There you were, summer
It’s starting to feel cool again in the breezes of western PA and our silent blog is indicative of a summer that was hopefully spent went but was more often than not spent with me working and Ian graciously watching Netflix. As if that’s really a challenge for him…:)
We’ve vacationed three times with family, toes in the sand at the beach, towels on the tiki bar at the lake, and feet propped on the deck and the mountain lodge.
We’re still working on walking and speech and painting and figuring out what entry into year five of marriage looks like.
We’re praying for what’s next, what God wants to use us for next, and how to fit it in to a life that just needs to be slower because brain injuries just need space to exist.
Thank you, anyone who still reads this and still prays for us.
❤️
L
Mikaela
September 15, 2015 at 3:44 am
Thanks for sharing your journey. It’s been years since I’ve first heard about your love story and for some reason tonight I thought about y’all and wanted to check in and see how God has been on the move. It is evident that God is at work in you both. Keep seeking His will and leading in your lives. His presence is with you!!!
Jorge Vásquez
September 15, 2015 at 4:08 am
Gracias por inspirarnos a seguir adelante, gracias por ser un ejemplo de amor, Larissa, eres un ejemplo de mujer y de fortaleza, desde Perú conocemos tu historia y te admiramos mucho. Un Saludo y un abrazo muy grande a ustedes dos.
Excuse me for not write in English. I don’t write english well
Hasta Luego ¡Bendiciones! 😀
Naomi Jefferis
September 15, 2015 at 4:45 am
I live in Australia & somehow only yesterday just stumbled across your story. It so blessed and touched my heart, true Christ-like love. And yet I have a son with Down Syndrome & 2 daughters with other issues. I know that not all days are easy, but we celebrate and depend on the One who is always faithful. I pray you may be refreshed in the journey and see God’s goodness at every turn. Much love in Christ, Naomi
PS I would love to keep in touch by email
Sarah
September 15, 2015 at 6:09 am
I totally still read this, and look forward to every post. I too am struggling with a loved ones brain injury so much of what you say resonates with me. My daughter had a brain injury as a newborn 10 years ago that we continue to deal with. Life goes on but it’s still painful to this Mama. And I have a very minor brain injury due to brain cancer that we deal with. But like I said, very minor (in comparison). I can’t imagine needing to care for my spouse as you do. You’re a special lady and he’s so lucky to have found you.
Heidi
September 15, 2015 at 3:49 pm
Yes, I still read it!! And yes I kept checking back all summer for the next post!! I just read your book at the beginning of summer. Your story is so special. I have 5 special needs cousins, some more severe than others. And reading your story gave me hope for them.
Mary Ann K.
September 15, 2015 at 6:34 pm
Checking your blog often and still praying.
May God bless your autumn 2015!
Heidi DeSchepper
September 15, 2015 at 11:32 pm
Still reading about you and praying about you often! Thanks for the update!
Enid Waldvogel
September 15, 2015 at 11:32 pm
still read your blog; wait anxiously for each entry; still pray for you both and admire the tenacity of your marriage. Thank you for showing people what marriage vows really mean. I love you both though I’ve never met you.
Briana
September 15, 2015 at 11:35 pm
Still reading. Still thinking of you and Ian and praying for you.
Donna Baughman
September 15, 2015 at 11:37 pm
You two continue to inspire others, simply by being you, and doing life together! Will keep praying (and hoping to see you at She is Brave at The Summit 🙂
Karen Armstrong
September 15, 2015 at 11:38 pm
I just finished your book and was deeply touched by your journey. Thank you so much for continuing to blog… Your marriage is so inspiring and encouraging to me. It really helps me to focus on The Lord and what He wants from our marriages… not my own selfish desires. God bless you two.
Vicki Dunlap
September 15, 2015 at 11:43 pm
Thank you for updates.
Joe Holuta
September 15, 2015 at 11:51 pm
Ian and Larissa
You are an inspiration and so much fun to be around –
Fellowship group is so refreshing with you guys . You are an encouragement to us .
“We don’t yet see things clearly.
We’re squinting in a fog, peering through a mist.
But it won’t be long before the weather clears and the sun shines bright!
We’ll see it all then, see it all as clearly as God sees us, knowing him directly just as he knows us!”
