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Faithfulness

By admin,

It’s 10:00 p.m., I’m sitting next to Ian in his new room at home and I have never seen him this alert. He has had a great day at home- he’s napped but he’s also been very aware of what’s going on. In fact, he’s watching me very intently right now. I painted mine and Lydia’s nails yesterday. I don’t usually wear nail polish. I held my hand up to Ian and asked him if they looked too girly. He gave me a very deliberate blink. Then I asked if I should take the nail polish off- same response. I know he doesn’t like nail polish in “real life” and it means he still has raging opinions- all good signs.

It’s great to have him here, to be able to say good night and good morning to him and it already feels natural. There are also new challenges and the temptation to fear. God’s strength is perfected in these weaknesses though and his grace is sufficient for us. “Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow” from Great is Thy Faithfulness has been in my head all day. God provides us with the strength we need for each day. He will show us how to care for Ian and refresh us when we are weary. It’s a good lesson in clinging to the cross.

Thank you all for praying with us. Please continue to pray that staffing would be provided and that Ian would continue to respond to us. We can already see a difference in him. Please pray that that continues.

Larissa

P.S. The picture of Lydia was taken while she was staying with family friends just after the accident when we were all living in the hospital. She couldn’t be happier to have her big brother home again.

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By admin,

He’s home:)

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Home

By admin,

After a harrowing ride home from The Children’s Institute, Ian made it home…finally. He was wide awake all day long. Larissa noticed his alertness even last night, and we’re convinced he was comprehending what we had been telling him for days, that he was coming home. He was looking at us today like we hadn’t seen him do in a while. His alertness continued when he was here at home. He got to see his home for the first time since the wreck 7 months ago today. We got to sit outside on our new patio enjoying the beautiful weather. He watched TV in the family room (a special on PBS about the Mormons), and he seemed to really be paying attention.

Mary and I klutzed around with his feeding, with his meds, and with transferring him in and out of his wheelchair. Round-the-clock attendant care was approved, but the staffing hasn’t happened yet. It’s started, but there’s a long way to go to get full coverage. Until that happens we’ll continue to klutz.

It’s good to have him home. It’s good to know he’s going to wake up tomorrow in familiar surroundings and with familiar people.

Please keep praying for Ian to wake up.

Steve

P.S. This is a picture of where we started. Ian is sleeping just about where the wheelbarrow is in the picture.

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Tomorrow

By admin,

“His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us.”*

Everything thing we need. I was thinking about this verse this morning, and I thought it was applicable to yesterday’s post.

God gives us a waterfall (or a flood) but he doesn’t leave us to gasp and fight for breath on our own. He gives us everything we need to endure the downpour. Everything we need through the knowledge of him.
No matter how hard the waterfall, I know God is good. God promised that the difficult situation will work out for Ian’s and our benefit, like a painful shot that protects against sickness.**

When it seems like I can’t trust him, I look at what I know. That’s where I find that I have everything I need to praise God through what seems like a bleak circumstance.

Ian’s coming home tomorrow. Pray that he won’t need the handicap-accessible room when he gets here.

Thanks for praying, everyone. God loves it when we realize our need to ask him for things.

Thank you,

-Ben

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No purpose of God’s can be thwarted

By admin,

I can’t imagine Job’s experience. It’s recorded for us, of course, but I can’t really imagine it. What we’re experiencing with Ian doesn’t come close to what he experienced, but it is a taste. Ongoing difficulties like this feel like being pinned under a waterfall that doesn’t stop. The pressure and the churning are constant. On bad days you feel like you’re trying to catch your breath from the sadness and difficulty of it all. The difficulty doesn’t have to be as intense and multifaceted as Job’s for the experience to be the same. We think we shouldn’t feel we’re caught up in or weakened by the churning of the waterfall, but it seems to be a common experience to those in ongoing difficulties.
The natural temptation is to “contend with the Almighty” as a faultfinder (Job 40:2), to wonder whether this God in whom we’ve placed our trust really is good or not or whether He’s really in control or not. I’ve felt that temptation. I want to learn from Job, though, who had more reason than me to question God. I want to learn what he learned as a result of his terrible experience: “I know that you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted.” Job learned to humble himself and submit himself to the sovereign hand of God in both the bad and the good experiences.
Remembering that no purpose of God’s can ever be thwarted doesn’t make the waterfall stop, but it does help me keep our troubles in perspective. Things aren’t out of control; God is very much in the waterfall. I don’t know why He’s allowed all this, but I know He’s in control.
Remembering this also drives me back to the One who is in control of the waterfall. I know that He wants to give me the best: Himself. He wants me to experience His help. I’m so grateful for the kindness and help of our church and even of people I’ve never met (and may never meet). It really is a huge help to have people helping us; it gives me a taste of God’s attentive care for us. But, I recognize that my Father in heaven is the only One who ultimately can help me, and I need to regularly ask Him to sustain me and lean on Him moment by moment.
Thank you for praying for us and for Ian.
Steve

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He’s coming home

By admin,

The addition is done. The sidewalk is in. The driveway was dug out today, and it will have rocks on it to get the van back to the sidewalk. He has a bed and all of his equipment in his new room. He has the beginnings of some nursing care. The time has been set for his departure from The Children’s Institute.

He’s coming home.

