surgery number two

Now most of you know that I am the type of guy who likes to "go big or go home." I don't usually like to do things small. So I guess when it comes to my back (and all the problems it loves to give me) I shouldn't be surprised when it follows that same line of thinking. A few weeks ago, if you remember, I had really bad pain and could neither stand up straight or walk normally. During that time I made a doctor's appointment with a neurosurgeon which was scheduled for this last Thursday. Even though my back has been feeling better I decided to go ahead and go through with the appointment just to check on things and see how my calf (and the fact that it doesn't work) are coming along. I had another MRI last week (3rd in nine months) and on Thursday at the neurosurgeon's he took one look at the results and basically said that I need another surgery and probably sooner than later. Apparently one of the two discs that were operated on last December has either totally ruptured or prolapsed (those were the words he used) and the only way to fix it is surgery. He showed me the MRI results and sure enough...there was a pretty decent size explosion of black stuff where there should be white stuff. He said that particular disc appears to be worse than it was before the original procedure. So as of right now, I am scheduled for another back surgery on Tuesday (Monday U.S. time) where the doctor will basically perform the same surgery I had done in December again. He also said that it wasn't that my first surgery went wrong or anything....there is just a 1 in 10 chance of this happening with type of surgery. I asked him if I have this second surgery is it still those type of odds after this one and he said that there is still a risk of it happening again but that he can also do a few more "preventative measures" since it has already happened once.

The good news in all of this is that in December I had two discs operated on and this time only one of them is giving me trouble. The lowest one is healing great and that the doctor said that is the one that affects the nerves which affect my left calf. He said that I "probably" would regain full use of my leg and that the nerves are still in the process of healing. He has also prescribed physical therapy after my surgery for both my back as well as my leg which will hopefully speed along that process.

So yes, it is all very exciting over here. The current plan is for me to be in the hospital for at least a couple days and then probably another two weeks of laying in a bed. Our base is hosting a huge National Leaders Meeting in one week and everyone on base is having to shuffle living arrangements to make room for almost 150 more people to stay here for about 9 days. Many of us will even be living in tents for the week! So my little surgery comes at a fairly inconvenient time and we are still trying to figure out where I will be staying and how I am going to be taken care of with all the added responsibilities that come with a event of this size. But it will work out and I have plenty of friends who have already volunteered to cater to my every need (those are more my words than theirs) and there are incredible people here so I know I will be well cared for and in the very best of hands.

The big issue I am facing today and tomorrow is trying to get all the insurance stuff squared away. I have a type of medical insurance over here as well as insurance back in the states but trying to coordinate them is no small task. Especially in basically three days. If you could keep that whole situation in your prayers..that would be great. Pray especially that there is no difficulties, that they accept my claim, and that I am covered!

Through all of this, God continues to be faithful. Although it is not super fun to go through... there are many bright sides to this story. One is that I am no longer covered by my primary insurance when I turn 25 which happens in July. It is good that I can get all this over with (hopefully) before then. That is pretty big. I have also been chosen to staff the same school (DTS) that I did last year which also starts in July. I will tell all of you more about that soon but it is also really good I can get this done before then as well. Staffing a DTS is a pretty major thing and it is so good that I can get this done before that begins. And I'm surrounded by so many people who are just begging to take care of me! haha! So even through the tough times, God continues to use His timing and I know He is faithful to get me through this. I am certain he has called me here and even though I do not always understand how things work....that's ok. He's got it covered. That makes my life a whole lot less stressful.

I will keep you all posted on how everything goes. Thank you so much for your prayers!

Read more...

DEEPER!

I have returned!

"Deeper" (that's the name of the camp I was just on) was incredible! We had a lot of fun and God really moved in pretty big ways. Let me share a bit....We took 10 kids (6 boys & 4 girls), 4 staff, and one bronze medallion (an aussie lifeguard) about five hours north into the Atherton tablelands which are mainly rolling green hills filled with dairy farms and reminding me a lot of Switzerland. We stayed at a huge dairy farm in which a big section has been turned into a camp for kids. There was a large pond with a 50 foot slide and two diving boards, covered wagons that were our "cabins," a good size lake for canoeing, and a nice cooking hall. Evey day we had a at least one major activity planned and also time devoted to learning more about God, spending time with Him, and really just going "deeper" with Him as the camp name implies.

I'll just give you the quick list of the fun that was had: waterfall tour, waterskiing/tubing, milking cows, late-night canoe tour, birds of prey show, cheese and chocolate factory, 300 foot mudslide, and horseback riding. Good times were had by all.

In the middle of all that fun though, God really made His presence known to the kids in a big way. I want to tell you about the kids in general and then tell you a story about one of them. We had 10 kids from Youthsteet go on this camp. Out of the ten, nine profess to be Christians. The longest tenured Christian was one year. The shortest was 3 weeks. Two kids (brother and sister) come from a Christian family. The rest do not. In fact most of the families are actively discouraging their faith. With the exception of the two, all of the the other kids have only become a Christian through Youthstreet. Youthstreet is the only way they have learned about God, there only source of information about him, and the only reason they have decided to follow Him. For most of the kids on the camp, Youthstreet is the only place they are shown love in any form.

