I'll See You Again

After another week at youth camp, I wanted to give everyone an update on the boys involved in the car wreck coming home from our first camp a week ago that I wrote about on Saturday.

Ethan woke up this weekend and started asking where his brother Chris was. His uncle told him that Chris was with Jesus. Of course, Ethan took the news hard, but allowed friends and family to counsel him. Ethan remembers what happened in the wreck. There was an automatic assumption that spread through gossip and social media like wildfire that he had fallen asleep at the wheel after a long week at camp. Others assumed he had been texting and driving because he was a teenager. According to Ethan, neither of those are true. He was attempting to change lanes, using proper signals, and was cut off by another driver. Ethan overcorrected, lost control, and was thrust into oncoming traffic.

Chris's funeral was Monday. I was blessed to have camp directors and leadership that allowed me to leave the camp to accompany some of Chris's friends to the funeral two hours away. The church was packed. We heard some funny stories about Chris that reminded us of his one-of-a-kind sense of humor and his loving personality. We heard how he had made a 29 on his ACTs as a junior. We heard a rap song written and recorded by one of his friends for the occasion. Then my pastor got up and preached the best sermon I have heard from him in the near 10 years I've known him.

My pastor, Jeff Jones, had been Chris's youth pastor for many years as well as one of his high school teachers. He, too, told funny stories about Chris that made us all smile. He went on to tell the congregation of how much Chris got out of this last week of camp. He told of watching Chris worship the Lord with abandon as his beyond deep voice tried to hit the notes. Then Jeff said something you usually don't hear at a funeral: we won't all see the deceased again. He called it out. He told the room that we always hear how we will all be together again, but that isn't true. He turned to the first rows of young men whom he had taught in public high school and told them plainly, "if you've learned nothing from me, hear this: you are a sinner just like me and need a savior." He told them that if they didn't turn their lives to Jesus they would NEVER see Chris again.

Before Chris's earthly body was even removed from the church, a young man came to his uncle for prayer and received the Lord. In the cemetery others came to ministers seeking help to make their lives right. We are thanking God for these souls today!

After the funeral, arrangements had been made for me and the kids I had taken from camp to stop by the hospital to visit Ethan. He was tired and bandaged, but in good spirits. His signature afro had to be placed into 4 huge braids at the demand of his physical therapist, he wasn't very happy about that but said it could be worse. He let me look through his x-rays that proved his body looks more like a hardware store than anything else right now. Physical therapy began in the early days after the accident, although he cannot yet stand.

We talked about Pokemon and the World Cup, church camp and how we all wrote #frostrong on our cars. We told him of all the prayers going up around the world to which he responded "that's too much". He was definitely the same sweet polite young man I've always known him to be.

This week he was moved to a rehab facility near Vanderbilt. This is great news as his estimated time away from home should be cut by more than half. This is a very intensive rehab, in which visits will be restricted.

Thank you all for your prayers and concerns. Continue to pray for a speedy recovery and for comfort for the family.