Elizabeth Lately

Forgive the lag in postings, this blogger needed a little break! I am happy to let you know that Elizabeth is doing well, yet still in need of constant prayer.

Lately Elizabeth has been working on getting back to "life." In December Elizabeth traveled to Branson with her mom, sister and boyfriend, Jacob. They had a wonderful Christmas and have so much to be thankful for.

Some of Elizabeth's sorority sisters got together over the holidays for the first time since the accident. We had such a great time and are all amazed at what God is doing in Elizabeth's life. I often think about how any one of us could have been in the wreck that night... we've traveled that interstate a thousand times. It is hard to not ask God why a tragedy like this would occur... why such a sweet family would go through such heartache... why a perfectly healthy 24 year old would go through such pain. Instead we must focus on the Lord and His will. We must rejoice that the God of the universe saved Elizabeth's life physically, and praise Him for her life that she will have eternally with Him. We should thank Him often for hearing and answering our prayers and continue to lift her up as her needs and the needs of her family are great.

 Delta Zeta pledge sisters! Courtney, Tyler, Heather, Britney, Elizabeth, and Becca. We had a yummy dinner at Oak Street Bistro and then a crazy game of scrabble. We partied 'till almost 11 pm!

 Lizzy beth and Heather

Becca and Liz. Two peas in a pod they are!

I have also come to grasp that life is but a vapor (James 4:14). We are never guaranteed another day. We have but a short time to impact the lives of others and spread the love of Christ.  I know that Elizabeth and her family have realized this too and I am so very encouraged by their faith. Let it be a testament to us all that God walks with us through the deepest valleys of life. Michelle commented while Elizabeth was still in the hospital that she's not sure how other people make it through tragedies without the hope of Jesus.

Elizabeth is doing very well. She is the same sweet Elizabeth that we prayed that she would be! If you met her on the street for the first time and didn't know that she nearly lost her life you would never know the difference! (PRAISE!) Her smile is the same, her laugh is the same, her sarcasm and silliness is the same (trust me, ha!). Elizabeth is still dealing with some vision issues so she is still unable to drive. She will remain at her parents house for now since she has to be driven to and from appointments.  She averages 8 therapy sessions a week! That makes me tired just thinking about it so you can imagine her exhaustion. Elizabeth is learning to get back into "life." She has began working again (slowly) by showing houses and doing paperwork. (Did I mention that she sold a house while she was still "sleeping" in the hospital? That is some pretty mad selling skills if you ask me!)

Truth be told, she is PERFECT. Praise be to God for just letting her spend another day with us. The doctors mentioned when Elizabeth left the hospital at the end of October that in January, (this month) they expected her biggest problem to be memory issues.  It was hard to believe at that time since she had such a long way to go but she is better than ever expected. And she barely has any memory problems! There are still some things that are holding Elizabeth back from being 100%... and we would love your prayers on these things.

PRAY. Pray that God would help Elizabeth to know that she is PERFECT. Pray He would give her comfort and strength when she feels that she is going through this alone. Pray that she would be JOYFUL and that God would use her as a vessel.

PRAY. Pray for Elizabeth's encouragement. Pray that the therapists, E's family, friends, and even strangers would constantly be encouraging her. Pray for her physical strength to get her through grueling therapy sessions. Pray that she would have energy.

PRAY. Pray for Elizabeth's vision. Pray that she would see clearly again and can get back to driving soon.

PRAY. Pray for E's family. Pray for them as they encourage Elizabeth and help her to make decisions about her health. Pray for them as they get back to work that they would have physical and mental strength.

PRAISE. Praise the Lord for never leaving Elizabeth's side. Praise Him for being our Healer.

PRAISE. Praise Him for Elizabeth. She is a medical miracle! Pray that all who hear her story and see the faith of she and her family would know the same living God!

But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead...

Philippians 3:13