I was blown away by these kids' testimonies. None of these kids were from my Youthstreet team, and so I had the opportunity to really get to know these guys for the first time and was just amazed at not only where they come from...but also who they have decided to be in the midst of where they are. Two of the kids showed me the scars on their arms and legs where they used to cut themselves. Several had been drinking since the age of 13. But now they are in the middle of a radical life change. They have all stopped cutting and stopped drinking and have decided to follow this God who loves them and has been their only source of love that their life has ever known. And as we taught them more about who God is, as we told them who they are as children of the King, as we showed them how loved they are and how much God cares each one of them....I was again blown away that as these kids soaked it in, their hearts ached...for their families. For the very ones who have not shown them love and often hurt them more than any one else. What a testament to who these kids were...and to how God can transform someone from the inside out.

Let me tell you about Dylan. Dylan is 13 years old and his parents didn't want him anymore so they kicked him out of the house several years ago. He bounced from place to place and now lives with a friend and his parents along with another friend. Dylan wears black eye makeup. He routinely wears Marilyn Manson shirts. He often likes wearing girls clothes. He has already been drunk many times. He showed me the scars up and down his arms where he has cut himself time and time again. Safety pins, broken glass, razor blades. But Dylan has come to Youthstreet for a few months now and a few weeks ago he was listening to a speaker talk all about God and acceptance and love and when the speaker asked if anyone wanted to know this God better...Dylan stood up. He was in sitting in the middle of his group of friends...all wearing makeup and dressed completely in black. Dylan was the only one standing. You see Dylan is strong. He is willing to do things on his own and not follow his friends blindly. He knew that his decision to stand would cost him. It might cost him friends, he might be made fun of and teased, his world might come to an end as he knew it. But Dylan wanted to be loved. At that moment he was giving it all to be loved. He considers this moment the moment he became a Christian. I think I agree with him.

Dylan came on Deeper with much to learn. He didn't know how to look up a Bible verse or pray out loud. And day two of the camp...Dylan got sick. Tonsillitis. His throat hurt, his glands were swollen, and he felt horrible. He couldn't talk and he did not participate in a lot of the activities. He slept everywhere we went. We took him to the doctor and he got a couple of shots and ended up feeling better the day before we left. But even though Dylan couldn't talk at all, he was always listening when we were discussing God and was always writing. When he finally regained his voice he came to one of us and told us that he had written something. He had written his first worship song. The entire camp sang it together the night before we left. Ivan (YS staff) was talking about where God is when it hurts and how even though don't always understand why things happen...is always there and always working. Dylan said that at first he didn't understand why God didn't heal him of his sickness first thing since God can do anything. But then he said if he hadn't have been sick then he wouldn't have had to listen to God so much. Dylan said that now if he had the choice, he would rather have been sick on this camp and written the worship song then have been healed right away and not written it. He was basically saying that he understood that even though he was miserable, he grew more in his suffering than he would have if he was content.

Dylan is thirteen and has been a Christian for 3 weeks.

Dylan still has a ways to go. He still wears makeup and I saw the Manson shirt again yesterday. But the lesson he learned on this camp transcends any of that. God's plans are so much bigger than what we see. I told Dylan later that God is a good God and I don't believe that God made him sick. But I do believe that although God 98% of the time does not cause our suffering...He always want to use our suffering to draw us closer to Him. As much as he cares about our comfort he cares about our heart so much more. Dylan experienced this on a small level. God used Dylan's sickness to draw him closer to Himself and Dylan recognized this...and wouldn't have traded it for all the comfort in the world.

Read more...

2 Things

Just wanted to let you know about 2 quick things:

1. I have an awesome praise report about my back...for about 2 weeks it was hurting so bad that i was barely able to function. Even last Saturday as i was leading my youthstreet team i had to bring a little chair to sit in because i couldn't be upright for more than a few minutes at a time. Sunday it was a bit better and when i woke up Monday morning....it was pretty much fine! i can still feel something isn't quite right in there but i can move and function without pain and am relatively pain free! i am still going to the doctor and have an MRI scheduled in about 10 days, but i am definitely way better. it's crazy how much it coincided with the prayers of the people here at the base as well as with all of you back home. I really believe God was in this. He has really used this whole thing in my life and my faith has grown because of it.

2. I am also leaving on sunday morning for a week long camp with 11 youthstreet kids. Reef to Outback is running this camp and we are calling it "Deeper" because the whole point of the camp is to bring these kids to a "deeper" level of who God is and their relationship with Him. I am one of four staff who will be leading this camp and I will be teaching and running small groups and discussions. some of the kids are Christians and then we have a couple kids who have no idea who God is...so it's a great opportunity to be able to speak into these kids lives and build relationships as well as really being able to teach about God and how he loves them and has a plan for their lives. should be a good time. I will fill all of you in on what happens when we get back.

Specific prayer request:

That God really move in these kids lives at camp and they are forever changed. Pray that God speaks through us and uses in such a way that these kids get a glimpse of who God is and who each one of them are in God's eyes. Pray that God pierces their soul with truth.

Talk to ya soon!

Aaron


I'll put this on my blog but it's no different than what you see here.....;).

Read more...