Friday, August 1, 2008

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!

Sunday, June 15, 2008

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

Thursday, May 22, 2008

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

Saturday, April 19, 2008

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."

Monday, March 17, 2008

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.

Saturday, March 8, 2008

Kevin asks for your prayers....

This was a tough week - Kevin got a call on Thursday telling him that his friend and fellow student that was trapped with him - Jason Kaspar - had a couple of seisures and is back in the hospital. He is now doing OK but needs your prayers. Kevin spent some time this week with Matt who is still in the hospital in Jackson. He is planning to go to Chattanooga next weekend to see David who is in the rehab hospital there. Please continue to pray for all the guys and their families.

If you are new to the blog and have not read the details of the story. Please checkout the stories on the right site. Or you can go to this new link that we found this week. This one mentions Kevin's mom (and the glue in our family) Susan. http://www.jacksonsun.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080210/NEWS01/802100331

Saturday, March 1, 2008

New video

Thanks for checking back in. Kevin is doing well. He is back into a pretty steady routine. He loves living in the apartment (no curfews). He is doing physical therapy for his back and he told me today he hopes to start playing intra-mural basketball in 8 to 10 days. That sounds like my son.

People continue to add photos and vidoes to the internet. Here are a couple of videos that are on YouTube:

There are more videos and articles and photos listed to the right.

Kevin is writing his story. We are praying that God will use his story to draw others closer to Him.