This is what keeping the faith looks like.
Thousands of prayer warriors surrounding one incredible family, who is huddled around one precious boy.
Courage in the face of utter tragedy. Strength in the midst of unfathomable trial.
After a tragic accident left their 10-year-old son, Rye, without oxygen to his brain for upwards of half an hour resulting in near brain death, Julie and Rick Haller have been faced with an impossible decision: to proceed with organ donation or to continue to hold out hope that his life will be restored to his earthly body, healed.
Rather than relying on their own humanness to make the decision, the Hallers have been praying unceasingly and calling on countless others to do the same.
The Hallers had originally planned to give themselves a week to process the situation before beginning the donor matching process Saturday, April 28th. One day before that week was to come to a close, Jule Haller posted this bit of news on the Facebook page, “Pray for Rye Guy”:
We had prayed for a very clear sign from God that we either needed to proceed tomorrow with the donor matching process or not. I had asked God to use His outside playground voice, not His inside library voice to speak to us. I praise Him that even the doctors saw and confirmed changes in Rye’s behavior today.
Those changes came in the form of increased eye activity and appropriate response to pain as Rye moved his shoulder when it was pinched by the doctor.
In her next update, Julie reported, “We are greatly relieved that God answered our prayers yesterday for a clear sign that Rye has not yet reached the predicted end. We celebrate that doctors agree that we should wait and see what happens next. That alone is a miracle to us.”
Although his future remains uncertain, Rye’s story to date is a miraculous testament to the power of prayer. Furthermore, the family’s ability to turn a horrible nightmare into an opportunity to glorify their God has inspired thousands.
If you are reading this, I’m calling on you to join the thousands of prayer warriors who are currently lifting Rye Haller up to the Lord. Please pray for him; that doors will clearly be open and shut; that his body may be healed; and most of all, that the Lord’s work will be done, as that is the Haller family’s focus during this time.
It only seems appropriate to close with a piece of scripture that Julie Haller has referenced several times in her updates:
Psalm 118:17: “I shall not die, but live, and declare the works of the Lord.”
If you would like to donate to the family, you may do so on their GoFundMe page