365 Days

It is hard to believe that it has been over a year since the night of the F-4 tornado. We recently celebrated the event with a the Union student body and community leaders (read more here)

It was an amazing night that focused on celebrating God's blessings over the past year.

The beginning of a new year...

Many people have asked me why we have not updated this blog in several months. The short answer is that life is extremely busy. The even better answer is that Kevin is doing so well and his life has returned to such a "normal" state that we have not had a lot to write about. He is back now at Union for his Senior year - well, actually due to the tornado, he will be going for one extra semester. He missed some hours last semester after the tornado so he will be graduating now in December of 2010. We have prayed about the change and although we don't know what God has planned, we do know that it will be amazing.

The week before school started Kevin played tennis and golf with Jason and golf with Matt. He is is now rooming again with Matt at Union. I can only imagine the bond that they share after being trapped under a building. Matt is still not able to walk enough to play golf again at Union but is planning to be back on the team next year. Jason is now going to the University of Tennessee and almost fully recovered. We saw David during move-in day, and although he is still on crutches, his spirit is amazing. He travels with the soccer team and is praying for a full recover in his legs.

Kevin still has some issues with nerves in his back but he is playing sports (sand volleyball at midnight) and loving school. He came home from Kanakuk Kamp in a great mood and had the opportunity to share his story with campers on several occasions. He has recently been accepted to be a mentor in the inner-city ministry in Jackson called J-crib (www.jcriburbanministries.com) and is just loving the opportunity to invest his life in others.

As parents we are back in the daily routine of life but hardly a days goes by that we do not think about that day. His sister, mom and I talk about how blessed we are to still have Kevin in our lives. I am working on a presentation called, "What I Learned From My Kids Will Make You a Better Parent." I plan to use the story as a backdrop for what we have learned through the years through our kids. Kevin's short life and his response to this near-death experience has taught me more about my need to walk close to God every day.

We are blessed...

Summer is a good time

Kevin continues to work at Kanakuk Kamp as a Kounselor (hey we give him a hard time about the K's). He only has assess to email, phones and the internet about once every seven days. It has been very hard as parents to deal with the lack of communication but when we talk to him we realize he is right where he needs to be. The job is giving him the opportunity to mentor and lead kids 10 years old to 17. He loves kids and he seems to be having the time of his life. We are glad he will be home on August 12th. He returns to Union this next year for his Senior year. He is rooming with Matt and David (not the David from the Tornado - another one). It is so good to see Matt and Jason from time to time and see all of them continue to recover. The new book by Tim Elsworth (see next post) is a hard one to read but it is so good to hear the stories of the other kids and how God was there with them that night.

Union has put out the quarterly Unionite Magazine and the entire issue is devoted to stories and photos from the storm. You can download it here: http://www.uu.edu/Unionite/se08/.

We are blessed!

New Book - "God in the Worldwind"

A new book was just released last week that chronicles the stories of students that were in the storm on February 5th. It is an amazing read with photos and thoughtful, personal stories... you can find it at LifeWay.com: Buy Book

Two new articles

I will be back here over the weekend to post more details about the amazing week that we had last week but wanted to post these two new articles that explain part of the great weeks activities:

Union students write messages

Union Roomates on the mend

Everyone is Out and Better!

What a great weekend! David got out of the hospital last weekend and Matt got out yesterday!

It has been over a month since I came here to post. I guess that is the result of getting back to the hectic schedule of life.... and that is a good thing.

Kevin is doing well and was released from the doctors and physical therapist last week. But, it stuck me last night that I cannot imagine what it must be like for David, Matt and their families to just reach their homes for the first time in several months. Our thoughts and prayers go out to them. We pray that their life will get back to the hectic pace of "normal" very soon.

But, I also know that none of us will ever be the same. They guys will continue to deal with physical healing and psychological scars. But we will also continue to rely on God's mercy and grace. As parents we will stand back and watch what God has in store for the lives of the four guys and one girl that were hospitalized - the three additional guys that were in the hole with them that night - and the 1100 students that survived that day. We know that Union University will never be the same - but in many ways it will be better than ever before. We have seen why it is such a special place - with faculty, staff and students that love each other and love God.

If you saw on TV yesterday, we had a minor earthquake in our area. Last night I noticed what Kevin had posted on his Facebook status last night. It says: "Kevin has now survived both a tornado AND an earthquake...any other natural disasters want a piece of me?" His roommate Scott (who we love) showed his status was: "Scott has survived a tornado, earthquake and hurricane - where is the sunami?

I love the healing that humor can bring...

Kevin was in Somerville last night when the entire town turned out to welcome Matt back home. They were lined-up along the roads with signs, smiles and waves to let him know that we are all glad he is back - back on the road for recovery! Check-out some great photos on Matt's blog. The link is on the right.

As we continue to remind ourselves...."we are so blessed."

Still getting better...

Thanks to those that continue to visit here. I am sorry for the lack of updates. I have been out of the country on business.

Kevin is progressing. We went to Jackson last week to see him play basketball. Even though we know that he should not be playing, we also know that sports are a big part of his life and this is a chance to be "normal" - so we are thankful to see him play but worried about his health. He told me last night that he is paying for the decision - with some serious back pain. Please pray that he will continue to progress. Doctors tell us that the back pain and leg pain will eventually end.

Of course we are thanking God every day for his recovery. Kevin went to Chattonooga over the weekend to spend some time with David. He was very excited to spend some time with his close friend - and to see him getting better.

Jason Kaspar is still dealing with a lot of pain - the details are on the blog that his mom keeps - see the link on the right.

Matt is also progressing - and we hope to see him when we go to Jackson this weekend.

Please pray for all of the guys.