Hometown Livin gg AAtt IIttss BBeesstt 4513
a deep peace
had settled over
Elizabeth. She
was worried, but
her worry was
not borne out
of desperation.
When Pastor
Bolin arrived,
Elizabeth
hugged him and
whispered in his
ear, “God’s got
this. I’m scared,
but God’s got
this.”
When they saw their son, he was sedated and on a ventilator.
He also had heart pads on his chest and an IV coming from his
arm. “Monitors and screens were everywhere,” she said.
The first few nights the parents slept on the floor beside his
bed, refusing to leave his side. As the days progressed, Elizabeth
shared, “It was one of those things that felt like a nightmare.”
But nightmares end, and this one did not. “We went through that
for five days. Not knowing if our boy was going to live. To make
things worse, the doctors couldn’t tell us and would not make eye
contact with me or Jason,” Elizabeth said.
Meanwhile, back home in Vidalia, a local merchant – T98
in the Belk Shopping Plaza – hosted a fundraiser for the family
to help cover the cost of some of the rising medical bills. The
store also printed t-shirts that read, “Pray Big,” with a reference
to the Scripture Matthew 21:22: “If you believe, you will
receive whatever you ask for in prayer.” Soon, Vidalia and the
surrounding area were filled with a sea of green as God’s people
began to PRAY BIG. They expected big answers to their big
prayers, and they were not disappointed.
One answered prayer came at Thanksgiving. Elizabeth’s
father, Sam Hart, lives at Summer’s Landing, an assisted living
residence in Vidalia. Every Thanksgiving Elizabeth usually
takes him dinner since he is unable to join the family. She was
concerned that he would have no one to see about him this year,
but a “few” of her friends fulfilled the need – Mr. Hart ended up
with 15 plates!
Another miracle occurred with Jason’s foot wear. He had
worn his bedroom slippers for several days, and he needed a pair
of shoes. He went to a shoe store in Savannah and searched for a
pair of shoes, but all of them were priced higher than the $35 he
had to spend. As he exited the store, he glanced over at a table
where on-sale shoes were stacked. He spied a pair of tennis shoes
that were just his size. And the price? 35 dollars.
Since Elizabeth had left home barefooted, she also needed
shoes. But her need was also supplied. “I have no idea where my
shoes came from!” Elizabeth laughed. “I had on socks in the Peds
ICU waiting room, and someone gave me a pair of shoes to put
on. I’m not sure if it was family or friend or who, but I wore them
almost the whole time I was there. Then Cindy Reddick – from
LANDON’S SONG
Tabernacle Baptist Church was
crowded on Dec. 17, many there to see
Landon perform in the Christmas play, just
as his mom had kept saying in faith.
And perform he did. He may have
missed a word or two, but no one cared.
They were just proud he was able to be
there.
When the play finished, Family Pastor
Drew Bolin took over. He called Landon to
the front and briefly shared his encounter
with Elizabeth in the hospital and her
heartfelt claim, “God’s got this!” He
went on to say, “God’s people began to
pray, and God listened and responded.”
Gesturing to Landon, he proclaimed,
“This is a miracle!”
He reflected for a moment and then
continued. “God allowed this to happen
to show His power and authority! To
show that God still heals today!” He
continued, “This isn’t about Landon
and not about the Harvills. It’s about the
power and authority of a living God who
loves and cherishes you. And He wants a
relationship with you.”
The play that day recounted the
Christmas story, and Pastor Bolin
encouraged those present to seek a
closer walk with God. “He can lead you
to a relationship with Him. Don’t leave
without Him today,” he implored. “God
loves you so much, He gave His Son so
you could have this relationship with
Him.”
WTOC News called Landon’s recovery
“A Christmas Miracle.” But the message
shared on Dec. 17 was about the miracle
of the Savior’s birth. Both miracles have
changed us. Forever.