The Blessings of a Church Family

Minutes before it was time to leave for church yesterday, we were still deciding if Mike (and I) were up for going for the first time since the accident. We both wanted to be there with our sweet brothers and sisters in Christ, but both of our emotions are still raw and very close to the surface, and Mike still has very little stamina and very little voice. 

But...we decided we needed to be there. And let me just tell you, it was so, so good! Mike and I got hugs left and right. The smiles and encouragement were just what we needed. (We barely, or not, held ourselves together, but tears have just become the norm lately.) God is so good to provide what we need when we need it. Pastor John preached from 1 Peter 1:3-12 and reminded us that, as believers, we need to choose joy and perseverance even in the midst of trials. And it's because of who God is and the inheritance we have to look forward to that we can do that. We can have joy because we know God has a good purpose in everything. May God be glorified in all of this! If you don't know him, please talk to us. He wants you to know His goodness. 

Thank you Emmanuel Church for standing by us and continuing to love and support us. And yes, Mike and I both took a nap Sunday afternoon, after being stretched way beyond the normal couple hours he is usually awake between naps. 

Mike's eyes continue on their healing journey. His bruising and swelling keeps changing shapes and colors but is gradually getting better. The light sensitivity in his right eye seems to be decreasing a little bit. He still can't open his left eye, but we are still hopeful that the swelling will continue to decrease and allow it to function normally, even without vision. We really have no idea when he might be feeling up to learning to drive with one eye, but I'm pretty sure it won't be for a couple of months still, so he will definitely need some visitors to occupy his mind while his body continues to heal. 

His voice doesn't seem to be making much more progress yet. It's hard to tell.  He continues to stay quiet most of the time to rest it. It's certainly a struggle to not give into sadness and to stay hopeful that the Lord may restore his voice, but we know that God's plans are best. 

His hand fracture is healing very well, and he has been playing around on his guitar more. He just needs to regain some of the range of motion in that broken finger again. A couple more weeks, and I bet he will pretty much be able to play what he wants again. 

Sweet friends and family have supplied him with some legos and a book nook kit to keep him busy as he recovers. We are ALL so grateful he has these to do! =) And, no, the kids are not allowed to help! 

Last of all, we were able to get a family photo last week before the older kids left again. It's typical casual, Sager-family style. Not great lighting, but we're all together, Mike is upright, and that's what matters. 

We love you all and thank you for your continued prayers. We are blessed! 

Please pray that: