Friends,

Carter slept most of the day today. We had a few special visitors. He was awake most of the time for the first, but slept through the other two. We had a minor obstacle this morning and needed some assistance. Within a matter of no time, we had four dads here to help. Dinner shared with special friends was nourishment to my soul.

Thanks to friends from church, Macey will be returning from Houston with them tomorrow,and I will be so glad to have her home. I am so grateful for my niece, Laney Webster for taking such good care of her, and giving her so much attention. We are so thankful for all the delicious, warm meals being delivered daily, and for my faithful friend who drove Trevor’s car back from Atlanta today.

Thank you so much to all of you for being such faithful shepherds. I am especially thankful tonight for Dr. Mark Cannella, who I learned saved Carter’s life during the early hours of his accident. He had to help him breathe by an air bag until the paramedics attempted unsuccessfully to intubate him. The paramedics were unable to successfully perform the intubation, and would not allow Dr. Cannella to do it, as it was against a California law. Lets just say he guided their unsure hands, and his presence and actions no doubt were divinely directed, and made all the difference! Good night friends!

Friends,
Carter had a good day today. His appetite is returning, and his contusions are all healing very rapidly. He had good sized abrasions on his face and chin, and now they are almost gone. His pain is better today, and his agitation is better since being back in familiar surroundings. He is getting around well, and doing most things for himself now.

He took a long nap today after his doctor appointment, and he is asleep again-just what his brain needs. Next week he will begin Physical therapy and speech therapy for some memory and other cognitive issues. We will also be seeing a neurologist to manage his seizure medications, and a cognitive psychologist who will help determine a recovery plan, as well as tell us what he can tolerate, for how long and when. I have so many people I want to thank and so many miracles I want to share, but tonight it is too much for me to do justice to. My heart is overwhelmed with gratitude for each of you. This is what has been on my heart today:

In times of great distress, a minute can seem an hour, and an hour a minute. It seems we have been on a journey of what should of been weeks crammed into 4 days. Everything happened so fast, things changed so fast, and praise The Lord ultimately for the better. It has been hard to wrap my brain around all that has transpired since Monday. Today for the first time I had a few opportunities to sit in solitude and try and unpack all of my emotions that have been overpowered by the adrenaline that was keeping me focused on each next obstacle at hand. At times it all feels like a blur, other times so clear. It feels as if I was there, but not. It feels recent and it feels removed. Some moments feel raw, and some numb. The spectrum of emotion is broad and feels very disproportionate to the small scope of time in which they transpired. In the quiet today, I found myself wondering when I will feel “normal” again, and then I remembered-I won’t. Each time we experience an abrupt change in life, we are changed. We move forth newly shaped and forever altered in ways that only those who have weathered similar storms can identify. I rarely welcome the walk of a dusty, dirt road, but I am always grateful for the dividends those walks yield. Crisis either creates us or it conquers us. One truth I know, it is not the crisis that is in control, but where our heart is anchored that determines the fruit of our paths. I truly do not know how we can weather this life without a faith deeply rooted in the promises of the Gospel that not only allow us to understand, but to stand under them for protection, security and comfort when circumstances are raging war on our soul.

Friends,

We still don’t know how, or when, but we know Who!

Carter had a very rough evening with the emotional lability issues and pain. They finally calmed him with Meds in his IV.
His heart rate was low at points through the night so they have been giving him fluids and it is better. This is not surprising that he is dehydrated. He had a restful night, as well as Trevor and I.

I am flat scared about traveling with him like this, but I am truly not overwhelmed because I have seen God provide for us each step of the way. What has at times seemed like our greatest miserie, has turned out to be His protective hand of mercy. Our faith is not in our circumstances or the certainty of our plans, but truly in the One I cannot see, but definitely know, and have seen through the manifestations of His people. Our Father has been actively here with us the whole time and after all the miracles, and daily bread I have witnessed Him provide, I cannot have anything but great faith even in the unknown. I awoke to many sweet messages this morning, and God’s army was already working fervently on our behalf. Thank you all so very much! And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.~Philippians 4:19

Friends,

I am tired tonight, as I have slept less than 2 hours since Sunday night. I am posting an email update a friend of mine sent out with a few prayer requests. I am just too tired to find the words tonight. I am so grateful for all the miracles and mercies of the last few days. Thank you all for your support and encouragement. We will continue to need it. See Laura’s email below. Thank you Laura and all of you for your help.

Laura DiFatta spoke with D’Anna tonight. Trevor and D’Anna had been told
that Carter would spend several more days in the hospital. But, the
hospital is now planning to release Carter tomorrow. Understandably, Trevor
and D’Anna are worried this is too soon especially for travel across the
country. They have several prayer requests related to the discharge from
the hospital:
1) Carter’s pain – he is still in tremendous pain and I don’t think
they can imagine traveling at this point even though they all want to be
home as soon as possible. Please pray for Carter’s comfort and safety
during travel.
2) Carter’s open wounds – pray for no infection
3) Stamina for D’Anna and Trevor – care is around the clock
4) Travel Logistics – the docs have said the travel time needs to be
under 10 hours. This is almost impossible for commercial travel from the
northwest. They would prefer to use Medjet again but they are not sure this
is going to work for several reasons. Pray that this option would become
available if at all possible.

The Lundstroms so appreciate and covet your continued prayers.

Dear friends,
Thank you all for your continued support and love from afar. We pray we can be home soon, as this is hard being so far away. I have had many requests for an update so I will do my best. It is 4:45 AM here, and we just got carter calmed down from another “spell.” There have been many miracles the last two days. The nurses and doctors said they rarely see someone go from being on life support to breathing on their own so quickly. Also he is talking, moving all extremities and walking with minimal assistance to the bathroom.

We are really trying to keep refocusing our gaze on all the positives because as many as there are, this is still a very difficult situation. Carter is in a lot of pain all over, but most specifically his head and right arm/shoulder. He is confused and his memory is poor which is keeping him very emotional and agitated. It has been a rough night. We continue to covet your prayers. I am trying to be very intentional about focusing on the positives-he is alive! Thank you Jesus for sparing him! In the hard moments it is difficult to keep my gaze fixed on all the miracles.

This is not an easy road right now, and that could easily overwhelm me if I let it. It is very hard to watch your child suffering and begging you to make the pain go away. All we can do is comfort and reassure him, but we cannot take away his pain. He asked me tonight to get in bed next to him. He said, “when you lay next to me I feel better.” I realized how much my presence, and his dad’s presence, comforts him. It’s not that it takes his pain away, but it gives him a sense of security and comfort.

Tonight has been a representation for me of what the walk of a believer looks like in this life. We have a Heavenly Father who loves us beyond measure, and it must tear him apart to see his children suffer. He is not always able to remove the pain for reasons we may never understand, but his presence is a pilar of comfort, security and peace that we cannot gain from any other source. It is not that our suffering is relieved, but HIS presence affords us the ability to reflect the character of a loving God through our affliction.

These two verses have been my rocks of truth to get me through yesterday and tonight: Psalm 131:1~ I do not concern myself with matters too great or too awesome to grasp. Also I continually draw on this truth from Isaiah for peace and comfort: Isaiah 26:3~ You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, and whose thoughts are fixed on you. I am thanking God for each of you continually. Your support and encouragement are giving flight to our weary wings. We love you all so much!

Friends and family,

Day 2:

At 6:25 last night I was having dinner at a BBQ restaurant in Katy, Texas with my daughter, parents and sister. At 6:26 I received a text message that at first I thought was a terrible joke, until I realized it wasn’t. I saw words my heart could not digest after I read my son’s name…badly injured, serious, air lifted, intubated. The words hit me hollow and numb for a moment, and then left me heavy and overwhelmed with shock and grief. I wept, and I wept a lot. I am still weeping as I write this today. All I can think about is getting to my child.

I am boarding a flight this morning from Houston to Portland, OR where Carter is at The Oregon Health Science Center Trauma ICU Unit. I cannot express my thanks for all of your messages, texts, phone calls, prayers, and even a few of you wept with me in person and on the phone. I am overwhelmed with gratitude. I even had a dear friend call and offer to fly to Houston in his plane and fly me to OR last night. What a servant! We still covet your prayers and encouragement.

The latest update is that Carter has a possible separated shoulder, lacerations, a small brain bleed above his cerebellum and a possible cervical spine fracture. As of this morning the brain CT is unchanged which is a praise. The bleed is small and has not gotten bigger. We do not yet have the new cervical spine results, but feel it may come back clear. They tried to wean him off the ventilator last night but that attempt was unsuccessful. Our prayer is he will wake up a little more today and they can begin turning the vent settings down and carter will begin breathing for himself. They have been trying to wake him up some.

Last night I got to be on speaker phone and tell him I loved him, and I would be there soon. I know he heard me! The Lord is near and I feel Him. I don’t know what He is doing, and I often do not like his methods, but what I do know is HE is always good, faithful and always working on our behalf.