1 Corinthians 13:12 (MSG)
Harald Plannerer
September 15, 2015 at 11:56 pm
I still love to read about the both of you. What an interesting exhausting blessed and special journey this is. I’m deeply encouraged. Greetings from Augsburg, Germany
bettie
September 16, 2015 at 12:25 am
Love your blog!! The progress, the faithfulness, the honesty!! Praying each day is better than the last, much joy and peace!!
Wendy A.
September 16, 2015 at 12:42 am
Still reading your blog, praying for both of you and being amazed at how God has awarded you thru the years!
Dee
September 16, 2015 at 1:04 am
Loved your book. I thought I had rough days in my marriage. Girl, after reading your book, it was like a good kick in the pants. Seriously, the whole message from the book is the roots of how marriages need to be grounded. I was so moved that I passed it through my church. One couple was/is going through a rough season, and I lent them your book. So, you see, God has used you and is still using your situation in ways that you don’t even know. His ways are not our ways…
Happy fall, praying, and God bless you both….Dee.
Jessica
September 16, 2015 at 1:06 am
So glad you write here. I’m still reading and have no plans of stopping.
Suzi
September 16, 2015 at 1:10 am
Keep the hope, Larissa! I will be praying!
Monica
September 16, 2015 at 1:56 am
I also look forward to your every post. My family and I have been praying for you since the day of the accident. (As part of the Cleveland Oh, Sovereign Grace Church). Your story has inspired me & so many to love our spouses disabled or not & to look to Jesus as our source of true satisfaction. I encourage you to continue to write, God has given you an incredible gift of expression & of spreading the gospel through your story. I pray God will richly bless your next steps.
Trudy Abernathy Neill
September 16, 2015 at 1:57 am
I still read when you post and wish for you all the best in the days ahead. I first saw you on tv some time ago….perhaps on James and Betty Robinson program? Both of you are traveling the path in front of you with strength and love…never alone and supported far more than you know.
Deborah Perry
September 16, 2015 at 2:12 am
I am always happy when I see you have posted again. You are such an inspiration to me. God is using you in a wonderful way to encourage others. I pray that God will bless you in wonderful ways.
Lettie Kirkpatrick Burress
September 16, 2015 at 3:31 am
We are in year four of very slow massive stroke “recovery” – Phil’s group is “Pray-ers for Phil” on facebook. You encourage us and I have recommended your book as well as written a contracted devotion mentioning your story. I understand that sometimes we wonder what more there is to say. Long term is very different . Hang on, you two, it’s what we try to do as well. Blessings http://www.writingforhim.com
erika
September 16, 2015 at 3:52 am
love and prayers!! Keep writing!! You are loved!
Elisabeth
September 16, 2015 at 3:55 am
Still reading. Praying for you right now!
Kat
September 16, 2015 at 4:16 am
We’re still here! 🙂
Megan Hartshorn
September 16, 2015 at 6:05 am
I still read your blog too, Larissa!! I come check in every week or two… always keeping you and Ian in prayer. I have been following you all since the early days… blessings to you in the month on September and the beginnings of fall.
Drew Hampshire
September 16, 2015 at 12:40 pm
Time out is time well spent to recharge and rest in Him-a summer Sabbath! Welcome back.
abigail deon
September 16, 2015 at 1:36 pm
Your words are still such an encouragement to many. I hope you were filled to overflowing at the IF:Local conference.
Sarah
September 16, 2015 at 5:07 pm
Still check in and still praying for you guys. Your life has been such an encouragement to me. So many women want to give up on their marriage but you dove head first into one that would be marked by difficulty, and you did it out of love and obedience to God and a genuine love for your hubby. It may not get easier but it most defiantly will get better with Jesus in the equation!
Glad you had a great summer. Welcoming fall with many thanksgivings
Catherine Knapp
September 17, 2015 at 8:04 am
I definitely still read this. I think Enid has pretty much said what I would like to say. Thank you Ian and Larissa. God bless you both for living out the Word.
Michael Kempen
September 17, 2015 at 11:21 am
Your marriage is inspirational. It showcases Jesus’ glory. After reading your book I was left in awe of how God takes people such as youreselves through difficult and life changing experiences for his glory and our transformation. I pray that our Father God will continue to pour out his mercy, healing and encouragement on you both. Blessings from Australia
jill
September 18, 2015 at 2:12 am
definitely still check in here to see your posts. always enjoy the challenge of your posts and the encouragement and inspiration your story arouses. prayers for you all!
