A Health Update

Hey friends!

I wanted to give you a quick update about a couple things you may already be wondering about.

Gretta’s Nose

Two and a half weeks ago, right before our final service in Hartford, AL, Gretta had a playground mishap and broke her nose. She was involved in a game called “Scissors” in which children run between other children while they’re swinging on the swing set. Apparently the winner is whoever ends up breaking somebody’s nose. Way to go Imogen!

God took such great care of us. Right as we were being notified of Gretta’s injury (Mom! Dad! Gretta’s bleeding!), a church member was arriving who happens to be a senior officer at the local hospital. He was able direct us to the larger regional hospital and call ahead for us.

Gretta was seen in the ER, conforming her nose was broken, and we were recommended to consult an ENT or plastic surgeon in the morning to see about correcting the break. In the meantime, the pastor in Hartford had started calling some family friends from the medical community in Birmingham. Long story, short, we were able to schedule a consultation for Monday morning at the children’s hospital in Birmingham and surgery that Thursday.

Through it all, Gretta has been a champ, maintaining a great attitude and having very few complaints of pain or discomfort. We’re so thankful for how we’ve seen God care for us through the hands of concerned believers. Continue to pray as Gretta heals, that there would be no respiratory or sinus complications in the future.

Coronavirus

Several of you have asked about what the recent closures and recommendations about public meeting will mean for us. The short answer is, we’re not sure.

We and the Life Action road teams leadership have all met to discuss our outlook and plan. The reality is that this is a moving target. For now, while taking more stringent sanitary precautions, we are abiding by the decisions of the churches who have scheduled our teams. Today, we met for the first services of our Thirst Conference at First Baptist Church in Jackson. We will be taking it one day and one meeting at a time.

There are no easy decisions here. Every pastor I’ve spoken to is deeply concerned about helping their congregations love their communities & neighbors. And they all recognize that meeting together as Christians is a necessary element of our health as Christians. I honestly don’t completely know how to balance those two committments, but I deeply respect all the church leaders who are holding them in tension as they walk through this time of pandemic.

Our schedule is bound to be upset and rearranged over the coming weeks. But we are confident that God is in control of all this. Please pray for health and safety and wisdom as we navigate these uncertain times.

Photos by Volodymyr Hryshchenko on CDC on Unsplash