Through another blog, I found out about a family in Michigan, actually Grand Rapids where I lived for one year in high school. Jason and Em and I have been praying for them ever since we learned of their story. Like I said before, there are so many needs, so keep doing what you are doing, but make the time to read the link below. I'll sum up their story, but you can read the rest...and hey, if you're a Michigan reader and don't have a home church, go check it out!
Josh and Shelly Buck are parents of 3 kids, one of which went to heaven when she was only 3 months old. On their blog it refers to it as an "accident" so I don't know why their sweet girl went home to be with Jesus at such a young age. Josh is one of the pastors of a church plant, much like our own here in Denver, that recently started in East Grand Rapids. Shelly is pregnant with their 4th child and is due soon, I believe. She and Josh were on vacation in January in Mexico when Josh had a swimming accident and broke a vertebrae in his neck, causing paralysis from the neck down and a temporary inability to breathe on his own. The link below has many ways in which we can help, but one I'd like to highlight because, well, I'm a sucker and a sap for the sincere facial expressions on the show, is nominating them for an Extreme Home Makeover. The non-profit I started with my friends is a micro-mini version of this, so to know that a tangible difference can be made in their lives, like ramps, wide hallways, showers and countertops, etc., it gets me excited. Anyway, here's the link:
www.greenhouseministries.org
Please pray for Josh and Shelly and their kids. Their trust and hope in the Lord is encouraging to anyone who reads their story...
The recent pictures you have posted of Noah are beautiful. Although you have shared with us some of your thoughts when you see them, I can hardly imagine what goes through your head each and every time you look at them. You’re an amazing person and continue to inspire many with each and every message that you post.
ReplyDeletejhinkle@perham.k12.mn.us
Here's an excerpt from a recent article about the Bucks that appeared in the Grand Rapids Press
ReplyDelete(http://www.mlive.com/search/
index.ssf?/base/news-1/
1170487579266860.xml?grpress?NER&coll=
6&thispage=2):
"This is not the first time Greenhouse Ministries' leaders surrendered to a will they would have pleaded to avoid.
Four hours after the church was officially planted in August of 2005, Josh Buck got a phone call. His 3-month-old daughter, Ava Nicole, was killed as she slept in her crib when a 10-pound window fan fell on her 11-pound body.
At the time, Kent County Medical Examiner Dr. Stephen Cohle called it, "terrible, a very tragic thing," unlike any accident he had seen in 23 years of pathology.
Grate recalled that day and the moment's hesitation about continuing the new church.
"You talk about bringing a community together. These people are all still here," he said of the 14 members of the original leadership team."
You can read more about how Josh and Shelly have been dealing with the loss of little Ava (including their thoughts on deciding to have his vasectomy reversed in hopes of having another child) on the blog they started shortly after her death at http://joshbuck.blogspot.com.
Karen
Portland, OR
Thanks for posting this, Adrienne. The internet has truly made it a "small world." Josh's parents attend our church and he and Shelly went to college at IWU here in his "home town" so our community has been impacted by the recent events. Your compassion and care for others, even in the midst of your own grieving process, is such a testimony to God's presence in your life.
ReplyDeleteI check your blog at least once a day and love reading your posts. There's always something that moves me and challenges me to seek God more and live for Him more fully. Thanks for investing in the lives of others by sharing your journey as well as your precious son, Noah (what amazing photos!). I look forward to meeting you both...someday.
Adrienne,
ReplyDeleteI don't know you, but I have been reading your blog since just a few short days before Noah went "home". I don't even know how I found your blog now.
It has been extremely warming & rewarding, as well as heartbreaking, at times, to read.
Thank you for all that you have and continue to share.
I am writing today to thank you for your posting about the Buck's.
Josh grew up in my home town, Marion, IN. I am good friends with his parents. My niece and nephew went to school with him.
I appreciate your desire to have others learn about Josh & Shelly's situation. As you know, there can never be too many people to pray.
Thank you, again, for your love for Christ and how you show it on a daily basis.
May God continue to grant you peace and contentment.
Sincerely,
Jackie Carl
Marion, IN
jscarl@indy.rr.com
P.S. Your children are most beautiful !!
This world truly is small! I too live in Marion, IN. I go to church with Josh Buck's mother and we have been praying for them.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for your blog. I admire your faith and hope (& pray) that I can have that same faith in times of trouble. I lost 2 children due to miscarriages and I was angry and depressed. That did nothing for me. Two years ago my youngest daughter (1 1/2 years old at the time) was in the hospital for 2 weeks... long story, but months later was finally diagnosed with Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis... this time I relied on God to get me through. At first I wanted to get angry, but I knew that wasn't going to help. God has been faithful and taken good care of us.
I am blessed to read your blog and how you can sense God's faithfulness... even in the most tragic circumstances.
I found your blog via a friend of a friend connection... actually Jaena Womack who commented earlier was responsible. I have learned a lot from you. Thanks for sharing your story and your journey. My prayers are with you.
Of course, I will be praying for the Buck family as well. What do people do without a relationship with Jesus? Who do you lean on? I'd be a total wreck just even hearing of such tradgedies. JESUS, thank you for the hope you bring!
ReplyDeleteOh, by the way, I'm glad to hear you got your non-profit going! EXCITING!
ReplyDeleteGod turns mourning into dancing!
ReplyDeleteCha Cha Cha...... Aren't you glad we serve GOD and not People! May your life continue to be a blessing to others! God is Good!!!
I found your site through youtube and i have fallen in love with your family. Being a fellow blogspot person myself i went back and started your blog from the begining and read all the way to the end. It took me two days and my heart wants to be sad for you but i cant help but rejoice instead about how a little life could be on earth for such a short time but can make such an impact in the lives of others and for Christ. You are such an amazing family.
