From David...

Walking, walking, walking!!

Wow, I’m walking! How good is our God?! This is the first time that I have had the opportunity to write on our blog. And I know there is no way I will be able to express in writing everything that my wife can. But for some reason this week I felt motivated to give the update. I can’t thank you all enough for the prayer and support that you have given me through this entire ordeal. We are so blessed to have people out there who understand the power of God and know that He works miracles. I have felt your prayers. WE have felt your prayers and it has carried us through the hardest time of our lives. Thank you so much!
I wanted to write the update for a couple reasons. I wanted to thank you allyou’re your prayer and support, but also to give you a little perspective from my side of the story. Celia has done a wonderful job of giving you all details, but I want to tell you about what I was feeling and am feeling.

I have never in my life been more terrified than I was when I woke up in the I.C.U. I couldn’t move, couldn’t talk and couldn’t breathe. I remember sitting there and trying to feel my fingers and trying to move my toes. Nothing. I then tried to sit up, but my body was completely immobile. I had no movement anywhere except in my neck and upper arms. I remember laying there hearing beeping sounds and wondering what was going on, when suddenly it hit me. I felt this overwhelming pain in my throat and knew I was intubated. The pain was so unlike anything I had ever felt. I laid there begging God to get me through the next 5 seconds. And then the next 5 seconds, and the next. And fairly soon I felt this peace inside and the pain slowly went to the back of my mind. Never in my life have I felt the raw power of God. Until that moment. Those of you that know me, know that I am a very conservative person. But God was in that room. And it was terrifying. And over the next few days as I felt Him carry me and renew my strength each morning, I was filled with joy. Isaiah 40:31, my favorite verse came to mind and even though I had restraints around my hands (apparently they thought that I might rip out all the tubes, crazy people!) I felt empowered with His strength.

In one of these moments, I couldn’t help but be thrilled… literally thrilled that in my pain and in the paralysis God showed His amazing love for me. And it amazes me further that in no way did I deserve it. “T’was Grace that brought be safe thus far, and Grace will lead me home.” I love that song! How good is our Savior!? That in no way do we deserve His love, but in the simple act of putting my trust in Him and in believing that He died for all the wrongs I have done, He opens that door to heaven. And allows me to partake in His AMAZING Grace. And He lead me home. And I am not meaning figurative or any kind of imagery here. I literally mean HE LEAD ME HOME.

After the ICU, I went to the DOU and then to another building for rehab. During each transition fear arose and pain increased. More and more was asked of me and each time that I felt I couldn’t do it any more, that I couldn’t deal with this paralyzed body any more, I would beg God for the strength to get through and to give me joy in doing it. And each time He did. He never failed me. I constantly felt His peace and His joy. And when I finally took my first steps (a rejoicing moment that Celia had to record!) I actually broke down in tears. God was so faithful. Yes, I still had pain. And yes, I still had really hard moments ahead. But oh! How sweet it was to feel my legs again. And to know how many prayers were answered at that moment. By this time I knew that thousands of people were praying for me. How amazing?! How humbling? And then how gracious is our Savior? He is still answering the prayers. SO KEEP PRAYING!!

I have now been home for one entire month (and No, I am not bored.) I have gone from laying on a couch all day and using Celia as my call button. A fact that she will definitely not deny and put an end to quickly ☺ . To being able to help take care of Zach and driving short distances. I look to the future with some fear, yes because it will take a very long time to become as active as I once was, but with the joy that comes with knowing I have you all praying for me, and a God who is carrying me. For those of you who don’t know, I have blown all my doctors and therapists away with the quickness of my recovery. I have been a GBS patient for almost three months now and I am quickly seeing that the power of prayer works in me. I walk, I can almost run (stumble forward quickly is more like it), I played soccer this last Monday with my therapist, and I can drive short distances on my own, I can rock my son to sleep (a personal prayer of mine) and I can hold my beautiful loving wife again. God is Good. I have met many GBS patients who I am years ahead of. YEARS! Our God is faithful and works for His glory.

I want to leave this post with one final thought. When I was in rehab a dear friend of mine told me to “suffer well.” Suffer well. And at the time it was a challenge for me to do this. But I found that as I chose to follow God, He gave me the strength to “suffer well”. But every morning I had to choose to allow God to work in me. I am not saying HE wouldn’t still work. But in my own heart I needed to make my decision to let Him work. I chose Him. And my dear friends… please do the same. I believe that God gave me the strength to choose Him. It was a small miracle. But I believe it made all the difference in the world. And as I am now walking, something I wasn’t sure I would ever do again, I believe I am a miracle. Maybe a small one, but small ones add up to very big ones. Please allow God to perform small miracles in your life. And maybe when you look back, you will realize that you are a miracle too. And as I am writing this it was brought to my mind that Christ died for US… I have always been a miracle and so have you. Isn’t He, our Lord and Savior amazing!?!




Lots of daddy time :)



First walk around the block with daddy!






Big outing to Biola basketball game!



Great visit with dear friends from our Biola days





Ready to go home!