Off the Cuff

Titus is discharged!

Sat, 10 May 2008 22:58:28 -0400

Thank you all for your constant prayers for our family and especially Titus. God has answered above and beyond. This afternoon we received the call that Titus was to be discharged this evening instead of Monday. They still do not know what caused the entire ordeal and all of the tests came back negative. The only thing that we can think of is that the cold which swept though our family also infected Titus. Whereas everyone else’s bodies were able to fight it, Titus’ was not and sequentially succumbed to it. It is similar as to how most people are able to come down with the flu and be alright whereas to others (such as elderly and young children) the flu is a life-threatening illness. The doctor said that Titus has exceeded their expectations for recovery and was ready to be back home with his mom and dad. He is doing very well, as you will be able to see from the photos. He is a able to breathe well, hold his own body temperature, and is eating 2-3 times what the doctors expected him to be able to hold down after such an ordeal. Having Titus come home is the best birthday gift I could have gotten.

I cannot thank you all enough for your prayers, support, and letters that you have sent to us. It is through you and your prayers that we were able to bear up under this trial.

May 9th - Kovach Ministries Baby Update

Fri, 09 May 2008 01:09:06 -0400

Day 3

Thank you all so very much for your prayers for our family and especially for Titus. Today, Titus crossed three more milestones. At 11:30am the doctors felt Titus had made enough progress in order to remove his ventilator tube. During the night he did not have any periods of respiratory cessation. There were times where his respiratory rate dropped, but this was due to the excessive amount of secretions in his lungs. When this happens, the doctors have been able to successfully suction his lungs clean and Titus’ breathing returns to normal. The second milestone is in regards to his body temperature. He is now able to once again maintain his own body temperature without the assistance of a heat lamp and is regaining his normal pinkish color. He is now able to simply be swaddled as a baby normally would be. Finally, Titus is off of the IV’s and is able to eat normally again. Tonight Ashley was able to nurse Titus for a full feeding. He was able to eat about 2 ounces. His appetite is back and in full swing!

The doctors still are not sure as to what initially brought about this incident. All of the lab tests for bacterial infections came back negative as did the viral tests which they ran. The possibility of any form of cancer was also ruled out. With that being said, the doctors are very pleased with the rate of his recovery. He will continue to remain in isolation in the Natal Intensive Care Unit until he is released, but it would appear that the worst is behind us and now we can look forward toward recovery.

Please continue to pray for him as he strives to regain weight he lost through this ordeal. Being a preemie, he did not have much weight to lose to begin with.

From the Photos, you will be able to see how much better he looks. We praise the Lord for his recovery and again thank you all for how you have been upholding and how you will continue to uphold both Titus and the rest of our family before the throne of our Mighty God!

If you have missed any of the updates, we have also been posting them on our blog so people are able to catch up.

May 8th - Kovach Ministries Baby Update

Thu, 08 May 2008 17:46:45 -0400

Day 2

Titus made it past the 24 hour mark which is considered a milestone by the doctors. During the night he continued to stop breathing for periods of time. So far this morning and early afternoon, he has not had any such episodes. The lab cultures for the meningitis have not grown anything indicating that he most likely does not have bacteria in his spinal fluid. So, now the doctors are back to trying to find what is ailing Titus. The next probable cause is a respiratory viral agent. Last night they gave him, in addition to the multiple different antibiotics, a broad spectrum anti-viral medication. This morning he began to expel a yellow fluid and mucus-like substance from his lungs. When he does this, his respiratory rate drops very low, but does not stop. So far, the doctors have been able to suction his lungs clear during each episode. Their hope is that this indicates the medications are beginning to take effect. The doctors have him set to stay hospitalized for no less than 5 days, maybe more.

Through all of this, God’s grace has been overshadowing. The hospital was gracious enough to provide housing for the first two nights at one of the hotels across the street. The hospital would like for us to stay close for Caleb’s sake.

I want to say a special thank you to all of you who have been in earnest prayer and to all the churches that have been holding our family before the throne of grace. Thank you for all of the encouraging e-mail and letters. They have been a real sense of encouragement.

We have a couple of photos of the twins on the way and at the hospital. Click here to view them.

or go to http://www.kovachministries.com/photogallery/album/2008/Family/Titus%20at%20Cincinnati%20Childrens%20hospital/index.html

We will do our best to keep you updated as we are able.

