Look for more about Josh's Journey soon....

08/17/09 

As Joshua's anniversary of his accident is approaching, 09/09/2001 - 09/09/2009, it is hard to believe eight years have past, and how life has changed.  I think of that day eight years ago and if we would have listen to the Doctors and let Joshua die.  What would have  happened to the lives that have been changed because of his witness?  He is more determined today to walk again then I have ever seen him.  He tells me every day that he is ready to go back to High Hopes, a head injury program in Tustin California, we were there last year for four months and Joshua made great advances.  Mark Desmond the director has open the door for Joshua to go back for three more months of needed rehab.   If you want to help Joshua make this journey from St. Augustine, Fl to Tustin California please make a donation on our home page and know that it will not only help change Joshua's life but every one he touches.

Never Giving Up,

Harold

09/14/09

This has been a trying week the passing of 09/09/09,  which brought more emotions than I expected.   As 09/11 came I recalled eight years ago standing in the waiting room at Shands Trama Ward watching our country being attached on live T.V. as Joshua laid in ICU fighting for his life.  

As Joshua and I prepare to head out on the road again, pray for us.  We will be leaving on September 20thto meet with the staff at Hinds Feet Farm in N.C. and from there we will be heading to High Hopes in TustinCalifornia.  Pray for this trip.  We have had many obstacles, yet know God is calling us to press on.  I know He has some thing grand in store for us as we step out in faith.  This should be a very busy week preparing to go. 

Never Giving Up, 

10/04/09

Joshua and I have made it back to California, with a wonderful reception both from the staff of CandleWoodSuites and our dear friends at High Hopes.  Yet before we go to far let us get you caught up with a God story.

As you know God had placed this trip on our hearts for the past year, our hopes were to be back in Cali the beginning of the summer, yet God had different plans on the timing.  It was early July when I e-mailed my friend Mark Desmond at High Hopes and ask him a simple question.  Who is the spokesperson for Traumatic Brain Injury people?  The e-mail I received back started me to pray.  He said that there really is not one, and he thought it should be me.  That was not the answer I expected.  Yet it got me asking the question.  God what would you have me do?  With that He lead me to a man in North Carolina, named Martin Foil, the Director of day program for Traumatic Brain Injury people called Hinds Feet Farm, just out side of Charlotte.  We set a date for early September for Joshua and I to visit the farm, which we had to ajust because the passing of one of my sisters, Stella. 

My journey to Texas for her funeral gave me a time to reflect of her life and how over the years she grew so close to our lord and savior.  Her passing grieved my heart yet once again made me remember that our time on earth is so short and what we do with it is so important.  While in Texas I received a phone call about a dear family who have touched my heart over the years, who now themselves had just lost their son,Wayne, very unexpected.  I once again thought of our time on earth.  Because of my sister and then Wayne, God spoke to my heart.  What he said is this, My ways are not your ways and my timing is not your timing.  As I thought of both of their lives I knew God had taken them both in His perfect timing.

Once again at home in St. Augustine my focus was back to our journey ahead.   Our dear friend Mary H. who had wrote an inspiring letter to help raise much needed funds for the trip, and who continued to encourageme to take the action I needed to make our trip a reality.  We sent the letter out as an e-mail attachment to over 400 people in hopes it would spread.  Two weeks before we had planned to leave  we had received $2500.00, most of this was used to repair the van for the trip along withthe supplies need for our long journey.  This left us with $209.00 in our account, yet I knew God has called us to do this trip.  It was on September 9th, I had not thought of this an till right now that this was the 8th anniversary of Joshua accident, that God at 5:30 am spoke to me once again.  He said be calm, stay focused andprepare to go.  So the next week an a half I continued to prepare for our 2 1/2 month journey.  At the end of the week and a half, the Friday before we were to depart, my wife and I looked at our account and not a penny more had come in, we still had $209.00.  You need to know that staying home at this point was not an option.  God had told us to go and He would provide, so Joshua and I were leaveing on Sunday, September 20th for a meeting at Hinds Feet Farm in N.C. on the 21st and 22nd then across the country to TustinCalifornia to High Hopes.   We had finished our final preperations on Friday, with $209.00 still in our account.  That afternoon our neighbors across the street, Dan andViv showed up with a check from the Vineyard Church, things were looking up, as Dan, Viv, Deb, and myself stood in front of our house  rejoicing, Viv said, you know Harold God is going to provide for this trip, and we all agreed.  This is were the plot thickens.  That night my wife got on the ministry account to make sure every thing was up to date before the trip, and what she seen caught her off guard.  Someone had deposited a large some of money, in fact along with the gift from the Vineyard,  it was the exact amount we needed for the trip.  The next day, Saturday the day before we are set to depart, I go to the bank to try andfigure were the money had come from.  What we foundout is that some one had come into one of the branches with cash and deposited it into the ministry.  God taught me a very valuablelesson that week.  So often just because all the resource are not in front of us to complete the journey, we give up on the journey.  Yet, when we commit to the journey no matter what, God will provide.  I can not leave this section without giving special thanks to all who helped us both with funds and in prayer.   It is getting late and this blog has run to long, yet I pray it has caught you up to date on Joshua and Harold's grand adventure. 

God continues to use Joshua's story of never giving up to change lives.  We will be updating the Calendar soon.

Never Giving Up,