The offerings for the van were taken at Spring Lake Wesleyan yesterday. All I heard was that it went very well and they are still waiting for a final count. We are beyond thankful for the support this church has given to us. They are an amazing church of prayer and faith! The van will be arriving from California tomorrow as far as we know. It has many things that need to be modified on it. The lift will be added, chairs made to be removable, wheelchair locks installed and many other modifications made. When Josh is ready to learn how to drive again, it will be modified to allow for that. We are thinking he may be ready to start training for that in 6-8 months. Pretty shocking if you ask me. He is excited to start the process but knows he has to get stronger before he is ready. Until then, I will be his designated chauffeur.
Josh spent some time outside today in the beautiful spring day learning how to maneuver his wheelchair through some difficult areas. MFB has an outdoor obstacle course to practice ramps, turns and even has a slalom course. The slalom did not work too well because the bushes were a bit overgrown! :-)
We had an interview with a man from the GR Press who is the religion editor. Hopefully it turns out to be a good article. It is nice to feel like a writer wants to get the real story and not just heresy. He is also coming back later this week to see Josh in therapy. We are encouraged by any opportunity to get the word out about Josh and the hope we have that many others do not. You never know how the article will turn out but the man we talked to was obviously a man of God.
We are still trying to figure out our living situation for when Josh comes home. The closer it gets the more Josh feels he will struggle if we move back home. He has a really hard time imagining his bedroom, bathroom and everything else taking place in the dining room. We both feel like we could handle it for about 3 months but if we are going to build something, 3 months is a very optimistic estimate. I went and looked at a house for sale that is barrier free and has a roll in shower that would be perfect for Josh. The house is pretty expensive but thought we'd at least take a look. It was a definite no after looking at it. It is huge but has only 2 bedrooms and not layed out to add any additional bedrooms on the main floor. It would also take additional money to get it into shape for our kids. I feel good knowing a definitive answer. We are continuing to look for land and are praying that God makes his plans clear for us when he is ready to reveal them (hopefully sooner rather than later). Josh is due to come home in 3 and a half weeks and we are unsure about many things.
Josh had a chance to spend some time with the kids while I was out looking at the house for sale. Noah was being a bit of a stinker and it was nice for Josh to be able to be the only parent available and discipline Noah. I reminds both Noah and Josh of the role he still plays in Noah's life. I think it was also good for Josh after the experiences with Noah yesterday and Saturday. It's amazing how God supplies the opportunity for Josh to feel like he is an integral part of Noah's life right after we asked people to pray yesterday for the situation. We serve a very powerful God.
Well, I go in tomorrow to apply for Medicaid, and about every other public assistance program under the sun. Please pray that it goes smoothly and that we qualify for the things we really need. God bless.
Prayer Requests:
-TOTAL HEALING!!!!!!!
-Josh's triceps
-guidance in the decisions we are making for our living situation
