As I said good night to Jordan, that is what he responded
with - "One Day Closer". He is referencing what our prayer
warrior friend Sheila greets him with every time she visits. "One
day closer to your healing".
Canuck Place is housed in a turn of the century renovated mansion, complete with wrought iron gates, close to Ronald McDonald House and Children's Hospital. It's the place we never, ever imagined becoming residents of. We arrived by air ambulance Friday in a plane which was less than a week old, with 2 pilots, 2 paramedics, room for 2 patients and 1 companion. I was grateful that I was able to accompany Jordan as he was the only guest. He was wheeled out from our home as some of the first snowflakes were flying....the landscape on our street looked like a Christmas card. God is into the details because Jordan adores snow. The ambulance took us straight to the airport, transferred Jordan into the plane and flew us the 50 minutes over the Rockies on a sunny day to Vancouver where another ambulance picked us up and drove us the 20 minutes to Canuck Place. All the while, Jordan stayed strapped into the same gurney taking breakthrough medication when needed. Kim and Tucker arrived several hours later by car with our luggage.
Its so kind of the hospice staff to let us bring Tucker. He pretty much stays on Jordan's bed or one of the easy chairs beside it. His eyebrows and ears flickering as he watches and listens to all the activity around his master.
From the onset, the staff has no question about what Jordan's posture is. Although he battles the varying degrees of pain in his back, loss of feeling and movement in his lower body, as well as issues with sight, speech and hearing, his consistent request is for prayer....and not just feel good prayer. He is leading the charge. As he drifts into a medicated sleep or pops out of a doze, Jordan will either be stating his love for us or be commanding his body "to display the manifestation of his healing". Right after being given more bad news, "he will tell his body to get up and walk in the name of Jesus". When he hears others are not well, he commands healing to their bodies - with pretty great results. When pain flashes, Jordan's first request is for prayer..."Pain goes, restoration comes". Sometimes the pain leaves immediately and he praises Jesus. He despises the lines coming out of his body. There are only minutes out of every day since we arrived where Jordan is physically comfortable….unless you count sleeping or being knocked out. He is grateful for the staff's care (it's been hard on them to see him in such pain) but wants "to get up and show them what Jesus can do". Yesterday morning, he used the word hopeless and then turned around and prayed once again.
Canuck Place is housed in a turn of the century renovated mansion, complete with wrought iron gates, close to Ronald McDonald House and Children's Hospital. It's the place we never, ever imagined becoming residents of. We arrived by air ambulance Friday in a plane which was less than a week old, with 2 pilots, 2 paramedics, room for 2 patients and 1 companion. I was grateful that I was able to accompany Jordan as he was the only guest. He was wheeled out from our home as some of the first snowflakes were flying....the landscape on our street looked like a Christmas card. God is into the details because Jordan adores snow. The ambulance took us straight to the airport, transferred Jordan into the plane and flew us the 50 minutes over the Rockies on a sunny day to Vancouver where another ambulance picked us up and drove us the 20 minutes to Canuck Place. All the while, Jordan stayed strapped into the same gurney taking breakthrough medication when needed. Kim and Tucker arrived several hours later by car with our luggage.
Its so kind of the hospice staff to let us bring Tucker. He pretty much stays on Jordan's bed or one of the easy chairs beside it. His eyebrows and ears flickering as he watches and listens to all the activity around his master.
From the onset, the staff has no question about what Jordan's posture is. Although he battles the varying degrees of pain in his back, loss of feeling and movement in his lower body, as well as issues with sight, speech and hearing, his consistent request is for prayer....and not just feel good prayer. He is leading the charge. As he drifts into a medicated sleep or pops out of a doze, Jordan will either be stating his love for us or be commanding his body "to display the manifestation of his healing". Right after being given more bad news, "he will tell his body to get up and walk in the name of Jesus". When he hears others are not well, he commands healing to their bodies - with pretty great results. When pain flashes, Jordan's first request is for prayer..."Pain goes, restoration comes". Sometimes the pain leaves immediately and he praises Jesus. He despises the lines coming out of his body. There are only minutes out of every day since we arrived where Jordan is physically comfortable….unless you count sleeping or being knocked out. He is grateful for the staff's care (it's been hard on them to see him in such pain) but wants "to get up and show them what Jesus can do". Yesterday morning, he used the word hopeless and then turned around and prayed once again.
Last night, when Kim and I tucked him in before we went to our room, I called out, "Can't wait to see you tomorrow" and Kim followed it up with a faith-filled "And play with you". Jordan's response was "And empty hospitals together". He has heard our friend Linda, who worked in Mozambique, talk about the day she and friends spoke healing to the patients in a hospital and watched the power of God empty it......Why not? Why not here? Why not?
I made a deal with Jordan
wayyy back. I would not give up Plan A. Though EVERYTHING
(thankfully not everybody) around me screams that I need to face
"reality", and though I often end up in tears over the agony and
bravery I witness in my youngest son, I don't have a choice. Because in
spite of everything I see, the life of Christ is in me and I was not given Holy
Spirit to watch and not pray, or speculate instead of fight. I have nowhere
to go. Our instructions are pretty clear in this one....even if it feels
like the millionth time we command the pain to go and the restoration to come.
Squishing all of you who
are holding up our arms and battling on our behalf. This journey is
unbelievably difficult. Thankfully,
Matthew and Joel are flying in on Thursday to be with us over the weekend. They
love to speak life to Jordan’s body.
