Leaning
With his feet on the floor, Ian was able to lean forward (as most of us might sit) in his wheelchair and hold himself there of his own accord. Small steps…
Steve
Praise to the Lord, who doth prosper thy work and defend theeWho from the heavens the streams of His mercy doth send thee
Ponder anew what the Almighty can do
Who with His love doth befriend thee.
Ian was awake the entire day yesterday until about 11 at night. He watched Emergence with David, a movie that they made together a few years ago. He was really engaged and at one point used his voice for David. Today he was a little bit sleepier but it’s understandable considering how awake he was yesterday. He is working so hard at learning to balance himself when he sits up. He gets a really determined look in his eyes and it’s so obvious that he’s just figuring it all out.
He indiciated to Amanda today that he still has a sore throat. Please pray that God would heal it.
Ponder anew, what the Almighty can do.
Larissa
Heaven motivates me
In so many of my conversations with people lately, I invariably end up bending their ears about heaven, a topic I can’t seem to get away from since Ian’s accident. A friend recently asked me a question like, “How does anticipating heaven motivate you in daily tasks like getting up in the morning and going to work?” I gave an answer, but I’ve also thought about it a lot more since he asked me. It’s a great question, since every morning I wake up with a set of tasks ahead of me.
An experience like this with Ian puts the rest of life into perspective. Things and relationships and a career and so many other things have so much less significance next to someone’s life. Compared to heaven, though, life itself pales. Heaven motivates me to hold all those other things loosely, because they pale in comparison to heaven’s joy. Heaven motivates me to more frequently consider my daily tasks as something the Lord has given me to do while on this earth even if that task is as mundane as taking out the garbage. Heaven motivates me to recognize that, though grief and sadness stalk me now, they will be replaced by a joy I can’t even understand.
Ian continues to make slow progress. He was reaching for objects at the request of one therapist. When asked to focus on one of two objects, he complied. When we help him, he’s able to get to a point where he’s sitting up on his own. He’s awake and alert during the day more than he’s ever been. Everyone who works with him reports small steps of progress. It’s hard to tell, but it seems that Ian’s throat is feeling better, too.
Thank you for praying.
Steve
Before the throne of God aboveI have a strong and perfect plea
A great High Priest whose name is love
Who ever lives and pleads for me
Singing this at Care Group tonight, I was reminded that this is still true of Ian. Jesus still lives and pleads for Ian. Jesus still loves Ian with a love that we cannot even comprehend. Not a day goes by that God does not supply Ian with all the grace that he needs. Every day of this trial has been ordained by God and it will not last one day longer than it should.
Ian has been awake for longer periods of time than we’ve ever noticed. He’s pretty much awake all day now without many naps. He was very awake tonight too and made it through most of Care Group. He also did a great job sitting up tonight and is working so hard to learn how to keep himself balanced. I don’t know how he does it- God must be giving him so much strength to keep fighting to do absolutely everything.
Please pray that Ian would be reminded of all of God’s faithfulness and goodness to Him in the past in a way that encourages him for his future.
Thank you for praying
Larissa
Memories
Ian has shared an annual vacation with the same set of cousins and uncles and aunts and grandparents since he was 6 months old. It was always one of the highlights of his summer. Over the last 10 years we’ve visited the same lake maybe 8 times, and we’ve vacationed at one particular house for about 6-7 (this year included). Our thinking in taking him on vacation again was to help him hopefully latch onto those old memories. I went early to set the house up for him; I built a temporary ramp for the front of the house among other things. Ian arrived on Friday and left on Monday with Mary.
I think it he enjoyed it. He seemed to enjoy being down on the dock near the water. I think he enjoyed seeing all of his cousins again. I think he did remember some things.
It must be frustrating, though, not to be able to tell us what he’s thinking. We keep praying that he could communicate with us. Join us….
Steve
Vacation
This picture is vacation last year. A picture this year would be pretty different.
Ian loves vacation. Especially last year, he worked so hard during the summer and all that he talked about was how he couldn’t wait to get to vacation. He could sleep as late as he wanted to and spend his days on the boat or laying on the dock. It is something he has done every year for 22 years. It’s the reunion with his cousins who are basically his sisters. Vacation is the epitome of summer to Ian and all of his family that goes each year.
So we’re off tomorrow morning for Lake Anna. We’re really not sure what to expect. Steve and the boys and the rest of the family are there now getting the house ready for Ian- building ramps and all. Please pray for wisdom for Steve and Mary as they care for Ian this weekend. Pray that Ian would do well and that this trip would bring so many memories back into his life. Pray that we would all be rejoicing that he is alive and well.
The blog will be quiet for a few days.
