Day 8 - June 23 - An update between the rapids

Like on a rafting trip, our trip with Connor has rapids and falls.  But it also has periods of relative calm between these adrenaline-filled, bumpy moments. We're in one of those periods right now - gently floating down the river, with but a few words and pushes from our Guide as we navigate the journey; weaving around the few boulders and snags, hearing the rapids drawing closer.

Because of this pause, we've taken some time to attend to some (for lack of a better word) administrative tasks - blog and web upkeep, on the part of Brad and Kent; and Cherié, Joélle and I have been able to give some attention to acknowledging the support we've been receiving. Now it's time to get you updated on where the boy is at...

Connor has remained in a relatively stable state for the last few days.  He is not, however, "stabilized" - none of his original injuries have been addressed. To my knowledge, his shoulders remain dislocated, the vascular damage remains to be assessed, and the status of the blood clot remains unknown. His C4 and C5 vertebrae remain misaligned.  He remains on the respirator and pacemaker. His heart rate, respiration rate, and blood pressure remain steady and good. He is heavily sedated and on paralysis-inducing medication. His neck has been under 45 pounds of traction for three or four days (my time scale is skewed) in an attempt to realign his C4 and C5 vertebrae, but so far this has been unsuccessful. 

The last few X-rays have shown no significant change in his bones.  The doctors are considering surgery Tuesday to get the bones in alignment, so that they can assess and address all the other problems as well. Trust me, we WILL let everyone know before any surgery begins.  Again, we covet your prayers.

So that's where the boy is right now. Now I want to share something that happened yesterday between me and my son.  Please understand that I share this, not to draw attention to any one person, but to draw attention to One Person (don't worry, you'll get it as we go along)...

Yesterday I went into Connor's room, said "hi" to him, and did what I do each time I go in - I raised his eyelids, leaned back a bit to give him a bit of focus, and said "Hi son, I love you". When we do this, his eyes don't move or anything. I closed his eyes, and did the second thing I do each time I come in - I leaned down by his ear and said "If you can hear me, move your eyebrows".  He twitched his eyebrows in acknowledgment.  Then a thought came to me, and I said "Connor, if you could see me when I opened your eyes, move your eyebrows".  His eyebrows moved!  I leapt up, opened his eyes, and waved at him as I smiled and shouted "Hi buddy!  I love you!!!"  Then I closed his eyes again and told him I had something to tell him.

I asked "Connor, do you know who Mike Singletary is?"  Eyebrow twitch.  "Yeah, the Bears player, now coaching with the Niners?" Twitch. "Mike Singletary is standing in the gap for you, praying for you right now.  He's not alone - an entire village in Romania is praying for you, right this minute. An entire village in Cambodia is praying for you, right this minute. A village in Zambia is lifting you up, right this minute. Churches in Texas, in Kansas, in California, in Michigan, in Virginia; churches all over the country and all over the world are praying for you.  People all over the world are lifting you up and praying for you, because of the mighty work God is doing through your story. While you lie hear in this bed, the Spirit of God is working in the hearts of many, many people, and He's using your story to do it."

I looked at my boy.  Tears were streaming out of his eyes!  He heard - he understood - he was moved.  It was such a blessing to me, and he and I shared a few moments of worship and prayer before the nurse came in.  What a blessing God gives to His children.

Please don't think I tell this story only because Mike Singletary figures in it. I'm sure that Mike wants no glory from this, and he'd probably be the first to tell you that his prayers for Connor are neither more nor less effective than those of any other saint, known or unknown. I tell this story because Connor is also a young man who loves football, who is familiar with the culture in which he lives, and Mike's name has an impact for him. I find it telling that his tears began to flow not from hearing Mike's name, but from hearing the widespread prayer support rising to the Throne of God on his behalf.

Take encouragement from this story - our God is a mighty God, powerful to heal, awesome in gloriousness.  Praise Him as you lift your prayers for my son.