Dear Prayer Warriors,
Our summer remains covered by grace and filled with the joy of raising children. That is why I have found it hard to stop and write. Here's a little slice of our life:
The homeschool co-op starts in early September so we are eager to plan out Simon's first month of schooling as it coincides with Victor's birth. Simon is starting Kindergarten. For Anna we are still trying to teach her to grab and hold things in her hand and utilizing the eye-gaze device. Lindsey also serves as her Paraprofessional during class time at the co-op. One thing I love about homeschooling is that the curiosity switch is always on, and a lesson often instantly spun from one random question. You don't go to a building to "learn"; teaching is as fluid as our dad jokes around here.
Simon hopes to learn to play chess and the piano this year as well. Have you ever noticed the closeness of music to the heart of the Lord in Scripture? Speaking tongues may be the angelic language but the saint's language is singing! O what pleasure it must bring to God a hymn of praise. All the while washing out the cobwebs of fear and sin in our hearts, adding an arsenal of melodious Truth to the mind. I find it more pressing to teach my kids music and singing unto the Lord.
Renee delights in her ways. She stops at nothing to receive undivided attention. Renee is confirming her role as a brazen, fearless two year old. Her continuous testing of boundaries paired with ceaseless energy can turn any amount of sugar into an opportunity for discipline. She is working on potty skills and her words are increasing daily. I remind her that she needs to be more aware of the world around her and not just do as she pleases. I have to repeat myself so much with her it's tempting to raise my voice. All in all Renee can be tiring but she is so lovely.
God has given us so much grace through the saints who have loved, cared, and encouraged us. This makes me think of the rich blessing of having an army of prayer warriors to intercede on our behalf. Thank you. Our summer has been filled with good things. We knocked out home improvement projects with the help of a handy couple from church who bring excellent work with the love of Christ. Grandma from Washington visited, we hosted grandma French's 82 birthday. Our summer has been filled with good things from big (like 11 years of marriage) to small (homemade Greek Gyros). We even squeezed in bumper boats and go carts. None of this would have been possible if Anna’s surgery hadn’t gone so well.
Before I get into Anna's update. I wanted to share with you a special event we had at our house this summer. For about a year Simon has been planning to open a cafe in our house called Best Cafe. We could think of no better way to inaugurate Best Cafe then when we hosted Kevan Chandler and the We Carry Kevan team. You may remember years ago we bought a backpack that had customizations for carrying our cerebral palsy daughter on hikes. This is that company, it meant so much to us that they wanted to meet Anna. In essence they go where wheelchairs can't, carrying their 30-something year old team leader on their back. With a mission to bless families like us with possibilities we thought impossible. In case it isn't clear, Jesus is at the foundation of this team. So praise God for such heroics, and now they call us friends! They have over 500 backpacks in 100+ countries for people like Anna. They have a bold book and two documentaries to spread their message. As a dad, I'm inspired to dream how God will continue to use Anna to draw people to him like He used the Chandler family.
We've had our share of surprises stemming from Anna's surgery now 3 months ago. Two of Anna's most hard fought milestones have been wiped out without any warning. She can no longer roll from her back to her belly. Nor can she sit criss-cross-applesauce and plant her hands on the mat to sit independently anymore. As parents we were a bit heartbroken over these developments especially as we inquired with the surgeon for accountability and they told us she may never be able to do that again, or that "it was possibly her dislocated hips that were allowing her to do that." Another surprise was that Anna’s surgery widened her hips by two inches preventing her from fitting in her wheelchair anymore. We were not prepared for this hurdle. We finally removed the leg braces and the wedge but we were still stuck at home with no suitable chair. God provided before it became a request I came to you all with. A family in the Springs had an extra chair just the right size for us, they gave it to us. So we have been running ever since, praise God. We also ordered another chair custom fit for Anna. We are waiting on insurance and the medical equipment company to follow through on this.
On Tuesday of last week we found out that a night nurse named Lilliana is taking our case!! After 7 months of praying, right before baby number four, God provided! Thank you for asking God for us, for so long, He knows our needs! She is not the only new person joining Anna's care community. We have a new PT named Leslie who started today and a new Speech therapist named Sandy. All showing much eagerness and hope for Anna's abilities. We are going to try and get those milestones back! Another huge difference maker has been Billie-Jo. She joined us about a month ago as a housekeeper and respite provider. What excellent care she brings with a joyful attitude! We are in a place of thanksgiving for all these positions being filled. It is humbling to know how our every need is still being met as we wait on the Lord. Plus God is using Anna to bless these workers, may the fragrance of the Gospel be pleasant to all who enter our home to help us!!
Lastly please know that we are less than a month away from Victor's due date. We are confident that this unfolding of events will bring glory to God. Though uncertain with the "how" on our end, we are eager to see exactly how the Lord will lead us through this mountain top of new birth. We can't wait to marvel at how God will put His signature on this event and place in our hands such a beloved gift from Him.
Please pray for:
- Our new Physical therapist and a Speech Therapist for Anna. Pray for wisdom. May God challenge them to bring excellence in engaging and pushing Anna, people with strategy for gains in her abilities, not just people doing preventative “maintenance” care.
- Praise the Lord for night nurse Lilliana, she just got her nursing license so pray that God would build her up, and that she would love her first patient Anna and remain teachable.
- Can we ask for a second night nurse? We have 4 nights covered. May the Lord bring the right person to ease our nights as Victor will require our night attention too.
- Continued bone bonding and muscle strengthening. Post surgery Anna continues to be doing great! May God bring the cut pieces together without interference from her spasticity.
- Insurance to pay for the surgery and for a larger size wheelchair. Through the years We have volleyed so much with insurance that these processes don’t get us worked up very much anymore. they are “making sure this wasn’t an accident” that caused Anna's dislocated hips. In truth they are trying to make Anna’s secondary insurance Medicaid pick up the bill. But they sound so immoral along the way. Remember they denied her wheelchair calling it "unnecessary."
- baby Victor to flip. Victor has been in the breech position for two months now making natural birth impossible unless he switches to head first position, we are 3 weeks from the due date. It is Lindsey’s aim to avoid a c-section if possible. Pray that the Lord would bless the day of his birth.
- preparedness before school starts, for lesson planning and worksheets for Simon's start of Kindergarten and for Anna's engagement in schoolwork. May the Lord guide us and open doors as we lean on some of the other homeschool families.
- Guidance
on planning paternal leave. My work will provide as much time as we need
for Victor's birth. But I recently learned that the paternity leave pay
was from the same allotment as the family medical leave that I took for
Anna's surgery. Pray for wisdom and direction to determine how much time
we need off, we have saved up some vacation time and also have saved funds
in anticipation of this time. By God's grace and provision we will be good.
- Lindsey to hear the Lord's peace and live in the strength He provides, she still has to lift Anna, run after Renee, reason with Simon, and birth Victor.
