How is Anne Doing and When is She Coming Home?

A lot of you have been asking about Skeeter's job and if he is enjoying it.  He might be able to enjoy it once he actually completes training. :)  However, it is awesome that they are taking the time to thoroughly train him so that when he does start, he will know exactly what to do.  This week, he started his 12 hour shifts so that has been a change for our family.  Right now his 12 hour shift is during the day, but that could change in the future as well.

There have also been questions about how Anne is doing and when she might be coming home, especially now that school is finished.  Anne completed her academic studies before the school year ended so for about one and a half weeks or so they had to come up with some extra things for her to do.  She finished grade wise, very well!  This is a huge praise, as online studying is something we have done in the past when we home schooled and she really struggled with that style of learning.  After school was out, she was not only able to take a trip with us, but she was also able to stay home for a week long visit.  This week was awesome, but crazy busy, as we filled it up with goodbyes, hanging with friends and doctor appointments.

While Anne was on home pass she mentioned that her host mom had offered the opportunity for her to switch rooms so she wouldn't have to stay with Lexi. (Earlier in the year, Anne had asked if she could switch rooms and had been told she couldn't.) However, Anne chose to not switch, but to stay with Lexi, hoping that she would be able to work through things and make it work!  I was amazed at how BIG of a decision that was for her!  I am praying that Jesus will be able to use Anne so that Lexi can have a clear picture of what a relationship with Jesus actually looks like.  Anne has already been able to share with her that yes, life is hard, but with Jesus, there is always hope. We continue to pray for this ministry opportunity for her!

Anne also mentioned that she had spoken with the campus life director to see when she might be able to come back home.  Unknown to Anne, we had received an email sharing this information with us, but had been asked to keep it quiet.  Anne was told that she might be able to come home at the end of the summer!  So the goals over the next couple of months will be to work on transitioning back to home.  The time she stays at home will progressively get longer to see how she handles it.  We are still waiting to see when her next time to come home will be, but it could be anywhere from 8-14 days in length.

As we think of transitioning back to home, here are some prayer requests.  While here the last time, she was able to say good bye to her close friend from school. This friend is leaving with her family to be missionaries overseas.  She was a godly and very special friend to Anne, and Anne having to say good bye was very difficult.  Will you please join us in praying that when she returns to school, that God will provide a good friend for her?

Secondly, is the area of continued therapy and counseling.  We want her to continue receiving the help that she needs to continue to cope in a healthy way.  During her last home pass, we scheduled an appointment with the family therapist that is seeing Adia and Jonathan.  They absolutely love her and we have hopes that Anne will too.  However, after Anne's first visit with her, she wasn't too thrilled about seeing her.  Anne has fallen in love with the therapist that she has been regularly seeing at the home.  Once you make a connection like that, its hard to not compare that with others.  I am hoping that she will be willing to try our therapist again just to give her a chance, but we pray for wisdom in how we can get her the help she needs once she gets home.  We may see if the therapist she has been seeing will be able to continue seeing her, however, with her being in Wichita, it won't be able to be quite as often as she had been seeing her.  We don't know if we will end up using two therapists, so that we can keep the visits more regular?  We have asked the home for advice as we seek God's will in this matter as well.  Anne's health is well worth it, we just need to see how God works and leads.

Thirdly, pray for us as a family as we seek to reconnect and transition back together as a family.  When I asked the campus director if Anne would come home the end of July or in August she said that that was up to us.  Please be in prayer as we make this decision and that we will have the wisdom as to when the right time will be to bring her home and then get her ready for school, etc.  We look forward to sharing more details about this move as we learn more!

We are in process of scheduling our next family meeting, so we may learn more details about the transition during our conversation with the staff.

What is Anne doing now that summer is here?  This week she has been busy helping get ready for their big fundraiser that is happening today.  The fundraiser is quite a huge one and is held on campus so there was a lot of opportunity to help get things prepped and ready.  Next week, she will be participating in a work camp.  They will have lots of opportunity to participate in community service.  I don't know what her specific assignments will be, but it will be something like cleaning, painting, helping weed or plant things, etc.

I haven't had a chance to talk with Anne since we took her back at the end of her last home pass, and won't likely get a chance to hear from her until after the work camp is completed.  This will be the longest time we haven't been able to touch base with her since that first month.

We continue to pray that the Lord will continue to work in Anne's heart as well as in the hearts of the other girls there.  One of the girls who was in Anne's house left to be reunited with her family the week after school was out.  There are some other girls who are being rumored to be leaving to go back home soon as well.  As the changes continue to happen, we know that God is always constant!

In closing, this is a picture of Anne and I on our trip to Branson.  Although I LOVED her reaching for and wanting to hold my hand, I am thankful it wasn't for the full trip as my arm could only twist so far for so long!  LOL!  On the more serious side, this was a great opportunity to show her support as she would periodically become more serious as she would think about how life is becoming so very different for her than how she imagined it would be.  This visual is a great reminder that God promises never to let go, no matter how crazy and stressful life can be! 

Change

By Anne Snell  

May 2, 2016

Inspired by Hebrews 13:8 - Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever.

Why does the world change?

Why do we change?

Is there anything that doesn't change?

Times change.

The world changes.

People change.

Do we really need to change?

Can we control change?

Is change bad?

Seasons change.

Environments change.

Animals change.

Find a person who doesn't change.

Find some stability in this crazy, changing world.

Is that possible?

They say You don't change.

They say You are the same.

Is it true?

Are You real?

Are You really there?

Can I be sure?

Someone Who never changes.

Not possible, I think.

But I wonder.

Could it be true?

Can I dare believe?

Will I believe?

I will try.

I will believe.

Maybe for once I will find stability in this world.

I may change.

The world may change.

But You never will.

That's stability.

That's comfort.

That's Jesus.