Support Josiah

Friday Funding Update:
May 12, 2017

Wow! What a week! We are so ready for summer! Our daughter Olivia brought a rotten cold home from school, and four of us are now super sick. Josiah is one of the four! Between the rain, not being able to access the back yard, and his illness, he has been spending all day every day riding in our van. Thankfully, during this illness, his self injury and aggression have not been super bad. That is a huge praise! 

For protection of our family and particularly Josiah, there are aspects of our life that I choose not to share on this website. But we do share a lot, and I know that the Lord uses our openness and vulnerability to encourage others from time to time. So can I get real with you? This week has been a doosie for me personally. I have been challenged spiritually, emotionally, and physically. But it's during times like these that God often teaches us valuable lessons or reminds us of truths that we had possibly taken for granted. I am so thankful that the Holy Spirit continues to graciously prick my heart and cause me to grieve my sin when I make wrong choices. I'm thankful for the reminder that, while we are emotional creatures, our emotions do not have to dictate our choices. And I am thankful for sickness that reminded me this week of how God is the one that sustains our every breath. I'm thankful for my husband whose wisdom is a tool my Heavenly Father often uses to guide me and for Jeremy's patience and grace that he so often extends to me. AND FAMILY! I'm thankful for my family and friends that are like family who have pitched in and helped this week while I have been sick.

Siding!!!! It is gorgeous!!!!

God's grace and mercy and kindness to our family is so profound. Jeremy and I often talk about how we shouldn't continually be surprised by how God supplies for our every need. In the midst of feeling so low this week, GOD has literally taken this fundraiser to places we never dreamed possible. There wasn't one day this week that I wasn't contacted by a friend or family member who felt compelled to give to the fundraiser. The total for this week is a testament to God graciously providing for this project. He provided for the things I didn't even realize we would need! Our current total is $68,057.36!!! What an awesome God we serve!

New siding and heating and air for the therapy room! 

I want to take a moment to explain where we go from here. My Dad is trying to raise the funds to cover the fencing costs that we did not originally plan for. If you read my last post, then you know that he is planning to walk 10 miles from our church Beacon Baptist to the school where he coaches. And he is asking all of his former basketball and soccer players to consider making a $10 donation towards the fencing. We are also reaching out to a couple of local non-profit groups who have graciously helped us cover fencing costs in the past. Between my Dad and these awesome organizations, we are hoping to fund the much needed fencing.

I received a call this week from a friend who I just met a few weeks ago. She is undergoing dialysis as she waits for a kidney transplant. She is a mom like me, and she knows what it is like to be in a place of need. Yet, in the face of her own family having tremendous needs, she has insisted on helping our family! I can't think of a more sacrificial act of love! This friend is planning on doing a fundraiser in the future for Josiah, and she is also ministering to our family in some other ways that are exceptionally thoughtful. I talked with this friend about how God has already provided more than we asked Him to provide. But she told me that it is important for us not to constantly feel the burden of all the needs that Josiah has and will most likely continue to have for the rest of his life. I can't begin to tell you how much that means to us. 

A sick Josiah snuggling his baby brother Jason! 

To that end, our church has graciously agreed to keep the Josiah Verroi Fund open! When people come to us wanting to help, we can point them to this fund. Any left over money from this project and any future donations will be saved in this account for the future needs that Josiah will have. For example, replacement of his carseat and stroller when needed, therapy equipment for his room, future replacement of the pool liner, etc. Each purchase will be approved by the church and the fund will solely be used for Josiah's special needs. 

Oh, the stories we have to tell in future posts! I plan to tell you about all the companies that have come together to help us! And stories of how God has used fellow believers, family, friends, and our community to help us care for our precious son Josiah! How can we ever thank you enough? 

Because of His grace,
Christy

*To those who took part in our Faces Fundraiser, my plan is to post pictures of our Faces Posters this coming Tuesday! If you haven't sent me your picture, please do so soon! :)