Dad is at Jim Thorpe

Dad has been moved to Jim Thorpe Rehabilitation Center. Transportation went well and Dad is getting settled in his new room. We are glad he is closer to home and church.

Dad is on a “Minimal Stimulation Program.” This is the sign posted outside his door (click to enlarge):

Our family has personally contacted those who are “approved visitors.” At this time, we are asking that only approved visitors visit Dad in rehab. I know many of you would like to come see him and pray for him. We appreciate your concern and love for our family. The absolute best thing you can do is pray in your secret place, pray with your family, and pray with your church family. Thank you for honoring our family in this way. We pray that there will be a time in the future when more people will be able to come and visit. For now, we need to do what is best for Dad’s recovery.

Dad has been very irritable the past few days. Please pray that his pain levels would come down and that he will be able to rest when he needs to. Also pray for continued healing and improvements; especially concerning his mental state.

Dad is missed and the church of Christ has suffered in many ways. However, through this situation, God has used it for His glory and the church of Christ continues to advance and grow stronger. Our prayer is that God would use our family as a testimony to others of the faithfulness of Christ and the truth of salvation through Jesus. Our prayer is that those who don’t know Jesus would find a personal relationship with Christ.

Psalm 91

Quick Update

I preached at Western Hills Church this morning. The message was on
the cause of Christ - reaching the lost with the gospel of Jesus Christ.

I told Dad yesterday that I was preaching. Dad prayed this prayer for
me this morning with my Uncle Scott:

"Jesus, please help Brandon right now. Help him accomplish what he set
out to do. Be faithful to him, Lord. In Jesus name, amen."

"In tears I agreed in Jesus' name." (Scott)

It was encouraging to see this text after the service and to know Dad
prayed for me again.

Dad is in pain and is restless tonight. He isn't eating very well.
Please contine to pray.

Sent from my iPhone

Thanks,
-Brandon

Update on Dad's Surgery

Dad had surgery to remove the external fixator this morning. My
Grandma sent us this text update after the surgery:

"Greg is in recovery PTL They removed the exterior fixactor and he is
building new bone Urology removed the catheter but may have to use
one again later He will bein recovery for about an hour Thanks for
your love prayers and support of Greg and the family We feel your love"

Thanks for praying! Hope to see many of you at the Deeds' work project
this afternoon at 1pm.

Sent from my iPhone

Thanks,
-Brandon

Back at OU but Continuing to Improve

We are home safe and sound and the Lord really did great things on our trip. Thank you for all of your prayers!



Dad was moved back to OU on Monday afternoon due to some infection issues. They weren’t really sure what was causing the infection. Also dad’s knee was causing him a lot of pain and was limiting his physical therapy. After several x-rays they still weren’t sure what the problem was. Select is a very nice facility, but honestly we are glad to be back at OU for the time being. For whatever reason, dad seems to progress better there.


After tests they found that dad does have infection in his blood. He is on antibiotics for this infection and doctors expect the antibiotics keep things under control.


Today they ran tests on his bladder. The results showed no leakage. Praise the Lord!


Also, today he ate about 10-12 bites at each meal. They are slowing making sure his swallowing is all functioning properly. This is especially great news because this step is a big part of taking out the trach. Today they capped the trach and dad is doing well. They will take more steps in a few days to continue working towards the goal of removing the trach.


We found out tonight that dad is scheduled to have the external fixator removed from his pelvis tomorrow morning unless the surgery schedule changes. Again, Praise the Lord!


We have been greatly encouraged by dad’s responses today. Each day seems to bring improvements and although we know we still have many months of recovery his brain seems to be computing a lot of correct information. He is improving on all of the medical scales and we are really excited to see these next recovery steps being taken. Dad still isn’t “normal” even in these times of correct responses and awareness. We still have a long road to haul, but we are just trusting God for the here and now and praising Him for who He is.


We appreciate you all respecting our request of no visitors. The medical staff has told us many times those patients with dad’s condition need lots of rest and limited stimulants. Different areas of the recovery team are in and out all day. Between that and his family, we keep him plenty worn out. Thank you for understanding our needs during this time. Please keep praying for the infections to be gone and for dad’s brain to continue to heal. We are looking forward to the day where we can all fellowship together again!

Rachael

Leaving Searcy - Update on Dad

Character Focus Mission Team - Searcy, AR 2010

There have been seven salvation decisions so far on this mission project. It is beyond my comprehension that a perfect God would choose imperfect people as his method of choice for advancing the gospel throughout the world. Again, God is good all the time.

The testimonies that these volunteers and Student Missionaries have of what God has done over the past month are phenomenal! I cannot wait to put together our reports so that you can be encouraged by what God is doing; in spite of these difficult circumstances.

Dad is doing a little better every day. Yesterday was a rollercoaster day for Dad. He was restless a lot of the time, but there were other times where he had peace and could communicate with the family. Mom asked him who his sons were and he remembers all three of us (Brandon, Jonathan, and Justin). She asked who his daughter was and he said, “Lauren Ashley”. She also asked him who his grandchildren were and he said “Elizabeth Grace and Katherine Faith!” He loves his kids and grandbabies.

