Greetings Family & Friends,

It is with utmost thanksgiving to God and appreciation for you that we post this final entry regarding Joel’s recovery.  

On August 11, 2023, we celebrated the one-year mark of Joel’s injury.  That was a big day—a day of reflection, praise, and prayer.  We reflected on and praised God for His goodness to ordain and work all for His and our good, His faithfulness to continue to heal Joel, His abundant grace lavished on us during the dark early weeks of recovery, His sustaining providence over the practical strategies of Joel’s recuperation, His hope for Joel’s future yet to unfold, and His presence in the vicissitudes of life-changing circumstances.  As undoubtedly you all know, prayer is the fuel in our engine.  Charles Spurgeon explained it this way: “To pray is to enter the treasure-house of God and to gather riches out of an inexhaustible storehouse.”  We continue, as children of God, somedays confidently and somedays weakly, to approach the mercy seat only to find an indefatigable source of grace and mercy in our time of need.  Prayer, equally is a place of praise along with petition.  So we praise God for His unexplainable goodness to us in healing Joel, and we petition for those whose story isn’t as (yet) hope-filled as ours.  We remember, in particular, two TBI survivors we’ve come to know who still struggle immensely with their injury from the fall, 2022.  And you, likewise, surely will remain in prayer for those surrounding you with need and travail.  Thank you for your faithfulness!

A few days before Joel’s anniversary, the Baylor University application opened…so he’s working on that now.  We will press on taking recommended steps to help Joel in his second year of recovery (doctors say he needs two years to heal), and in the meantime, rejoice at the opportunity to complete a college application. As well, Joel’s looking forward to his senior year, continuing his classes at Trinity Preparatory Academy and enrolled in two courses at Tarrant County College, pressing on with piano, and training for a local sprint triathlon in October.  Mostly, however, Joel’s emerged from his injury with a heightened fervor for spiritual inquiry—eager to grow in his commitment to Christ and knowledge of the Word and asking a hundred discriminating questions to try to sort out what God calls His:) 

Thank you, thank you, thank you.  We couldn’t have come through this treacherous journey without your help.  Each of you out there, those close by and those we’ve never met, has been a thread in this fabric of hope woven in divine providence.  We will always be grateful for your role—your invaluable, holy role in our lives—guiding us from the valley onto higher ground where we could look up and see…

May God bless you in countless ways in return for your generosity shown to our family.  God is so so good!