January 5, 2020
“I busted my PR (personal record) in hallway wheelchair sprints,” Hunter said to us tonight when I asked if he had any specific updates he would like me to share with you.
I said, “Was that a sprint?”
With a chuckle from his hospital bed, he said, “It was all out, no tempo. Get going or get out.”
His wheelchair sprint time was 1:26 in the hallway and his goal was 2 minutes or under. As a former track and field coach of Hunter’s, I can confirm that is his most improved PR in any sprint of his life!
This morning we listened to I Will Fight by Steven Furtick: https://youtu.be/uC0FNOm26NU. Nathan and I listened to it two additional times today. We need to fuel our spirits and it did.
As a group in the hospital room, we also listened to my sister and brother-in-law’s church’s message on generosity, which was timely with the outpouring of generosity we are experiencing firsthand. I took notes and wanted to share a few highlights. You can watch the full message here: https://www.facebook.com/journeygreeley/videos/1474725539350745/
I was reminded by the message of how Jesus praised generosity (read more in Mark 12:41-44) and how cheerful givers give not because they have to, but because they want to.
Never before in life have we experienced cheerful giving and fully embraced it as we have since Hunter’s Dec. 27 skiing accident. We are suffering yet have an outlook of joy because of your spirit of generosity.
You are ministering to Hunter and our entire family, communities and friend groups through our suffering.
Every need of ours has been met, even needs we hadn’t thought of yet, you’ve met it with your wealth of generosity. Jesus models generosity in the Bible and you each have modeled it during our time of struggle. Thank you.
Hunter spent the majority of the afternoon and early evening in his wheelchair with weight shift repositioning every 20 minutes. Nathan diligently set a timer on his phone and did the repositioning with Hunter, rather than always calling a nurse. My sister, Kirsti, has been with us daily since the accident and tomorrow she returns to her family routine. I’ll miss my daily Starbuck’s she’s brought us but mostly I’ll miss her presence and singing.
On Hunter’s first day, lying flat in his ICU bed, after the eight-hour surgery on his back, Kirsti sang Way Maker by Leeland. It’s been one of the praise songs we keep going back to and play in his room often. Kirsti sang Way Maker again today and Hunter said he only “faintly” remembered her singing it in ICU but that today it was one of the best parts of the day.
You can listen to Way Maker by Leeland: https://youtu.be/iJCV_2H9xD0
Daily wins today for Hunter included a good physical therapy session as he is gaining strength in his shoulders. And Hunter’s FAVORITE win of today is the Minnesota Vikings! They won a playoff game with a touchdown pass to a tight end and Hunter celebrated.
Prayer requests:
For continued healing of Hunter’s body and spinal cord
For our family, separated by long distance and this is the longest we’ve ever been away from daughters ages 10 and 12. We’re grateful for the family surrounding them and miss them terribly
For Hunter’s discharge from St. Anthony’s and transfer to Craig Hospital with a smooth admissions process and all insurance items to be finalized and approved
For patience along with physical and mental strength in this journey ahead
To seek God’s glory in all things
For fellow spinal cord injury patient, Todd, whose mom I spoke to in-person tonight and she shared a Joshua 1:9 sign with our family. Todd continues to be ICU with lung complications. Pray for his strength and healing! This group is lifting him up and is a true blessing
We ask you to pray, anytime, anywhere and are relying on your prayers. Hunter specifically said, “Keeping praying for little miracles every day“ and said he’s been thinking a lot about James 1:2, “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.”
Thank you. You each remind me of social media for good. You’re also helping to spread the gospel throughout the world. God is good, all the time.
-Katie