Recovery and School Staff

Hello my friends.

It has been a little while so I thought I would give everyone a quick update of what is happening.

1. The "Aaron Wright Night" that my church put on seemed to be a great success. From what I have heard everyone had a great time listening to the band, hearing a bit about what is going on over here, and watching an update video where I conducted my own interview from my recovery bed as well as a slideshow of pictures of youthstreet. They also raised some financial support for me as well which is a huge blessing for me. Big thanks go to everyone who coordinated the night as well as everyone who attended. Glad you had fun and I wish I could've been there!

2. My back continues to improve and I am just about back to normal. I spent a total of 3 weeks in bed (mostly) and am now back to work full time and even started physical therapy last week. It feels really good and I am totally pain free. My calf still does not work and the neurosurgeon says that at this point is might work again but it might not. It has been so long now that we will do what we can to regain the function but chances are I won't get full use back. But we will see how it goes (I am not one to give up easily) and I will do what I can and let God do the rest. Thanks again for all your prayers throughout the last couple of months....and no I am still not playing rugby yet.

3. The big news for me here at Reef to Outback is that I have been asked to staff the July Discipleship Training School (DTS). That is the same school that I originally came to Australia to attend back in July last year. But now I have gone from a lowly student to a big bad staff member which means that I run small groups, do heaps of one-on-one discipleship, speak and teach often, and much much more all with the aim of taking the students deeper with God and give them a heart for the lost and for missions. It also means that I will be leading a team on a two month outreach starting in October to a destination that is still yet to be decided officially at this moment. Staffing a school means that my role around the base will change dramatically (I will be leaving my beloved accounts department) and I am very excited for all the opportunities that this entails. My DTS had a major impact on my life and it will be a privilege to staff a school that can really change someone's entire outlook on who God is, who they are, and what they will do with the life God has given them. It's gonna be good and I look forward to relaying many stories of what God does during this time. The school begins on the 14th of July and runs till December 5th. I can't wait.


Everything else hear is great. Youthstreet continues to cruise right along and the ministry here is thriving. Thanks again for all the prayers and support. I love you all!

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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!

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