24 hours later

All the prayer walk stations were marked with a pumpkin

The hot chocolate/cider bar (and was that cider good!)

Craft time

Cooking demonstration time

Parenting tips time

More craft time

Dinner prep

Our giveaways

Finished crafts

The Mom's Retreat was beautiful. Each woman felt deeply loved and ministered to in so many ways, including us, the two leading the retreat, and the volunteer mentor who drove some of the ladies and came to help. Those ladies came with a heart to love and be loved that also ministered to us in a very real way. We hope that retreat was just the first of many that we can host at New Song and expand the ministry's impact on the whole family, not just the kids that come to us. I wish we could have come back on Monday morning and celebrated together, but....

24 hours after my last post, I found myself on my way to the airport to take a one-way flight back to Dallas to take care of my son. Only minutes before I got up to give the devotional about praying Scriptures when we don't know how or what to pray, and then sending the ladies out on a prayer walk  with Jehovah Ra'ah around our beautiful, peaceful campus while praying Psalm 23 over their lives, my son, David, flew over the handlebars of his mountain bike back in Texas and broke both of his forearms and dislocated both of his wrists. An ambulance took him to the nearest hospital, where they took him into surgery pretty quickly to put plates in both of his arms and pins in both of his wrists. I didn't get to hear at all from David before they took him into surgery, but Mike and I kept getting calls and texts from his friends or our friends whose kids are his friends telling us what to expect when he came out of surgery. He would NOT be able to go back to school for the rest of the semester.  

Almost identical breaks in both arms. Not something they see often. 

I contacted Juan and had him head straight to the hospital so he'd have family there, then my closest friend whose daughter also headed there quickly, and I contacted our old Life Group to let them know David was headed straight into a 3-5 hour surgery. (I also called my parents to let them know so they could pray and contact the rest of the family.) A friend in the Life Group read my text and headed to the hospital immediately, joining David's friend from DBU and a church friend that showed up. Later Juan arrived, then two more college friends that also grew up with him at Lake Pointe Church, and then his youth pastor from Lake Pointe (now the campus pastor). When he arrived, he said it felt like the whole gang was back together. By the time David came out of surgery and recovery (after 8:00 that night), he had a whole team of support waiting there to see him and encourage him. David later told me, without his church family, he would have woken up to two people, the friend that was riding bike with him and his brother. (The rest of my family in town was able to make it the following day.)

The gang waiting for him when he woke up. 

My friend who went straight to the hospital 

and stayed the whole time until I could get there (also the one who is letting us stay in her house). 

Together with my boys again

The Kloppmann gang coming to visit on Sunday

As David was in surgery, Juan and my two friends kept texting me saying how much care he was going to need to take care of all of his basic needs. I knew I needed to get to Dallas as soon as possible. So Mike booked me a ticket to leave first thing the next morning, and I arranged for Juan to pick me up. Juan also ended up staying the night with David in the hospital to help him out. My friend who stayed through the surgery and recovery time that night showed back up at 8:00 the next morning to be there with David while Juan left to pick me up, and then she filled me in on everything she learned from the doctors the night before. After she left, David had two more friends come to visit, along with his grandparents, aunt, uncle (who's had his own share of biking accidents and injuries), and cousins. Shortly after they all left, they discharged David to leave with the support of family rather than send him to rehab for a few days.  

Basically, he can't take care of ANY of his needs on his own for the next ten weeks. To ask a friend or family member to take care of him is a huge burden. But to get him back to Indiana with me is just as complicated. The surgeon said he can't fly for at least two weeks, and truthfully, he can't fit into an airplane seat anyway with two broken arms splinted from his finger tips to above his elbows. A thirteen hour drive would be too much stress and jostling around, not good at all for healing, either. Plus he needs to go back for a follow up with the surgeon on November 8th and can't go anywhere before that. But neither my parents nor my brother's houses are equipped to support me and David together, or even just David. And I, obviously, no longer have a home here. 

Thankfully, my friend who spent the most time at the hospital with me offered us a place to stay at her home, and we have been equipped with all we need--and are as comfortable as can be expected. We're situated pretty much right in the middle between my parents and my brother, too, so that's nice to know they're so close. Friends and family have already stopped by to visit, with more saying they'll be coming soon. 

His old youth pastor came and brought breakfast and prayed over him. He's been one of David's mentors/heroes since he was in sixth grade and is now the campus pastor. The relationship he built with David over the years is priceless. In fact, he's the one who introduced us to DBU!

David's nurse that gave him allergy shots twice a week when he was four all the way till he was nine. We've stayed close to her all these years, and she didn't hesitate at all to come see him once she heard the news. She said she'll be back to visit again. :)

A buddy from youth group that he's stayed close to in college

An Ecuadorian friend I used to be in a small group who I met when the first adoption failed

She brought us a whole Chinese buffet, so much that I invited Juan to come eat with us again the following night. 

A gallon of sweet tea his friend brought from where he works.

Our old small group, well, at least the ladies of that small group

So, while we figure out how to keep the pain managed and keep him comfortable, and communicate back and forth with DBU to find out how to not lose all the work he already put into this semester, we're staying put for a couple weeks to see how this is all going to play out. God's definitely not surprised and knew this was coming, and we can already see how he prepared ways to provide for us way ahead of time. Including the fact that He hasn't provided the houseparents at New Song that we prayed so specifically for them to come before October 17th. Between sickness hitting the campus that week and then this with David, now we can see why God didn't think it was time for our students to come on campus yet. I'm so thankful for the flexibility right now to be able to care for my son and not have to hire someone else to do what a Mom can do better. My days now are spent caring for his every need, including bathing, feeding, medicating, brushing his hair and teeth, scratching his itches, and even giving him shots. I rotate ice packs, situate pillows, answer his texts, e-mails, and phone calls, and just hang out 24/7 with my son, who has been an amazing trooper through all of this so far. It's giving us a lot of time to just talk, and for that, I'm thankful because I sure have missed him. I'm tired, but I wouldn't trade this time and this blessing to be able to be there for him.