September
September 18, 2015 at 4:32 am
Thank you for posting, Ian & Larissa! I first heard about your story through Desiring God and was so touched by your devotion to each other. I wanted to learn more and was so excited when your book was the free audiobook of the month on ChristianAudio. I listened every spare minute I had for days, and was so blessed by the beautiful example that your marriage is of a covenant relationship. You are a bright and shining light to a hurting world. May God bless you both as you continue to grow together and seek His will in your journey. It is a privilege to pray for such a dear couple.
Dóra Bálint
September 21, 2015 at 6:03 am
I’m reading your blog from Hungary, have been doing so ever since I discovered it about 2 years ago. Your faith inspires me and I love how you write. You really have a talent with words and conveying God’s love for us.
I’ve experienced nothing like you have but your story and the way you deal with Ian and his injury is something to think about especially for me as a newlywed. I have a lot to learn about love and faith and I thank you for teaching me by your example.
Tessa
September 22, 2015 at 3:47 am
Thank you for posting again. I too have look forward to your updates & got excited when I saw that you wrote again. I keep your website saved as a bookmark on my toolbar of my browser to remind me to check in with you and Ian to see what you’re up to & what the Lord continues to teach you as it does indeed serve as an encouragement to others to press on in faith in reliance on Jesus Christ daily. 🙂 Love to you and yours, though I too have never met you in person.
Liberty
September 22, 2015 at 4:23 pm
Thanks for the update 🙂 I’m glad to hear that your guys’ quiet blog is a reflection of busy lives lived on the other end. And sometimes time spent well equals taking care of the practical things in life. Not always inspiring but as necessary for you as for the rest of us.
Please know that you’re both still being brought before our Father daily in prayer by fellow believers and that blogging often or not, that will continue. The Lord’s grace and peace to you.
Heather
September 23, 2015 at 12:48 pm
I just finished listening to your book Eight Twenty Eight, and really was blessed. Thank you for showing a Godly marriage. I have a very wonderful marriage to a very wonderful Godly man, but your book and your posts still encourage me to get my eyes off myself as they can often, and to be all that the Lord wants me to be for my spouse. Thank you. May the Lord bless you richly. I will be checking and reading your blog now – it is not just going out into cyberspace to be read by nobody. 🙂 It is going out and blessing many.
Thank you again!
Love,
Heather
Suzanne B.
September 30, 2015 at 3:23 pm
I still read this and still pray for you both. 🙂 You are both a great encouragement to my walk with the Lord.
Hannah Bergstrom
October 1, 2015 at 6:03 am
Indeed I still read your blog regularly since seeing the video clip. The beauty of Christ shines through your lives. May the Lord continue to be your strength and guide. love to you.
Anna
October 4, 2015 at 11:30 am
Still following and being encouraged by what you share. Thank you!
I’ll be praying that you find the answers and directions from God that you are seeking
Madelaine F.
October 6, 2015 at 1:58 am
Yes, I still check your blog and pray for you. I always wait for a new post. God has not forgotten you, and He will walk with you through EVERY stage of life. God bless you.
Judy Phelps
October 6, 2015 at 4:57 pm
Your story – past, present and future – has had a tremendous impact on me. Your brave and joyful commitment to God’s purposes continues to be an inspiration. About a year ago I bought one of Ian’s paintings – just yesterday I FINALLY took it to be framed! I am so excited to have this beautiful painting in my home and to be reminded every time I look at it that “for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” I’ll try to send you a picture of the framed painting . . . if I can figure out how to do it 🙂
Jennifer
October 9, 2015 at 5:27 pm
Every so often God brings you to my mind and I check your blog to see if you have
written anything new. Thank you for always pointing us to truth, and to Christ.
Nothing will ever be perfect this side of heaven – but we have Christ and his promise
to walk us through every step of the way until we make it home to Him. Praying for joy
and peace for you both.
Jennifer
October 10, 2015 at 2:27 am
Hello Larissa,
I have your blog bookmarked and I check it a few times a month. I, too, am living a life I would not have chosen and because of your relentless grip on Jesus’ goodness, I find it encouraging to hear how you live yours. Don’t write for us, though. Write if it feeds your soul. Thank you for being part of my 1 Peter 5:9 family.
Your sister in Jesus,
Jennifer
Adrian Edward
October 12, 2015 at 12:00 pm
Always reading and praying for you both. I tell of your story often and remind people of what true love really looks like, when Christ is at the center. Never forget how many people you are reaching.