!!Urgent Prayer!! Kovach Ministries Baby Update

Wed, 07 May 2008 17:44:47 -0400

Dear Friends and Supporting Churches,

We are requesting urgent prayer for one of the twins, Titus Luke. I am writing to you from the Children’s Hospital in Cincinnati. This morning, when Titus awoke he was bluish grey and very cold. We tried to wrap him even warmer and keep him next to our bodies. It was then that we noticed that he was taking 3 or 4 shallow breaths and then not breathing for 10-30 seconds at a time. I took him to the local hospital. Saturday, we had to take both Caleb and Titus to the hospital because of illness and a thick yellow substance which was covering their eyes. The diagnosis of that trip was a rare form of bacteria. The doctors believe that the bacteria had gone into Titus’ blood and is now systemic. The main concern, which may be causing the natal apnea, is meningitis. While we were at our local hospital, they called a Natal Intensive Care Unit from Cincinnati to pick him up. We followed it to the Children’s Hospital where Titus has been admitted. They believe that he will have to remain here for about a week or more. He currently has to be on a ventilator due to his inability to breathe on his own. We may be taking Caleb to the ER to have him checked in since he has had the same bacteria and is still not doing well himself. Please pray. I will try to keep you updated as I am able.

Kovach Ministries Baby Update

Sat, 03 May 2008 17:43:42 -0400

Our family wanted to thank you for your diligent prayers for our family throughout Ashley’s pregnancy. God has been gracious and answered your prayers as we were all praying that she would be able to carry the twins at least until 34 weeks, which was April 15th. It is awesome how God answers direct prayer as Ashley went into labor and delivered Titus Luke and Caleb Joshua at 6:38am on April 15th. Ashley did have to have the children via cesarean since both were breech at the time of labor.

For the statistic enthusiasts, Caleb was firstborn at 6:38am. He weighed 4 pounds 7.6 ounces and was 16 ½ inches long. Titus, born at 6:39am, weighed in at 5 pounds 1 ounce and was 17 inches long. I will post photos as I am able and time permits.

We praise the Lord for his wonderful answers to prayer. Both children, even though being born at 34 weeks, were very healthy. One main concern for children born this early is that their lungs will not be fully developed. We are excited to report that both Caleb and Titus had fully developed lungs and their blood oxygen saturation level was at 100%. The second main concern is regarding their ability to eat properly. Again, both Caleb and Titus have hearty appetites and have been eating well and without incident. By the day after their birth, Caleb had dropped to 4 pounds 2 ounces and Titus to 4 pounds 10 ounces. They have since regained their birth weight.

The past two weeks have been very busy with adjusting to a new norm for our family. Caleb struggled with jaundice initially and had to be on a billirubin blanket at home through last week. I have been busy caring for Ashley, who has been recuperating from her cesarean. Unfortunately, she had a minor complication from the surgery. After the operation, Ashley developed a spinal fluid headache which is a result of spinal fluid leaking from the point of the epidural. Those who have experienced migraines and latter had a spinal headache say that there is no comparison of pain. Spinal headaches directly affect the central nervous system. By the third day, the doctors were able to perform what is called a “blood patch.” It is a process whereby they take 15cc’s of Ashley’s blood and inject it into the point of leakage in the spinal sac. As the blood clots it allows the membrane to heal and retain the spinal fluid.

Thank you for all of your prayer support for our family and especially during Ashley’s pregnancy and the healthy delivery of the twins. God used your prayers to bring all this to pass and we cannot thank you enough!

Saved by the Power of Prayer

Sun, 16 Mar 2008 23:34:08 -0400

Life around the Kovach home has been a little topsy turvy lately.

In the middle of March we had a large snowstorm. Because of this, we had to reschedule that following Sunday’s ministry presentation since the majority of Churches were cancelled and roads were extremely dangerous.

Ashley's pregnancy has been progressing along very consistently. We had a little bit of a scare last Thursday. Ashley seemed to have picked up a stomach bug or ate something which upset her stomach. This in turn caused her to spontaneously go into intense labor contractions every 2-3 minutes without warning. We were concerned, due to the intense pain and suddenness of the onset, that this might be a miscarriage. Ashley is 30 weeks along; much too early for the twins to be born, and the survival rate by this time is not much better than 50-60 percent. We got to the hospital as quickly as possible. As we got situated into the room, nurses began flying around the room and medications began to flow. I would like to say a special thanks to all of you who have been praying for her safety during this pregnancy and to those who were part of the numerous prayer chains through this incident. The doctors gave her multiple shots of brethine in order to slow and stop the contractions as well as a steroid to help encourage the twins’ lungs to develop a little bit quicker. In their minds, they said she had a 50/50 chance. By God’s Grace, the doctors were able to get her contractions down to 1 per hour, which is within tolerable limits for a pregnancy. The children were saved by the power of your prayers interceeding on their behalf. Currently, Ashley is on strict bed rest. Please keep me in your prayers as well as I strive to be Father, Mother, and nurse, as well as continuing to line up future meetings for deputation. Thank you again for all of your prayers for Ashley and for you understanding as communication on our end may be a bit slow during this time period.