At one point, he also said to my Uncle Scott that my mom was hot 

We are having a great time focusing on the cause of Christ, the mission to reach the lost, and fellowship on this trip. We are about to travel to Tahlequah, OK to float the Illinois River and stay at a lodge. Please pray for safety. I know satan would love to stop the momentum that God has established at Western Hills Church for reaching the lost. Pray against the plans of satan and that God’s will would be done.

Thanks for praying for our team! I will share another update ASAP. I won’t have much connection at the river, but I will do my best.

Do you know Jesus? If not, you need to meet. He will change your life. If you do know Him, then what are you waiting for?!?! Get out there and reach people for Christ!

Salvation Decisions!

6 salvation decisions today! God is good all the time. These decisions were first time decisions. There were 5 children who rededicated their life to the Lord. God is really working through the Student Missionaries and volunteers. We are all safe and back at the church for tonight. One more day for the 2010 Character Focus conference season. Please pray for us. Praise the Lord for His faithfulness. Dad is about the same tonight. More updates to come.

Update on Dad and Mission Trip – May 14, 2010

Here we are in Searcy, AR! I cannot believe it has been a year. The last time I was here I was with Dad. Right now, Dad would be working out details for the hotel we are staying in tomorrow night, organizing lunch, encouraging the volunteers, and motivating me. I miss my dad.

I haven’t been feeling really well. I guess things may be catching up with me. Please pray for strength and energy for me to finish strong. I want to use every available moment to disciple these young adult volunteers and to reach the lost. My hope is found in Christ and in who Christ is in me.

Because of Dad’s recent improvements, I think it would be wise to bring clarity to his condition. We are all encouraged by his progress, but Dad still has a LONG ways to go. Let me explain…

Doctors have now said that Dad is officially out of his coma. They now classify him as a patient with a traumatic brain injury. He can wake up now, but he is far from normal.

Dad is still in a phase of recovery called random. He has random moments when he appears to be connecting with the world around him.

In these random moments, he does recognize people that have been close to him and he is able to communicate very simple words of affection for them. In random moments, he has acknowledged that he remembers something that has been important to him when he has been asked. Dad cannot intelligently discuss these things in a way that shows he remembers a lot of specific details. He may say that he remembers something one day that he does not remember the next. His dialogue is limited to what he feels at the moment or what he desires. In this stage of recovery, what Dad has been told today about specific things, he probably will not remember tomorrow.

Even in these random moments of recognition, Dad is far from normal.

Our family sees little glimpses of Dad’s personality that we have known, and this is encouraging. But these glimpses are just glimpses and even these moments are not 100% normal for the “Greg Werner” that we have all known.

Now all of this is still very encouraging based on where Dad has been. Our prayer is that Dad will continue to make progress toward normal. The doctors do not know how far Dad will progress in memory, personality, or his ability to function. Patients with brain injuries are all very different. Some never progress to normal. Others fully recover. This is our prayer for Dad.

If things progress normally, Dad’s next phase in awareness will be a phase of aggressive aggravation. As his mind continues to heal, he will begin to put feeling with his circumstances; however, he will not always have the mental capacity to control his feelings. This stage will be difficult for the family and for Dad. Although it will be hard, it will also be an encouraging sign that Dad is still progressing.

Here are the prayer requests for our family right now:
• That God would continue to bring healing to Dad’s brain
• That there would be no long term affects from this accident
• That Dad would since the presence of the Holy Spirit and peace that passes understanding
• That my Mom would have peace and health
• For protection for the mission team in Searcy
• For people to continue receiving Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Savior and be saved from separation from God in hell (about 100 salvations since August 2009 through the ministries at Western Hills Church – Dad was a big part of that).

Please keep praying for me while we are in Searcy, too. We will be back in OKC on Tuesday. Jeff Deeds sent me an encouraging prayer for our team by email:

“Father, may your favor be upon the Character Focus team as they minister in this conference. May your power be visible, may your purpose be accomplished and may the lost be found and saved! Please watch over them as they serve the homeschoolers from Arkansas. Keep them safe as they travel, and empower them through your Spirit to do mighty things for your name’s sake. Amen!”

Dad would love to be here right now. The trip is certainly different and difficult without him, but God is faithful. I am writing this update from the conference right now. There are over 80 kids here and we are about to share the gospel! “God, please move in the hearts of these children and in my Dad’s life. Amen.”

Safe in Searcy

Our mission team made it safely to Searcy, AR. We are ready for the
children's conference tomorrow for the Education Alliance Homeschool
Convention. This is our third year to host this event. Please pray for
the young people to have a heart for the mission and focus on Jesus.

The report from home is that there is no real change with Dad. I have
an update I would like to share, and I will try to do that soon as I
have access to a computer with Internet.

Please pray for safety and announting for our team. I look forward to
giving an update of God's faithfulness!

Sent from my iPhone

Thanks,
-Brandon