I have been fervently praying for intercession for a couple of things the last two months for Carter. Maybe this is what that intercession looks like? I’m going to use this pain as the great tutor it is, and I will wait expectantly for what The Lord is teaching us. It is so sweet how HE works. Of all the verses HE could of laid on my heart since 6:26 last night, it has been…and Jesus wept.~John 11:35

It is as if he keeps whispering in my ear, I am weeping with you my daughter, and I, too carry your pain. This is the day The Lord has made for me, I don’t understand it, but I will find peace in my weeping for I feel His presence with me. From a place of such gratitude, thank you all so much! Please continue to pray for healing for Carter and many others who have been injured in Birmingham this week. Thank you for being the hands and feet of Jesus! I have read each and every message. Although I cannot respond, my heart thanks you. They are little rays of sunshine that are shining joy into my soul!

This was my reality last Monday.  I will be getting my blog caught up to my Facebook journaling, so bear with me for those who y may find some of these posts redundant.  This prayer request was posted by my friends, who really my family, at Restore Ministries.  They can be found at www.restore-ministries.org.  As a result of their prayer request post, 6154 people saw this request that initial and critical night.  I am so grateful for all the prayer warriors who were providing intercession for our family.  What a blessing!

URGENT PRAYER REQUEST: This afternoon the 15 year old son of our client coordinator, D’Anna Lundstrom, was involved a serious biking accident which has resulted in severe head trauma. This happened while he and his dad were attending a camp out west. He is being airlifted to ICU at Portland Children’s Hospital. Please intercede on behalf of this family that D’Anna would be able to get to her son, Carter, quickly. Pray also that God would heal Carter and protect his brain. 

Just yesterday D’Anna wrote the following post on Facebook. This expresses the heart of our dear friend before this accident ever happened.

“The mundane chores and clutter of our days click off one by one as we scurry from one to the next. Some days extraordinary, most ordinary. We are lulled into a false sense of auto-pilot, often caught up in the little details of the day which can over take our perspective. Then, like a spinning, tiny, plastic top, the reliable flow is abruptly interrupted and everything seems to topple and stop. 
Suddenly, the ordinary is lost. Life is fragile. How quickly we loose sight of that reality as we are going about making our days, and letting our days make us. Accidents, tragedies, deaths, the unexpected, they happen and suddenly we realize that it is the ordinary that is extraordinary. In the reflection of pain being endured all around, the luxury of an ordinary day is an overlooked gift that we easily loose sight of. I’m committed in prayer to several friends who have for now lost the gift of an ordinary day. Today as I feel any urge to complain about the laundry, the dishes, the traffic, the mess the kids made, the return of the school year…I will turn that temptation into gratitude, because I am reminded again of all the extraordinary that is disguised in an ordinary day.”

Thank you so very much for your prayers for the Lundstrom family.

This has been on my heart for a long time. You know when something is a bothering you, and you cannot really name the problem until that “light bulb moment,” and then it becomes apparent. One of my biggest struggles with my children is to instill in them where their righteousness comes from. I mean come on, this is hard for me as an adult to remember and took me a long time to “get it.”

Our culture today compounds this battle. It is telling our children that their worth, their value and their success as a person are based on their performance. This may be performance in a classroom, on a football, or baseball field, a basketball court, a dance team, cheer squad, etc…

We as adults, whether it be in a parent, teacher or coach roles, may not be directly telling our children this, but as I witnessed this more than once this week, some are. Regardless the case, self worth based on performance, if not being taught, it is at the very least being “caught.” This sets kids up with the idea that life is totally dependent on them, and that is a dangerous thing because when they fail, and they will, then what??

As parents we must take a stand against this performance based righteousness. It is all around us, and our culture is keeping it keenly reinforced in our children’s minds. I pray we can help children see their worth and their righteousness is completely secured and sealed in the blood of a Savior who does not look at report cards, game stats, wins or losses, making the squad, the team… It is a battle! I am in it myself! We must fight back against what they are being taught, or caught, and continue to be the voice of truth in their impressionable ears-IT IS FINISHED!

One of the slowest land animals is the inch worm. The fastest land animal is the cheetah. I am learning victory in life comes much more in the shadows of the life of an inch worm than a cheetah. Day by day, slowly inching towards that which we hope for, never giving up, and always showing up. Few good things are manufactured in haste. It is in intentional, steady persistence that we run this race; this race of life that eventually comes to feel like it was in our hands and then gone. If we run it too fast, we miss out on too much. Joy cannot be found in the blurred lines of efficiency, but it is abundantly alive in the still, the slow and the intentional. For me, choosing the inch worm life is a discipline, but it is one I study and practice because it is that existence that I desire. An existence that will allow me to look back and not wonder where it all went, but smile because it was maybe difficult at times, but certainly alive and present all the time.