Kaitlin's "debut" {A post written by Kait}

I cannot possibly start this post with anything other than the biggest thank you I can summon. Each and every one of you has blessed me and my family immensely and I am grateful for your continued support and encouragement.

As my "debut" back into the community, I wanted to share with you a few details of my life at Craig, as well as what The Lord is teaching me through each trial, change, and victory I face.

My life here is full of transfers, walks, weight lifting, aerobics, showers, classes, dressing, balance drills and more. Although many of these things seem simple and trivial, the most important thing to remember is that everything I do is powered by only my upper body.

From the armpits down, all I can feel is a heavy weight. This weight is carried by each push with my arms up a steep hill. I drag it behind me as I transfer back onto my bed from my chair and painstakingly lift each leg onto the mattress. I feel it when I want to turn over at night, but don't have the power to do so. Although this weight that I carry poses challenges each day, The Lord has already begun to use it to give me a greater understanding of the gospel and his grace, and I am confident that this is only the beginning of His work.

When you think about it, my spinal cord injury has served to create an interesting metaphor for the gospel and God's grace. My lower body has fully functioning muscles, tendons, organs, and bones; yet while it is set up to work and move the way it was intended to, it instead proves to be a useless pile of tissue that fumbles aimlessly at any attempt to work properly. And why? Because it lacks connection. Just as before Jesus, we lacked connection to God, so my lower body now lacks a connection to my brain. The result of a disconnect is the loss of all purpose and function...and the solution is Jesus.

What a reminder to carry each day in the weight of my lower body. I feel its worthlessness. I feel its dysfunction. I feel its stubborn resistance. Jesus chose to come and save THAT. While we were dead in worthless dysfunction and stubborn resistance, He came to give us a connection. He wants to know us and be near us badly enough that he sacrificed himself for that "useless pile of tissue" that I carry daily. Now when I transfer or wheel up a hill, it's easier to see GRACE above struggle or pain; and I am daily blessed by this powerful reminder.

Ultimately we are assured in scripture that our flesh receives life through none other than the Holy Spirit. Romans 8:11 tells us that, "If the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead lives in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his spirit who lives in you." My body (no matter what shape it is in) has been given LIFE through the spirit. What a glorious gift!

Thanks for taking the time to glance a little further into my life since the accident. Please know that you all continue to serve as a blessing of encouragement from Jesus that inspires me to live each day in a way that is glorifying to Him. I am looking forward to writing more updates in the future, but until then, I am grateful for your continued prayers for strength, determination, and growth as I complete my therapies here at Craig.

All my love,
Kaitlin

A post from Kait's Dad

I am Kaitlin’s Dad. A heartfelt thank you to all of you who have encouraged us through prayer, meals, emails, texts, errands, financial contributions…..it’s been truly humbling.  Kaitlin’s accident has been the most incredibly painful and terrifying experience in my life.  I can’t imagine going through something like this without the miraculous power of love and community provided by our Creator.  

Kaitlin is quite an encourager for fellow patients.  She continues to “pressure” them to show up for our Broncos parties, so we had another great time yesterday afternoon.  Kaitlin is now allowed off campus from Craig Hospital.  She’s been home a few times with John (I heard it felt wonderful to help clean the kitchen), and she’s been to the movie theater, as well as out to dinner.  I can only imagine how encouraging it must be to get out and do something “normal”.  She is working so hard at Craig with great courage and determination.  I’m so proud of her.  I’m also tremendously proud of John and his devotion to his sweet bride.  Many decisions about house renovations are taking place.  We are praying for the work to start soon so that Kaitlin can have complete independence when she returns home, hopefully sometime in mid-November.       

We are constantly uplifted and encouraged by your prayer support.  Jesus used many parables to teach his disciples.  One such parable was about praying without giving up.  His example told about a widow who kept pleading for justice from a judge who neither feared God nor cared about men.  For some time the judge refused, but finally he said “even though I don’t fear God or care about men, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will give her justice”.  Jesus said “will not God bring about justice for His chosen ones, who cry out to Him day and night?  Will He keep putting them off?”     

