhing in pain.

God’s wonderful love and peace came and I was not afraid. I never felt panic, just his peace.

I believe if I had had this heart attack (while out of the country) I may not have made it home. I have such gratitude for His protection and mercy for saving my life. It is true that my human heritage caused my heart to fail, but my spiritual heritage in Jesus, overpowered my natural heritage and kept me alive for His purposes.

Please understand that I did nothing to deserve this miracle, it is only the all consuming love of God that did this for one of His people!

I urge you, if you have not already given your life to Jesus, please do not wait. He is waiting for you to declare your love and obedience to Him. It is a choice and all you have to do is ask and He will graciously be there for you. If it has not been clear to you, your Creator loves YOU!

Forgive me for this ‘preaching’ but in the words of our mission’s motto: “I will never be the same.”

An email June 9, 2019

From Susan Clark, New Iberia

Q&A: Susan Clark

What else do you want to say?

I don’t want it misunderstood that I think God sends anything bad, because the God that I know doesn’t send bad things. We who are human and faulty from the beginning cause these things in our own lives to happen and the world in itself is evil. But He can manipulate the time frame so that it works out in our favor. I see that He kept me safe in the Dominican Republic, then I got home where I could be well taken care of.

You got through this and then learned your son, John Warner, has cancer. What about that?

God knew I would speak life into my son and his family, pour into them, encourage them, telling them God, too, has his hand in this and not to fear. God is going to see them through. I can’t promise John isn’t going to die, we’re all going to die, but I can tell you without a doubt in my mind that He will encourage us, give us extraordinary peace. We all have to believe, pull together. I believe God is going to take all of our lives and work it for good. I had my time of falling apart, but it is going to be okay.

“God did not send His Son into the world

to judge and condemn the world,

but to be its Savior and rescue it.¹”

— John 3:17, Passion Translation

(1) John 3:17 in The Aramaic is “so that they shall live by his hand” (of power).