Minutes to Memories

I had an interesting morning.

A press release from my friend, Alison, landed me a spot on morning talk radio at WTNI 1640AM with co-hosts, Ken Allen and William Sackett to talk about the Single Parent Network. Our big event is this Saturday, and today was a perfect day to talk it up.

I had been on this particular program in the past (for Habitat for Humanity I'm certain), so I knew a little bit about what to expect. The hosts were gracious, but beyond that, I was so excited that they GOT IT when it came to our ministry. By the time I left, I think they were more excited than me! In fact, Mr. Sackett proposed that we devote one of his one-hour shows to the concept in the near future, complete with more of "us" as guests as well as encouraging callers to call in and interact!!!

In the middle of today's interview, the hosts were notified that a caller was on the line, and it turned out to be Susan Tennant, one of "us" in our new ministry! It was absolutely perfect that she called in, lending credence to the overall concept by adding the voice of a single parent. Susan came to our very first meeting, and we learned that she had a heart for single-parent ministry and had simply been looking for a way to make it happen. So... she joined our work immediately, and headed up the Childcare Committee for our last event. Now this Saturday, she is co-chairing the Program Committee!

I know that I went to the studio to drum up enthusiasm for this ministry, but I'm pretty sure I was the one whose enthusiasm was drummed up today!

Then there was this afternoon...

My youth minister, Trent, called with news that he and one of our teens, Matt, had collided in a softball game at Bible camp and that they had taken Matt to the hospital to make sure everything was alright. He said he would call with an update later.

When he called later, he shared the unsettling news that Matt's spleen was ruptured and that they were taking him into emergency surgery. I did a quick web search on that injury and learned that it is fairly common in sports, but that it is very serious and can be fatal without the surgery. This is not what Matt had envisioned from a week at church camp, nor did anyone else envision this either.

Gene (one of my elders, and Matt's grandpa) just called a few minutes ago to say that the surgery was successful, though they had to give Matt three units of blood and discovered that both his kidney and pancreas were bruised. They plan to keep him in ICU overnight and in the hospital several days afterward to make sure everything heals properly. These surgeries typically witness full recovery, with the only long-term effect being a greater susceptibility to infections due to a weakened immune system. But keep Matt and his family in your prayers nonetheless.