With that in mind, I pray for my sweet daughter day and night.  Please join me in praying for her broken vertebrae to fuse correctly.  Please pray for her spinal cord to heal, one neuron at a time.  I was on my knees praying in the hospital chapel during Kaitlin’s neurosurgery. I prayed for a healing miracle, and I continue praying for that miracle every day.  God has provided steady healing, and I’m not giving up in asking for walking legs.  He has made it crystal clear to me that He plans to magnify His Kingdom through this, and miracles beyond my imagination will take place.  I refuse to give up my hope and faith, and will patiently and excitedly wait to see what the miracles will look like.

We have all been wounded in some way by this accident.  I constantly rely on an eternal perspective for strength and hope.  God promises we will all be made perfect in Heaven.  There will be no more tears.  I envision ski slopes beyond imagination, incredible mountains to climb, trout streams galore, and we’ll be made new to enjoy them forever.  I call on the words of the apostle Paul when he wrote “do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your request to God.  And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.  Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable – if anything is excellent or praiseworthy, think about such things.  And the God of peace will be with you”.

Thank you for your love, caring and compassion.  Please continue to join me in prayer for a better tomorrow for Kaitlin.  

Mark

"Only in You"

Those of you who read this blog know that our lives are saturated with the gospel of Jesus Christ.  As we go through this difficult season, we are reminded constantly of the importance of fixing our eyes on God and relying on him for salvation.  This morning, Brian [our pastor at Park Church Denver] preached a message on John 3 & Ezekiel 36 which drove home this point. Both these scriptures speak of the utter importance of being made new through Jesus Christ. Jesus came to this earth, died the death on the cross that we deserve and rose again three days later so that we could be born again. He did not send Jesus to give us instructions to make ourselves better or to tweak our characters and lives to somehow make our time here on earth easy...He sent His only son to cleanse us, wash us clean and point us to Him so that we might know God & find eternal life in Him. He tells us to find the beauty & value in longing for the Kingdom of God. We need to look no further than the cross to see the extremity of God's love for us.

Our family believes that we all stand condemned before God, but that through our belief that Jesus takes our sin upon his shoulders we are reconciled to God.  This gives us an eternal hope that is not dependent on circumstance, a holy crutch that gives us the freedom to be weak without giving up, and a genuine affection for a God that is so loving, that he sent his own son as a sacrifice for our screw ups {John 3:16}... pretty amazing.

In the video below, Daniel is singing this beautiful song called "Only in You"... written by one of our incredibly talented best friends, Josh Storie. Josh wrote this song in light of the season that John & Kait are in right now after hearing a sermon preached on Psalm 22 {we encourage you to read it!} & generously gave us permission to post it on youtube/the blog to share with all of you. Our prayer is that you will find peace this evening, going in to another crazy week, in the absolutely sovereignty of the God of the universe. That you will find your hope only in Him! That you will see the love that is so evident in the gospel.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=30g8CR5C38A&feature=youtu.be


Only in You:
Written by Josh Storie
Sung by Daniel Thompson

I can't see through the rain

But I know that you're near

The sky is dark and the wind, it blows. 

But I know I have nothing to fear.

Because I can call on your name

And you won't hide your face

So I will praise your name in the midst of the storm.

Knowing you don't love me less and you can't love me more

Than you do right now

So may I be found only in you

I can't see past today

But I know that you're there

And at times it may feel like I'm on my own

But my burden you gladly bare 

So I will call on your name

Because you won't hide your face

And I will praise your name in the midst of the storm.

Knowing you don't love me less and you can't love me more

Than you do right now

So may I be found only in you

Only in you, I find my rest, my righteousness

Only in you, my hope and peace, eternally

Only in you, only in you

And I will praise your name in the midst of the storm.

Knowing you don't love me less and you can't love me more

Than you do right now

So may I be found only in you

Love, Carolyn, John & Daniel (writing this post as a team tonight...roomies!)

Strong in Faith, Body & Will

A brief e-mail from my Dad sent to the families yesterday that I wanted to share with you all as I thought it was a good update of where Kait is right now in her recovery....

