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Water boy

By admin,

On Friday, Ian had another first. One of the therapists wanted to get him in the water, so Mary and Larissa took him to a pool specially designed for therapy where he met the therapist. She and a couple of others began the session by standing him up and “walking him”….outside the pool! Each of them put his arm around them and walked him upstairs in the gym. Then, once in the pool downstairs (about up to his chest) they put water noodles under his arms, and he walked around the pool that way with the assistance of the therapist and floated on his back as well. After a while, Larissa couldn’t stand it any more and found a bathing suit and some shorts and jumped in the water with him. He had a very content expression the whole time he was doing it and said he was glad he got in the pool. We don’t know yet if he will continue with this therapy.

Thank you for your continual prayers!

Steve

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By admin,

Please consider joining us in fasting on Wednesday. Specific prayer requetss would be:
Improved ability to communicate
Encouragement spiritually for Ian

Thank you always for praying

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By admin,

How can I stay in love with a man who hasn’t spoken to me in a year and a half? A man who can’t plan a special date for us, can’t tell me anything without me asking first, can’t challenge me, earn money for us, lead us in devotions or call me at work to see how my day is going. I dont’ know how. I also don’t know how God still loves me, someone who has nothing to offer Him. But both have happened and have made my life infinitely better.
Larissa

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By admin,

Ian has had a rough week. He had a fever for a few days and only went to therapy on Monday. He seems to be feeling a little bit better today, though. Specific prayer is that he would continue to communicate clearly with us through nodding or shaking his head.

Thank you always

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By admin,

Sorry for not posting recently. We had a busy weekend so hopefully soon we’ll gather our thoughts enough to post an update:)

As for now, it’s nap time!

Larissa

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I See God

By admin,

I see God in the way that Larissa has stayed with Ian through this. I don’t know the future; I don’t know what the Lord has for her. I wouldn’t be at all bitter if she decided it was time to move on. I wouldn’t at all begrudge her that course of action. But, right now, I see the Savior in her devotion. I know she’s a sinful person created by God like me, and I know she’s limited in her capacity for devotion…unlike God. Yet God allows her to reflect himself through her care and devotion for Ian.

God is limitless in his capacity to remain devoted to me though I don’t deserve his care. I sin against him time and time again day after day, but the Bible says that his mercy never comes to an end. Even if I had never sinned against him, compared to God’s infinite nature we’re nothing that he should consider a treasure. Yet, that’s exactly what the Bible says about those who have offered their feeble, limited devotion to him. “What is man that you are mindful of him or the son of man that you care for him?”

Larissa’s devotion directs my attention to the Savior. It is a glimpse of Christ. If in saying this, I’ve caused your mind to dwell on her devotion, I’ve messed up. If in any of our posts we have directed attention to ourselves, we have messed up. When we see Larissa and Ian together, we should not be amazed by her devotion and love. Instead we should be pointed to Christ, amazed by His love for us and the miracle it is that we can reflect even a portion of that. Please don’t insert comments in response to this post with high praises for her because this is not about her or myself or my family. It is a pirture of Christ’s devotion to me. Christ’s devotion to me as I reflect on it from the vantage point of heaven will no doubt take my breath away. I don’t deserve it, but I’m amazed by it.

Thank you, Lord!

Steve

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By admin,

Be Thou my Vision, O Lord of my heart;
Naught be all else to me, save that Thou art.
Thou my best Thought, by day or by night,
Waking or sleeping, Thy presence my light.
Be Thou my Wisdom, and Thou my true Word;
I ever with Thee and Thou with me, Lord;
Thou my great Father, I Thy true son;
Thou in me dwelling, and I with Thee one.
Riches I heed not, nor man’s empty praise,
Thou mine Inheritance, now and always:
Thou and Thou only, first in my heart,
High King of Heaven, my Treasure Thou art.
High King of Heaven, my victory won,
May I reach Heaven’s joys, O bright Heaven’s Sun!
Heart of my own heart, whatever befall,
Still be my Vision, O Ruler of all.

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Youth Camp

By admin,

Larissa, Caleb, Devon, and I will be at our church’s annual youth camp this week. The week includes lots of worship, sermons, and talking about God. There are also lots of sports during the day. Larissa and I are counselors, and Devon and Caleb are campers.

Ian was a camper at this camp for eight years and a counselor for two years. Youth camp is where God began to show the truth of Himself to Ian. In his teenage years, Ian really benefited from youth camp.

Let’s pray that this will be the last year that Ian won’t be there as a counselor.

(Pictured is Ian and some friends at youth camp several years ago)
_Ben

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Progress

By admin,

Ian has had an incredible week at therapy and at home. His sessions at the hospital on Thursday and Friday were really, really good. He was doing literally everything the therapists were asking him to do, from raising his arm to lifting his leg, to saying yes and no with nods or shakes. On Friday when I was with him his therapist was most impressed when he kicked a ball as it was rolling to him- three times. He saw the ball coming and knew when to kick. That’s a pretty high function cognitively.

Ian has been reaching out for things and people quite often. He’s just communicating a lot better. He is consistently clearly shaking or nodding his head instead of blinking. Tonight I was thinking of how we’ve been praying that he would start eat more and show facial expression, because progress in those areas naturally leads itself to talking. Over the past few days, he has eaten something for every meal and has shown a lot of new facial expressions- including a lot of smiling (if you couldn’t tell from the last pictures I posted.)

Something’s changing in Ian. I hope he breaks through the surface of this soon. I have to guard my heart though, because everything could be different tomorrow.

thank you for praying,

larissa

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By admin,

In Christ alone who took on flesh
Fullness of God in helpless babe
This give of love and righteousness
Scorned by the ones he came to save
‘Til on that cross as Jesus died
The wrath of God was satisfied
For every sin on him was laid
Here in the death of Christ I live

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