Thank you for praying.
Larissa
Yesterday I was sitting by Ian and got so excited because he just seemed so ready to wake up and talk. He is showing us more and more frequently that he is with us and that he is working so hard to come back to us. I have a lot of updates that I want to give, but it’s late and my thoughts aren’t very clear, so here comes just a bulleted list.
- Ian seems to me to be remembering more. Yesterday I held up a picture of us from vacation last year and asked him if he remembered it. He said he did. He responded like that to another question that I had for him recently about a memory. Before he didn’t really respond consistently when I asked him about his memory.
- He made a sound today that was the farthest from groaning that I’ve heard. It was almost like a “cha” sound, but it wasn’t super clear. It was just great to hear something besides a groan. Maybe his speech is on it’s way back……
- Heather is teaching him how to roll over in bed. I heard reports that today he was basically able to do it. and even repeated it for someone.
- Mom, he ate several spoonfuls of your applesauce the other day:)
- Amanda said that yesterday was the hardest that Ian has ever worked for her. Praise God!
- Ian was so so tired tonight that he couldn’t even hold his head up. Praise God again! It is good to him to be that tired because it means he is working very, very hard.
Please pray that Ian makes significant progress. He needs God to deliver him. He is in there but he can’t get himself out. Please pray that he will not be discouraged, frustrated or bored.
Thank you all for serving us through your prayers….
Larissa
The glory of heaven
I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth
comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.
Romans 8:18
Wikipedia can’t capture in words what the glory of heaven will be; no reference work or book or speaker could either. Paul, the writer of the letter of Romans, wrote in another part of his letter that the hope of this glory, the glory that Christians will experience, will not disappoint us. Not only is it a guarantee, but it will be beyond what we could even comprehend. It will not disappoint us in any way. In this part of his letter, Paul presents a dramatic contrast between the suffering we experience here on earth and that glory we’ll experience in heaven. As intense as Paul’s suffering must have been (he was frequently persecuted physically and eventually killed for his faith), he saw it as a quickly fading memory.
I saw this drab old barn in my travels. It’s not something you would stop and admire and then tell your friends about. You probably wouldn’t even notice it; if you did, it would quickly fade from your memory. This suffering Ian is experiencing and that we’re experiencing will be like that – a memory that will immediately fade when we enter heaven. We won’t even think about it. I can’t wait.
Ian had a visit this week from Heath- a friend he made during his internship last summer working for Haverstick Films. I think it was the highlight of Ian’s week. He was as fully engaged as we’ve ever seen him. We had been telling him that his friend would be visiting, and it was as if he didn’t want to take his normal afternoon nap. He didn’t want to miss his friend’s visit.
Thank you for praying…..
Steve
So close to the surface
Today, Ian pointed to his stomach. I couldn’t figure out why despite asking several questions that might have led me to understand what he was trying to say. Then, later, it occurred to us that because of the circumstances he was two hours past his lunch. He was pointing to his stomach for one reason that should have been obvious. Duh.
Tonight, he was with friends he hadn’t seen in a long time, and he was so alert and attentive as they interacted with each other and as they talked to him.
It’s as though he’s so close to the surface that we can see him in there, but we can’t get him out. The Lord is the only one who can help him.
Steve
It’s Not Always Going To Be Night
Some sections of Charles Spurgeons’s devotional book, Morning and Evening, from July 21:
Can you answer this, believer? Can you find any reason why you are mourning instead of rejoicing?…Don’t you know that day follows night, that flood comes after ebb, that spring and summer succeed winter? Hope then! Hope always! For God does not fail you. Don’t you know that your God loves you in the midst of all this?…Cause the desert to ring with your exulting joys, for these light afflictions will soon be over, and then “forever with the Lord” your bliss shall never wane.
I found these parts encouraging and convicting. I realize that I am complaining every time something inconveniences me and my day. This sounds weird to me but we need to be thankful even when things happen that aren’t in our will. I can think of numerous things that happened today that didn’t go the way I wanted them to go and my first and automatic reaction is to whine. I don’t want to complain because Ian’s not fully with us and can’t do what we always use to do together, I should be thankful that he’s even here. We should be thankful that we are saved and can find peace with God. “Come to me all who labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). I have heard David and Mr. Altrogge (our pastor) give thankful words to God whenever something “went wrong.” That is great a example to set for others. That is something that I am driving to accomplish just once.
And don’t forget, Jesus didn’t complain, let’s do the same.
“Can you find any reason why you are mourning instead of rejoicing?…Cause the desert to ring with your exulting joys…”
Pray that God would help Ian, especially, to be at peace and not to complain.
-Caleb