Below you will find the letters Pastor Davis wrote regarding his heart attack and the complications he faced. Click here to read the letter Pastor Davis read to the church on Sunday evening, October 16, 2011, announcing he was stepping down as pastor.

SATURDAY, AUGUST 20, 2011

Hello Again to Everyone,

I can't begin to tell you how grateful Rae Jean and I are for all your prayers, cards, emails, meals, and encouraging comments. My letter from several days ago is posted at the end of this one, so if this one doesn't make sense, you may want to go down to that one and read it first.

After I came home from the hospital on Saturday, August 13, my chest pains continued. I didn't think much about it because they were light pains and would just come and go whether I was sitting or walking or whatever. On Tuesday night, August 16, those light pains continued almost nonstop for about 2 hours. When we called the doctor's office, the nurse told me to come by ambulance to the hospital, but we decided to wait and see our doctor at our regular appointment on Wednesday morning. He was concerned about the pains and wanted to do another angiogram so he re-admitted me to the hospital right away.

At noon on Thursday they did the second heart catheterization in less than a week and he said that the stents were definitely open and working and an echocardiogram they also did showed my heart was actually stronger and apparently was beginning to heal itself as a result of the increased blood flow. They compared the heart to a plant that had done without water that would come back once it was watered as long as it didn't have to wait too long for the water. I had 2 arteries blocked 95% and all the arteries they say look good except for one other with a 20% blockage.

My biggest problem at this point is not myheart, but an allergic reaction I've had to some of the medication they put me on. They've actually taken me off all the other medications except a blood thinner and have put me on some medication to help the allergic reaction. My skin in places looks a little like bright red crocodile skin and there is much itching and pain with it. The surface of the skin feels hot to the touch and I have chills underneath. I was in such misery last night that I really got almost no sleep until about 7 this morning. Please pray that this will go away and I can get some relief and sleep.

We're grateful for your understanding about not calling unless you have some specific need. I would love to just chat and visit but have actually spent many hours on the phone counseling and have also been working with Bro. Bryant and Bro. Bazen planning in relation to the church. A pastor's biggest stress is not helping lift other people's loads, but when people won't let him or when they get upset and leave the church without a Biblical reason. You have no idea what a blessing it is to me the way people have rallied together during this time to encourage us. Please DO call if you have a problem I can pray with you about or you need my counsel for some decision.

I'm planning and hoping to be at church tomorrow but will just sit with my family and let our good men handle the services. It will be such a joy just to see everybody. I hope to get to shake everyone's hand if I can.

I got another call on Thursday morning from Chief Chaplain Keim and he said the videos were making a huge impact on the prisons. After only 3 days of using them, the office of the Director of the Department of Corrections had called and asked for 8 more sets (640 DVDs) to be given to all the Adult Transition units in the state. They are also planning to show them on the closed circuit TV feeds in the prisons on Sunday morning, Sunday night and Wednesday night. Thank you for praying for this. You may also give special offerings to have a part in this if you wish to do so.

May God be glorified in our lives by whatever paths His gracious hand chooses for us! I would rather be in the will of God with a heart attack than to be outside the will of God without one!

The "rhema" God gave me this week to encourage me was from Phillipians 4:11-13:

"Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content. I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me."

God has given me a message that I think will be titled: "Bible Lessons God Taught Me Through A Heart Attack." I hope to preach it on Sunday morning, August 28.

Much Love in Christ,
Pastor S. M. Davis

MONDAY, AUGUST 15, 2011

Hi Everybody,

Just a note to let everyone know I’m fine.

Rae Jean and our children and grandchildren and I are all very grateful for your many prayers and words of encouragement.

For those who may not know, I had a heart attack on Sunday morning, August 7, at 9:30 a.m. Because the pain spiked so suddenly and then retreated so swiftly, I did not think it was a heart attack. I sent word to Bro. Bazen to be ready to preach, but felt I was fine when the service started and had almost no pain the rest of the day. I only think even now that that was the time because the doctors say I definitely had one, so I’m sure that would have had to be the time.

I had been having chest pains for 2 weeks before that, but thought it was pleurisy. I have had pleurisy before and the pains were totally identical to me. After the heart attack, I preached both morning and evening services, then left for Arkansas and preached twice in a meeting there and then came back on Wednesday in enough time for the evening church service.

The only reason I went to the doctor on Thursday was because I had a little chest pain on Wednesday night after church and had promised my girls that if I had any more pain at all that I would go to the doctor. My doctor did an EKG and compared it to one made 4 years earlier and sent me straight to the Hospital.

I told the emergency room doctor that I felt fine and if he would let me go I would go home and mow my lawn. He told me that he would not even let me walk across the room and that he was the doctor and I was the pastor and I had better listen to him. :) (Rae Jean and I both really liked him.)

The cardiologists at the hospital were very concerned and told me that something had to be done right away or I could have a major heart attack.

On Friday I had an angiogram followed by surgery where they put 3 stents in my heart. I had two blockages that caused them to want to do open heart bypass surgery but I chose the stents instead. Such a surgery normally takes 45 minutes but mine took over 3 hours and required my being exposed to 70 minutes of radiation instead of the ordinary maximum 60 minutes.

I was dismissed from the hospital on Saturday evening and spent Sunday listening to both church services from home. It was a real blessing to me how well Bro. Bryant and Bro. Bazen worked together plus the encouraging messages by Dr. Ken Graham for our church’s 63rd Anniversary. Hearing the singing and choir and special music really refreshed my spirit. I believe that was the first time I’ve missed the church’s anniversary and hope I don’t have to do it again.

This is Monday afternoon and I’m taking it easy at home. I will go back to the heart doctor on Wednesday and hope to get to at least come to church on that night. I hope I will be able to preach again on Sunday.

Because our church has graciously provided health insurance for us most of the bill will be covered for which we’re truly grateful. It was nice to not have to be concerned about an enormous hospital bill while going through everything else.

I’m grateful that God has spared my life and look forward to the future with much joy. Incidentally, today is the day that our videos are beginning to be played in every prison in the State of Illinois. We gave Chief Chaplain Stephen Keim about 2,000 DVDs many of which have already been distributed to every prison in the state. Though it is voluntary, there is the potential to impact 55,000 prisoners with the gospel and Biblical principles that work. Ours will be the only courses offered in the prisons which could allow prisoners to acquire college credit. Funding cuts have stopped all other college courses. We have just recently partnered with Master’s Baptist College in Fargo, ND to offer college credit to prisoners or anyone else who completes 5 different college courses on Marriage, Parenting, Understanding and Conquering Bad Habits, Counseling, and Wisdom. Each course will consist of 16 different DVDs and each course will accrue 2 hours of college credit.

Please continue praying for a complete recovery.

Love in Christ,
S.M. Davis