ReplyDeleteFirst to Karen who posted above...
ReplyDeleteThe link you posted for the families blog is not working for some reason. Is there another one? Thank you for posting that article too. :o)
Adrienne,
Thank you for the information about the family. Prayer requests will be fulfilled on my side through my small family.
Thank you for the new(to us) photos of Noah as well. Please do not ever feel like you are being crude in any way. Everything that happened throughout this journey is just part of the whole story. I can't imagine any of us shying away from anything you may tell us. Don't ever be afraid of being crude. Part of the reason why I like reading you is because you do not blow sunshine. Because you are being real and you tell it like it is.
Love,
Mandy77
mandydyer55@hotmail.com
You have to delete the period (http://joshbuck.blogspot.com) for the address to go through...hope that helps. :)
ReplyDeleteWords cannot even express...
ReplyDeleteI heard of your blog on the morning of Friday, January 12th. Needless to say, I was overcome with grief. It has been with me every since. I am amazed at your faith and so encouraged by it. You have got it right. We are here for God's glory alone...many people do not understand that, which is understandable as we are human. But I see glory in Noah's life! God's glory!
When I see your baby boy, I see my own son in him. He is 6. Jeremiah. I tell you, I hold him and love on him and kiss him and tell him I love him so much more than I did before Jan 12th. I have an Emily too. She's 11. And she has had to put up with her share of cuddling as well. And that's as it should be. My children are a blessing and I will not allow life to take my loving away from them as I had before.
I really just wanted you to know that you have touched my life. I couldn't read your blog for a while after that Friday. This may sound weird, but in the scheme of being "real" I just wanted to say something. May not make sense to you, but I think God gives us people around us to help take some of the grief for a time. I really and truly believe that I grieved so hard for you because God gave it to me. That is not to say that you weren't grieving. You needed to be in a place to let your son go and God spread out your grief to us out here, so that you would survive each moment. I may be way off. But I felt such grief for you and kept questioning why it affected me so much...not knowing you at all. I think God did that for you. I think of you, your family and your son every day! Moments happen...things we take for granted and I see what I should be appreciating now.
One final thought, I totally agree with you about downsizing the "stuff" in our lives. Been thinking alot about moving to some foreign country and becoming a missionary. Something that helps me realize what is important in life. Jesus.
God bless you. I hope to meet you one day. And I would definitely buy your book. Glad to know you are considering it. I will pray for that and you.
Love, Cassie Mattson
iThis is the website of a contempory christian artist in Nashville, TN
ReplyDeletehttp://www.lynettewright.com/
She has an awesome song that she wrote after losing her Dad to a terminal illness called "In the Room" She sings of how she can still feel his presence in the room with her. When I first heard this song I cried my eyes out. It has been 2 1/2 years since I lost my sister in law to leukemia after my husband donated his stem cells for a transplant. Being one of her primary caregivers I have been where you have been and it is still hard...There is not a day that goes by that I don't think about her. She was only 48 years old. I think in these times even when you have a strong faith, it still shakes you to your very core. Thru the heartache there is a sweet peace that only God can give in the midst of the pain. God is my shepard and he does lead me beside still waters. He restores my soul....Psalm 23 has a deeper meaning for me now more than ever. Life is Hard but God is GOOD! Keep the faith! Know that you have touched countless lives and God's glory has been shown all around the world because of your precious Noah...I will pray that you will have sweet rest when you lay down tonite..xoxo
Kim Brewer
Knoxville, TN
It's ironic that you posted about the Buck family. My friend found your website when she was trying to find out more about the Bucks right after the accident. Her husband is a good friend of Josh's and she found a link to yours from another friend's site that knows both you and the Bucks. She then told us (and anyone else that reads her blog) about your blog. They have been in our prayers and so has your family.
ReplyDeleteAdrienne,
ReplyDeleteMay God continue to bless you and your family. It's been over 2 months since I visited your blog last and, of course, so much has happened. I am so sorry for your loss, and am again inspired by your grace, strength, and (to be honest) your beautiful writing.
I live in Castle Rock and I'm the mother of a 3-year old girl. Your story has touched my life beyond words and I wanted to share this poem with you. It reminded me of your beautiful son, Noah. Thank you for sharing your life and your time with him on this earth. The Lord is using you in ways you will never know! This is for you:
ReplyDeleteGod saw that he was tired and a cure was not to be.
So He put His arms around him and whispered "Come with Me."
With tearful eyes we watched him suffer and saw him fade away.
Although we couldn't bear to lose him, we could not bid him stay.
A golden heart stopped beating and his hands were laid to rest.
God broke our hearts to prove to us, He only takes the best.
It's so amazing that you would write about the Buck's. These people live right next to our hometown. I remember when this accident made the news. At the time everyone was so upset...then time passes. I am so glad you brought it back to my attention. Someone at my work was just mentioning this. Now I can give everyone the web site. From Michigan to Colorado, back to Michigan. Funny how God works :) Thanks Ad!
ReplyDeleteI don't know how I could ever repay your family for what you have done for mine. My marriage is getting better everyday. I am a better wife, mother, and friend because of Noah. I can't even imagine all of the rewards you will receive in heaven for all of the good that you are doing here on earth.
ReplyDeleteThank you so so much.
Sheri
Hi wonderful person! You should write a book about your experience, you could use your blog to do it. It would give people so much hope, and it would show people how christianity really lookes like. It´s not about sitting on a pink sky every day and it´s not about everything being so perfect......IT´S ABOUT HOW GOD LEADS US THROUGH EVERY DAY IF WE ALLOW HIM TO DO SO!....you are sooo real, you are soooo amazing! AND of course you do what you feel is best for you and your family! nobody should judge that!!! GO GO GO!!!!
ReplyDeleteLove from Kolbrún in Iceland.
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDelete