Well, it's official. We will be moving to a house right off of Leonard and moving day will be Saturday, April 14th. Josh will be coming home to the new house the following Friday. We are prepping the kids for the move and they seem to be handling it well so far. Zoe wanted to know how we are going to move the kitchen into our new house and offered to carry her sippy cup. I went out with my mom and Zoe tonight and bought some bunk beds for the kids that will be delivered prior to the move. We saw some friends from Spring Lake Wesleyan Church and met someone who knew of our situation and has been praying for us. It's amazing how God works.
Which brings me to my next bit of news. Spring Lake Wesleyan had an offering for us to raise money for a van last week Sunday. The goal was to raise $60,000. We all thought this sounded like a lofty goal, but I should never doubt the power of prayer, the power of God, or the power of people who have a heart for God. They announced yesterday that the total raised from one day alone was $70,500. We were absolutely amazed and beyond thankful. How do you express to a massive group of people how much you appreciate this? We do not even know most of the people who gave for this. God really used them and for that we can only thank God and the people who put so much work into raising the awareness. We can also thank each and every person who donated- from the kids who raised money by collecting pop cans to the people who gave more than they could afford. Wow!
Another bit of news that we are very excited about: the last few days Josh has been regaining some sensation in the last three fingers on each hand. This would officially mean he is regaining things at the C-7 level of his injury. Kristy (PT) seemed very encouraged by this which in turn encourages us. We are praying that God is bringing back the use of his fingers so that he can play his guitar to worship and increase his level of independence.
We are starting to feel a lot of pressure as heading home looms closer. We are extremely excited and trying hard to not be nervous. Starting next Monday, Josh's adaptive equipment such as lifts and shower chairs will start to be delivered. This also means that money is starting to be spent quickly. We are so thankful and how much God has provided thus far and know that he knows our needs more than even we do. We serve an awesome God!
I wanted to take a moment and say thank you to all of you who sent birthday cards and gifts for my 30th, and all of you who have so faithfully provided for Ephram. What you are all doing is amazing. I would love to take about 5 MONTHS of writing thank you notes, but I am pleading overexhaustion. Please know how thankful we are and accept my apology that I am not sending out personal thank you's. My plate is obviously quite full and I am trying to be smart about how I spend the extra few minutes I have every day. Know you are appreciated.
Josh had a great day today. He spent over half an hour working at getting a coat on and off. It was not easy to say the least. He needed some assistance but did very well overall. The life skills they are teaching him seem so demoralizing at times, but he is fighting for every ounce of independence he can muster. His teeth have become an extension of his hands as he works to get things on and off. It seems silly to use your teeth to get your arm in your coat but hey, it works!
Please be praying for us over this next week and a half as we get things ready for the move. Nothing has been started in the area of packing and we have a ton of ground to cover. Pray that God provided the right people to help and the energy to complete the job so Josh does not have to worry.
We have also decided that for the first few months home, we will be hiring nursing care for about 2 hours a morning. During this two hours, he will have help taking a shower, using the bathroom and getting dressed. This is a surprisingly huge job and neither of us feel I am up to the task. After Ephram comes and I am feeling good again, we will hit this journey without extra help. Please pray that God brings the right people to this job, that we can afford it and that it comes together quickly. Josh feels much more comfortable hiring this out that asking friends and family to do this for him. If it makes Josh feel more "human" and less like a burden to everyone around him, I am willing to make it happen no matter what. He has lost so much already, and I will not all his self-respect to be depleted anymore because of it. He his still the same man inside, the same guy who likes to worship God and hang out with his buddies and he would rather his close friends do not have to help him use the bathroom every morning and things like that. I can respect that and try to make this happen. God has provided thus far, I'm not going to start doubting him now!
Prayer Requests:
-TOTAL HEALING!!!
-Nursing help and the whole moving situation
-More sensation in his fingers leading to movement of his fingers!
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