Two more supporting churches

Wed, 06 Feb 2008 21:56:14 -0500

We are excited to report the addition of two more churches to our ministry partnership. One church partnered with our ministry in the end of January and another church in Michigan voted to partner with us this past Sunday! We praise the Lord for this increase in support. At the beginning of the year we were at 42 percent, and this now puts us up to 47 Percent. Please continue to pray as we will have another church which will be voting this Sunday and some others will be voting throughout February. So far, we have had church meetings every Sunday and Wednesday. Both the Wednesday of the 20th and this past Sunday, the Lord really moved in a powerful way in the lives of the people. We had a tremendous time of fellowship and were deeply encouraged by the missions heart of the people!

Ashley is doing well and the twins are growing well. Thank you for your prayers. They are both in and around the 80 percent tile for where children should be. Please continue to pray for her as her pregnancy begins to enter the third trimester soon and the pregnancy becomes more difficult and for the twin boys as they grow. The doctors have classified her as a high risk case.

Just turned 100,000

Thu, 24 Jan 2008 21:37:06 -0500

Well, we did it! The Van now has 100,000 miles on it. Whew! We had a wonderfully restful Christmas and New Years. Interspersed, we celebrated three birthdays and are now getting ready for Bryanna's birthday. Emilianna had a nice simple 2-year old birthday. Isaiah's was very Spidey with a Spiderman cake and spidersapien robot. Ashley had a hot tamale time with church friends over for fellowship. Bryanna is gearing up for her tea/slumber party. This time of year is most full of activity! A special thanks to all the churches which have sent birthday cards to the various members of the family. You truly do not know how much that means as you consistently stay in touch. Now we are in the full swing of our 2008 schedule with having already been in 3 churches with one missions conference. A main consumer of time at present is preparing for that inevitable day and I don’t mean death. That’s right; TAXES! Thousands of receipts to scan in and tens of thousands of miles to add up. Oh, the joys! Preparing for tax time causes my soul to echo, ever loudly, the sentiment of John, Even so, (quickly) come, Lord Jesus.”

Please continue to pray as we are waiting to hear from many of the churches we have been in as they vote over this winter as to partnering with our ministry!

Increase in support

Sat, 08 Sep 2007 19:42:37 -0400

While we were on vacation we had another church take us on for support. That now puts us at 42%. Thank you for your prayers and keep praying. We will be at a missions conference all week this week and into the next.

This Windshield is on the Lord!

Thu, 30 Aug 2007 22:26:32 -0400

We kick out so many miles in a year that it is hard to keep track of them. We praise the Lord for a dependable vehicle. One of the problems we have from time to time is a cracked windshield. Invariable it is from a truck or some construction vehicle in front of us as we tool down the road. Once, the windshield got cracked a week after I just had it replaced. This time, I have no idea how it cracked. It just cracked as we were driving. No stone and no other vehicle was on the road. I have not been able to get it replaced because of the cost of the deductible. While at my parents, we found a glass repair shop that actually pays your deductible for you. Today I called the insurance company; they called the glass company, and presto! I have a new windshield and did not have to pay a penny of deductible! God is so good!

The Lord brought the circus to us.

Wed, 29 Aug 2007 22:18:17 -0400

While we were at home in Madison Indiana, there was a circus which came to town. We were planning on attending and even had some coupons for the children. By the time the day cam, we did not have enough money to take the children as we were only half way through the month and needed to make sure we had enough finances to last to the end. The kids were pretty bummed, but had good attitudes about it. This week we came up to visit with my parents as head up to Houghton Lake. While there, we found that their neighbor’s son was having his first birthday. To celebrate, the father blocked off the entire street and hired a circus to come to the block. There was everything there from kangaroos to elephants. Since it would affect the entire block, the families of their block were invited to attend. Before the event began, the police showed up to block off the roads and redirect traffic. The kids just had to get their picture taken with one of the officers and his motorcycle. After the photo-op, he pulled out some plastic badges for the children and made them honorary deputies. When the festivities began, the first thing on the children’s agenda was to go camel riding. Each had a turn. I think it was a little bumpier than they thought it would be. The animal display that we had seen years ago at the Escanaba State Fair was also there. Isaiah especially liked the panthers. There was a full display of crocs and reptilian species, including scorpions. I think there were over 40 different kinds. We moved along and found an ice cream truck camped out at the end corner and found he was handing out free ice cream. Everyone was thrilled as it was near 100 degrees. I think one of the main highlights of all this for the kids was the elephant rides! ...more below...

