7/26/15 (Autumn)

an update from Scott, Autumn’s dad, and a special video you all will definitely want to see.

“Last Friday, exactly 11 weeks from the accident, Autumn came home from the hospital! She has been so excited to come home for many days leading up to this last Friday. When Cinnamon and I arrived that morning around 10AM she already had all of her belongings, gifts, and wall pictures organized and ready to go. Wow, I can’t describe how wonderful it feels to have her back home in her own room we prepared for her. She loves being with her siblings and sleeping in her new bed. Another step towards “normal” life was attending our church service this morning. Autumn has been looking forward to this for some time as well. It was special to praise our God for what He has done.

This last week she has also cherished getting to see Elijah a few evenings. Because of her injury, she doesn’t have the depth of emotion that one would expect but she clearly cares for him and has been praying for his recovery daily. They have talked about days prior to the accident as well as stories of recovery. Elijah has conveyed his touching support for her by saying he is not giving up on her. She likewise has supported Elijah, and told him this week that God had spared them and that He has a plan for them. What an amazing journey we’ve been on. I feel that while God has been restoring her body these last few months, He has also been restoring our hearts from the deep valleys we have traveled. The heartache was severe and the pain was real. But our God has been faithful to bring us out of that pit and into a place of joy and thanksgiving.

If you are in a place of struggle, or a time of questioning God… I do understand that life can be hard. I have found that sometimes emotions and pain cannot be defined by words. I can say from our experience that indeed life is painful, but God is very real. When He says He will walk through the valley of the shadow of death with you, He means it; it’s a promise. Cinnamon and I have been reminded that, as strong as we think we are, we will never heal until we allow God to flood our hearts and restore us with strength we could never have.

This is God’s story, not ours and we are not about to highjack it and make it about us. Yes we are real people involved in a real plan, but God is the one who is able to sustain us on this journey. God gave Autumn to us 19 years ago and He has been gracious to give us more time with her. I have always believed that our responsibility as parents is to get our children ready to be effective world changers for Christ. What I wasn’t ready for is the script that God has laid out for her to accomplish that. That’s certainly not how I would have directed it, but God has a plan and we are humbled to be a part of it.

I put together a video of Autumn’s progress for you to see just what God has done these last 3 months. It’s been a great way for us to remember the power of His healing and the miracles we have seen. I hope you enjoy it. Please continue to pray. This marks a big milestone in Autumn’s recovery but she has much more therapy to tackle this year and into next year. Please pray for her eyesight that doesn’t seem to be getting much better as of now. Also pray for her depth of cognitive ability and emotion which seem to have a long way to go. I leave you with this from God’s word which sums up our response to Him…

“Shout for joy to God, all the earth! Sing the glory of his name; make his praise glorious. Say to God, ‘How awesome are your deeds! So great is your power that your enemies cringe before you. All the earth bows down to you; they sing praise to you, they sing praises of your name.’ Praise our God, all peoples, let the sound of his praise be heard; he has preserved our lives and kept our feet from slipping. For you God tested us; you refined us like silver. You brought us into prison and laid burdens on our backs. You let people ride over our heads; we went through fire and water, but you brought us to a place of abundance. Praise be to God, who has not rejected my prayer or withheld his love from me!” Psalm 66:1-4, 8-12, 20.

~ Scott