_______________________

Family, I know everyone is fully engaged at work, but I had to write you about how encouraging it was to watch Kait this morning as she had her first experience with the stimulus bike in Craig’s Peak Gym. So cool to see her feet strapped into this bike pumping her legs. With no knee brace on anymore both legs are churning just fine. The sedentary bike measured that she went a little over 4 miles in distance, and Kait was so tired when it finished that she could hardly keep her eyes open. (I’m not kidding, her eyes were closing involuntarily she was so exhausted). She must have been on overload, having full circulation to 100% of her body. I’m sure her body was happy and sad all in the same moment. It’s hard to imagine having your legs not flexing for over 30 days then suddenly engaging again. Sue was still with her when we got back to her room, so she can say if she sacked out immediately or not. I’m pretty certain the girl ate a solid lunch, since she had her normally rough workout of Be Fit class, PT, OT and THEN finished with the bike! It was so cool to watch.  I’m not sure that Kait realizes how much she learns and improves every day. As I watched her shift in the chair, move with balance, an roll her chair up that nasty ramp leaving the gym, it occurred to me that she’s changing every day- and getting stronger. It blows me away that her muscles are working perfectly but the signal from her brain can’t communicate back and forth with her lower extremities to make them work.  It also makes me realize how diligent we need to be in prayer, that God will allow her spinal cord to knit together in a miraculous way. But I remain so hopeful, since this girl is a fighter, strong in faith, body and will.

Love you guys,
Tom

________________________

Happy 4 Month Anniversary!

John and Kait got to celebrate their 4 month wedding anniversary yesterday. John-being the thoughtful husband that he is-brought some of their dishes from home, got Kait's favorite meal from her favorite restaurant delivered and made the night really special. These two lovebirds are madly in love and thankful for their life together. 

Broncos Party!

Picture credit: Tom "the pro" Wanberg 

Believe in a Better Tomorrow

Good morning sweet friends & family-

We had Kaitlin's initial meeting at Craig with the team that has been working with her and our family yesterday & wanted to share some of the major themes with you all.

Praises:

• The doctor asked Kait what they can be doing better for her & she said "nothing!"
• Kaitlin came in with a lot of medical issues that are now cleared up. Her body is healing.
• Time is still on her side-most recovery happens in the first 6 months, but can take up to a few years. In some cases, even longer!
• Her blood counts are normal.
• Kait is getting off medication faster than the majority of patients that have the same time frame as her.
• Her skin is looking pretty good. She has a tiny pressure sore, but it is looking much better and she should not have long term skin issues if she is diligent about her weight shifts & skin checks.
• Kait is being referred to Craig's driving program by her OT.
• In PT, Kait's car transfers are going very well and soon she will have her pass to leave campus in a car and go wherever she wants! 
• Today she should be getting a better wheelchair that she is more comfortable in and that fits her better.
• Her knee brace should come off in the next couple weeks and this will REALLY open up possibilities in her PT time.
• Joe (her PT) says that her balance has been AMAZING.
• Her rec therapist said they are working on getting her back involved in some of her favorite activities-hiking, shooting, etc.
• Her discharge date is set for the time being around November 14th...in time for Thanksgiving!
• People who have community like Kaitlin does almost ALWAYS do better with this kind of injury. You are helping her to heal!

Prayers:

• Kait's goal: to live fully independently and normally. She doesn't want John to have to do normal things for her and she wants to drive a car. 
• There is still a baby bit of fluid in her left lung-pray that this clears up!
• There are 5 types of spinal injury. Kait right now is a type A...which is the most severe because she still hasn't regained feeling back below her injury line. Pray that this quickly changes!
• Pray for her nerves to reattach around the injury (see picture below). Both of these patients are a type A just like Kaitlin. The injury is the black dot on both patients. In the patient on the left, once the damaged nerves around the injury begin to heal, there is a much greater chance of the nerves reattaching because there is space for them to go around the injury. The patient on the right will not ever have nerves reattach because the span of the injury is too wide-even after the damaged nerves around the injury heal. There is no way to tell which patient Kaitlin is...we are praying for the patient on the left! 
• Pray that she gets moved to the East side of Craig. This is where the beds are bigger (so John could stay) and she doesn't have a roommate. Plus she would have a window! This would be HUGE for both John and Kaitlin.
• Pray for the small blood clot that is still in her leg. They still aren't worried about it, but we don't want it to get worse!
• Pray that she would continue to have the mental and physical strength to fight hard in PT and OT.
• Pray for our families...we are trying just like Kait and John are to be in the moment, and to believe in a better tomorrow.

We appreciate you and know that you are walking with us in this. Thank you for praying! It truly is the support we need the most. We are desperate for your prayers.

Love,

Carolyn (& the rest of the Rice/Wanberg family)