For more Photos click here

As I began taking in all the sights I found myself a bit overwhelmed. I began to think about what was happening. Here I and my family were, at a birthday celebration for a baby whom I had never met, much less had any idea who the bill-paying father was. I could not help but think how this event mirrored Christmas time. Christmas, an event to celebrate the birthday of Baby Jesus. People around the world, celebrating the birthday, making merry, all-the-while not knowing who in the world this Baby (who paid the ultimate bill) even is much less having any idea of His Father (who made the ultimate sacrifice). They wander around at Christmas time enjoying the party, but never seek out the child of honor, content simply to enjoy the Fathers festivities. I found it thought-provoking anyway.

Helping churches and vice versa.

Sun, 01 Jul 2007 23:35:45 -0400

Today was a very encouraging day. The sequence of events began on Thursday when a local pastor called and asked if we were available to help in their teen Sunday school class since their teacher was gone for the weekend. Further, he inquired if my wife and I would be willing to do the junior church as well and make balloons for them. We had a tremendous outcome. While I taught the lesson, and made balloons, Ashley gave the missionary story. After the service, the pastor asked me if I would return that night and present our ministry presentation to the church family. In the evening service, I had the opportunity to present both the video presentation as well as our personal testimonies of God’s working in our live to direct us to Brazil. After our presentation, the pastor took a vote right there and the church voted to partner with our ministry! What a blessing to find a church so on fire for missions!

Brazilian Church Construction Update

Thu, 09 Nov 2006 14:03:26 -0500

We have finished the last missions conference for the month of November. Jeff Thibaudeau Just arrived from Brazil yesterday, November 15, and is planning on being in the States for about a month. He brought back some much-needed supplies, namely Brazilian coffee! We were able to have wonderful time of fellowship over lunch at McDonalds as our children played on the play area. He also brought back some exciting photographs of the church's progress with their new auditorium. They have just finished pouring the roof of the building and are now working on the inside. Please pray as they work on finishing this part of the building. They are at standing room only in their current auditorium and greatly need this addition.

Brrr....It's Getting Cold

Thu, 02 Nov 2006 21:41:20 -0500

I am beginning to notice how my blood is changing as I have been adapting to the Indiana climate. I notice the drastic difference when we make long trips to the UP or to the east coast. Speaking of, we just got back from New Jersey and Pennsylvania. We had two absolutely wonderful meetings out there. We came away very encouraged. We had such wonderful fellowship…a rarity on deputation. When you are on the road so much, it is hard to get quality fellowship time, so we were enthralled to have so much of it on this leg! At our last meeting in the east coast, we were part of a missions conference. This was a special conference because some dear friends of ours were being commissioned by the church and are planning on leaving for Africa at the beginning of next year. We made a change in plans and made the trip home in one day. That afforded us some extra time at home to resupply and repack.

Now we are preparing to make a four week trip through Wisconsin, the UP, and Middle Michigan. I am not looking forward to the cold. There was a time when 60 below did not bother me, but now I am finding 60 above to be chilly. Can’t wait to get to Brazil. Please keep us in your prayers as we may face the possibility of snow as we are coming into November. We covet your prayers for safety, health, and that we will be able to be a blessing to the churches as we keep missions before them.

UP Tour of Duty just about Complete!

Wed, 27 Sep 2006 09:41:36 -0400

The past couple of weeks have been grueling, but awesome! We have been in 7 churches in the past 2 ½ weeks. We have used this time in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan to not only present our ministry to new churches, but also to report back to currently supporting churches. It has been good to become reunited with familiar faces, share what God is doing through us on deputation, and hear what God is doing in the churches that we visit.

Ashley has begun home schooling Bryanna and Bryanna is like a fish in water. Every day she asks to do another lesson and she is really excelling. She is so excited to be able to read, she says, so that she can read her Bible! If that does not make ones eyes well up with tears to hear their child say that, than I don’t know what would.