It took an army:
102 people from our church helped in some way….
…and friends of friends who volunteered…
…and contractors who volunteered time…
…and businesses who donated materials and other anonymous donors…
…and contractors and businesses who moved us up on their schedules…
…and businesses who gave us discounts…
…and nurses and doctors and therapists and social workers and case managers and hospitals…
…and so many who have been praying faithfully.
He’s alive, but he’s still in a coma and hasn’t made much progress over the last weeks. That’s confusing, I’m sure – especially if you see him. He looks like Ian, and his eyes could be open. He could be moving around and showing some signs of the old Ian. But his brain has sustained a significant injury, and we don’t know what tomorrow will hold. He could wake up tomorrow. He could gradually wake up. The reason we’re bringing him home is to expose him to surroundings that would be familiar to him and to people who love him and who want him to come back from wherever he is.
If you see or visit him, here are some tips:
  • Don’t talk down to him like he’s a little child. Talk to him like the Ian you remember.
  • Don’t talk to us in front of him as if he can’t hear you. It’s likely that he can hear and understand you, so assume that he can.
  • As awkward as it could be for you, do your best to overcome that awkwardness and act naturally. We’re hoping you will, because that’s what will help him most.
  • One evidence of his injury is his inability to talk, so don’t expect him to respond to you.
  • Pray for him. I know that he would appreciate it.

Steve

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No driveway yet

By admin,

And Lord, haste the day when my faith shall be sight,
The clouds be rolled back as a scroll;
The trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend,
Even so, it is well with my soul.
It is well, with my soul,
It is well, with my soul,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.
– Horatio Spafford –
One day my faith will be sight, and I will see the Lord. I long for that day.
Steve
P.S. The driveway is not in, yet. We’re waiting for the weather to cooperate and for the paving company. Ian’s equipment arrives on Friday anyway. Pray that he can come home on time. Pray that Ian wakes up.

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By admin,

The future or things that are now
No power below or above
Can make You Your purpose forego
Or sever my soul from Your love
~~~~
Today was one of those days where I wanted to tell God that the plan that I had for my future was better than what we’re experiencing now. We sang the song above, Debtor to Mercy Alone, at our church’s college group and these few verses were what I needed to be reminded of. Nothing can make God’s purpose forego, even comas, and there is a great purpose in this trial. And nothing, even my sinful thoughts, can separate our souls from His love.
~
My sins of pride and disbelief today are worthy of sending me to hell. Just those few uncontrolled thoughts. But because Jesus died on the cross for my sins, these sinful thoughts are forgiven. God provides lavish grace to believe true things about Him.
~
The sidewalk was completed today. Please pray that the paving company would begin the driveway soon so that Ian can come home on Monday. If all goes as planned, only five days until Ian’s seven months in a hospital are over. But as we’ve learned several times through this, the heart of man plans his ways but the Lord establishes his steps (Prov. 16:9)
~Trusting God~
Larissa

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Sidewalk progressing

By admin,

“…which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life (Matt 26:28)?” I can’t add one hour to my span of life whether I’m anxious or not. That’s the answer to this question. I don’t control my life; it’s in the hands of the One who cares for me. Lord, help me to remain at rest in my Father’s care.

The sidewalk around Ian’s room should be finished tomorrow. In the foreground of this picture is where a small patio area will be so we can sit outside under the shade or in the sun. We’re looking forward to Ian coming home.

For prayer, please remember the issue of the attendant care (we’re asking for 24/7 coverage); it still hasn’t been resolved. Also, we’re praying that the weather holds and that we remain a priority for the paving company to put a driveway in to get Ian and all of his equipment to his room. Pray for strength for us. Pray that Ian would wake up.

Mary went to see Ian today, and he seemed as alert as we’ve seen him. She had another session of training in how to care for Ian’s needs.

Pray for Ian.

Steve

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Great are His Works

By admin,

Ian had both of his eyes open for awhile today when we were oustide enjoying this gorgeous weather! He was very active in his chair and most of that was from discomfort I think. He had been in the chair for awhile already in the morning and probably just wanted to stay in bed. He was really moving his leg and his arms around though. He reached for me a few times and grabbed my shirt- he either wanted a hug or wanted to communicate something with me. I’ve been encouraged lately by just the blessing that when Ian looks at us, he is really looking. It’s not an empty stare like it can be with coma patients. Just one look in his eyes and he gives you a good taste of what he’s thinking about. Sometimes in speech therapy he gets a look like he wants to punch Val, and then other times it’s like you can see him smiling in his eyes. It’s great to see emotions.

“Praise the Lord. I will give thanks to the LORD with my whole heart, in the company of the upright, in the congregation. Great are the works of the LORD, studied by all who delight in them. Full of splendor and majesty is his work, and his righteousness endures forever. He has caused his wondrous works to be remembered; the LORD is gracious and merciful.”
Psalm 111:1-4

On the way home from the hospital today, a Chris Tomlin song was on the radio that sings about the greatness of our God and His worthiness to be praised. I was reminded of and encouraged by the thought that everything that God does is great. What excitement that should instill in me! The works of the Lord are great and all that He does is “full of splendor and majesty.” Even if I can’t always see it now, Ian’s situation is great. It is ordained by God and is His work-therefore it is full of splendor and majesty. There is no work that is mediocre with God and God will never look back and say, “well, maybe I should’ve handled that situation with Ian differently.” Greatness is His nature. What a blessing to be on the receiving end of that greatness.

Larissa

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