O praise the Lord, all ye nations: praise him, all ye people. For his merciful kindness is great toward us: and the truth of the Lord endureth for ever. Praise ye the Lord. -Psalm 117

This morning Dean's father prayed for encouragement and the Lord never ceases to amaze us in the little things. His nurse today was named "Providence" and she encouraged us with stories of people who have recovered from Traumatic Brain Injuries. Dean has had countless nurses over the past 59 days and they have all been so special. Dean would be amazed at all the beautiful people from all different walks of life that have cared for him in his time of need. He would also be amazed to know how many people are following his story and praying for him. Our hearts are truly humbled and thankful to be a part of God's family. We value the doctors and nurses more than the condition and location of the hospitals and rehabs. It's the people that make the journey special! The man I married knew this in his heart and even though he can't express his gratitude I know he believes in God's Providence even when our understanding is limited. In Christ, there is always hope and a promise! We are watching and waiting for the storm clouds to pass and the promised rainbow to come!

Today I watched a clip of Dean sharing about his first trip to the Philippines during the winter of 2009. God taught Dean something precious while he was there. It had been over a year since I watched this and it blessed my soul to hear Dean share his heart and thoughts. Here is a portion:
"They are such a unique and special people...The Philippines is not about a place. I guess there are beautiful things there. But the most beautiful thing there is the people. It is kind of odd for me, I approach alot of trips photographically; but anyway, the people are what make it interesting and beautiful. They are so unique in their variety of emotions. You can go from one-hand of the most joyful, excited, happy people that you could possibly meet. Everything is funny and they can have fullness of joy. Then on the other hand, an entire church can be on their knees weeping. They are just that sensitive and tender...The people are amazing and it is really hard to say goodbye." 
The Lord was developing in us an eternal perspective long before we ever met. For this is how I always felt every time I went to the far corners of the world; a piece of my heart was left with the people whom I had come to know as friends. During the summer of 2006, the Lord taught me this truth while I was in Kazakhstan: People make a land special and you can see the fingerprint of God on every person you meet whether you can speak the same language or not. I remember that long flight home alone as I pinched myself to see whether the past two months were all just a beautiful dream. The Lord was gracious to me in bringing me home so I could meet my soulmate 5 years later. Look into the eyes of people, listen to their heart and you will see why God sent his one and only Son, Jesus, on a mission to redeem all mankind.  For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. -John 3:16  Dean always talked so fondly of the Filipino Christians and we were planning to go there this December. We continue to walk by faith and not by sight!

We thank the Lord that Dean's vitals have been stable. His swelling continues to reduce and his cough remains strong. He expressed some movement with his right hand in response to us exercising his left arm. He is still on the same medications and today they started treating him with some antifungal medicine for his mouth. He also receives drops in his eyes and may need a patch over his left or eventually have it sewn shut until he is able to have the second phase of his surgery to reconstruct his lower left eye, cheek, nose, and upper jaw. Tomorrow morning he is scheduled for another CT Scan of his face and brain; they will decided whether he is ready to be discharged for rehab. We thank the Lord for hearing our prayers as Dean has returned to his baseline prior to the surgery. The surgeons were pleased to see  his quick recovery as are we. 

This song expresses my heart cry in that we may all Praise the Lord!
Psalm 117 by Seven Places

Other Entries

• 2 years later... Love perseveres
• Neurofeedback
• One Life, One Race
• To love and to cherish...
• 5k Run/Walk & Bake Sale
• Love Endures... 2 years later!
• Praying & sitting through the night!
• New Day, New Beginnings!
• Going Home!
• Undeveloped film
• Prayer Chain - 11/30/2012
• A corridor of hope
• One Step Closer to Home
• A Heart of Praise
• Names, Pickles & Hot Dogs
• Tube Removed, On the cheek, & whistles
• Prayer, Husbands & Yellow
• October 14 - Family Time
• October 11 - Brief Update
• Believe, Birthdays & Bananas
• Tubes, Wars, Straws, Keys & Tools
• Swallowing and Standing
• The Awakening Phase - Day 97- 101
• September 18 - Day 96
• September 17 - Day 95
• September 16 -Day 94
• September 15 - Day 93
• September 14 - Day 91/92
• September 12 -Day 90
• September 11 - Day 89
• September 10 - Day 88
• September 9 - Day 87
• September 8 - Day 86
• September 3 - Day 79-81
• August 31 - Day 78
• August 30 - Day 75-77
• August 27 - Day 73/74
• August 25 - Day 71/ 72
• August 23 - Day 70
• August 20 - Day 67
• August 19 - Day 66
• August 18 - Day 65
• August 17 - Day 64
• August 16 - Day 63
• August 15 - Day 62
• August 14 - Day 61
• August 13 - Day 60
• August 11 - Day 58
• August 10 - Day 57
• August 9 - Day 56
• After Surgery update
• Surgery Update -Phase 1
• August 8 - Day 55
• August 5 - Day 52
• August 4 - Day 51
• Prayer and Fast Day
• August 3 - Day 50
• August 2 - Day 49
• July 31 -Day 47
• July 31 - Late report
• July 31, 3:45 p.m.
• July 30 - Day 46
• July 29 - Day 45
• July 28 - Day 44
• July 27 - Day 43
• July 26 - Day 42
• July 25 - Day 41
• July 24 - Day 40
• July 23 - Day 39
• July 22 - Day 38
• July 21 - Day 37
• July 20 - Day 36
• July 19 - Day 35
• July 18 - Day 34
• July 17 - Day 33
• July 16 - Day 32
• July 15 - Day 31
• July 14 - Day 30
• July 13 -Day 29
• July 12 -Day 28
• July 11 -Day 27
• July 10 - Day 26
• July 9 - Day 25
• July 8 - Day 24
• July 7 - Day 23
• July 6 - Day 22
• July 5 - Day 21
• July 4 - Day 20
• July 3 - Day 19
• July 2 - Day 18
• July 1 -Day 17
• June 29 -Day 15
• June 28 -Day 14
• June 27 -Day 13: Prayer Needed
• June 26 -Day 12
• June 25 -Day 11: Praises & Prayers
• A Heart of Gratitude
• June 24 -Day 10
• June 23 -Day 9
• June 22 -Day 8
• June 21 -Day 7
• June 20 -Day 6
• June 19 -Day 5
• June 18 - Day 4
• Initial Developments -Day 2
• The Accident -Day 1