This October the team is working on bringing two of the national pastors with whom we work with, to the states. We need to do some team planning and instead of trying to fly both of out families to Brazil, it is more economical to bring the men to the states for the month. Please pray that the Lord will bring in the finances needed and that the time spent will be well profitable. The Lord is doing some tremendous things in Brazil and we are endeavoring to seek his face as a team how to go about His business. The two pastors to be in prayer for are Pastor Wilson and Pastor Ernesto. If you would like to specifically help with their expenses, you can send funds to Baptist Pioneer for the Kovachs, but specify that it is designated for the Brazilian pastors expenses.

- Pastor Ernesto

We have Moved Back in!!!

Mon, 17 Jul 2006 23:14:41 -0400

I think the title says it all. We are officially back in our "new" old apartment.

They finished the carpet the week before I flew out for the funeral of my grandmother, so we had not had a chance to begin moving things over yet. While on the plane home, my parents offered to come and help us move back in. I arrived home on Thursday and spent all day Friday and Saturday moving things back over to the apartment. After having spent so long in appartment 2, we now sit in our apartment and feel like the other end of the room is sooooo very far away.

It will be nice to be back "home" and get back to our family schedule. Our kids, over the past few months, have occasionaly cried wanting to be able to go home, even though we were just next door to the appartment. There is just something about being back where you know you belong. We will be going up north for a little over a week for a meeting as well as to celebrate my father's 50th Birthday. When we come back, although we will have church meetings, we will be stationed in the Madison area for at least a few months. One of the first things on my adgenda is to get the next prayer letter out. I know it has been late, but all the upheaval has made it near impossible to accomplish. Bear with us, it is coming....now....where did I put my office???

Notes from the Team in Brazil....

Wed, 05 Jul 2006 23:11:38 -0400

CONSTRUCTION of AUDITORIUM

On July 8th the men had a workday Saturday morning. They poured cement in the wooden frame for the beam in the back of the new auditorium. We are making progress on the church auditorium. The walls are up on all four sides. We hope to get the roof on in the next few months. Please pray for the needed funds for the windows and doors. In our present location we are filled to capacity for most services. Afterwards, the men had a barbecue; it was a great time of fellowship for our men. We will be putting the roof on the auditorium soon.

VBS

July 17th through 21st we had Vacation Bible School. We had a missionary story, 2 games, a snack time and a Bible story Monday through Friday. There were 55 children on the first day. The highest attendance was 85. On Friday after the Bible story, almost half of the children (about 35) said they were interested in hearing about salvation. God knows how many of them understood and really got saved. This Sunday night after V. B. S. there were 8 children that came that had been coming to V. B. S. but had not come to a regular church service before.

PRAYER REQUESTS

A couple of weeks ago Dani, a teen, trusted Christ as Savior. He has been attending church for several months now. Please pray for his spiritual growth. Please pray also for our church as we prepare for vacation Bible school in mid-July. Various young people and adults will be involved. Pray also for God to prepare hearts in our neighborhood.

Temporary Move

Sat, 06 May 2006 24:17:01 -0400

Just an update on our situation. The night of and the day after the damage was discovered, we had to move all of our belongings to the empty apartments next door. The lack of space tied with the multiple chemicals (anti-mold and mildew sprays) and hazards for small children which come with construction made us conclude that we needed to go somewhere for a temporary time while reconstruction occurred on the house. Hence, we have moved up North to my home area just above Troy, Michigan where we will be staying with my parents for a few weeks. They are going to be gone off and on for a week here and there on business and medical and therefore, the house will be empty for our family's use. Even in all of this, the Lord has all the arrangements worked out. Thank you so very much to all of you who have been praying for us through this time period. God's grace has been abundant! In a time when a person could be the most discouraged, I feel a joy and assurance that God is in control and actively in charge. It is a joy which surpasses anything which the world could give, and discouragement has been almost non-existent. Events like this make you sit back and say, "God is about to work...I can't wait to see what He is going to do!" Your notes, e-mails, and phone calls have all been such a blessing and encouragement! Please continue to pray for the soon finishing of the reconstruction so we shall be able to return home and resume "normal life and schedule."

Displaced Missionaries...

Tue, 25 Apr 2006 24:22:08 -0400

Greetings Praying friends and Supporters, The Kovach family is going through a very difficult time right now and needs your prayer. Please follow the link for all the details and photos.

http://www.kovachministries.com/displaced.htm

Ashley Goes To Prison!!!

Fri, 07 Apr 2006 22:03:41 -0400