Hello!

Thank you so much for all of your prayers this weekend!  God was so present and worked in every detail!!  Joe, Zach, Noah, Alexis and I had dinner together Saturday night and then spent time praying about yesterday.  As we prayed, I could feel God's presence in such an amazing way, we all could.  We knew He was with us and we knew He would show up in a powerful way yesterday - of course He would and He did!  Thank you so much for interceding for us yesterday - God moved in so many ways, ways we couldn't have begun to imagine.

We had an entire team outside of the Today show crew that came to our home.  A lot of the people we have been working with in public relations at Life Tech came over, a gentleman that we are now working with to help us get our story out in some new and exciting ways came, and we had several other people that came over that were clearly suppose to be here.  The crew started out filming Joe and I, then moved to Noah and Alexis, then did some filming of family activities and then time had run out and the Putjenters were here.  The excitement started to grow and we all suddenly found ourselves extremely nervous as we were all so anxious to meet them.  Once the phone rang and we knew they were coming down the street, we all felt like we were 5 years old on Christmas morning.  We couldn't wait to open the door and discover the present that God was giving to us, each one of us, and knew that it would be more than we could have ever anticipated.  The film crew went out to speak to the Putjenter family first, they filmed them driving down our driveway and getting out of their car.  We waited inside for them to knock on the door.  There were some errors in locked doors, we made some adjustments - all of which made the anticipation build even greater.  We waited in the hallway with the cameraman, filming our every emotion, as we heard the knock on the front door.  We moved forward, opened the door and were greeted by amazing Love and amazing Grace.  God's gift for us yesterday went beyond meeting a family that has been given new life, it went beyond our excitement and anticipation, God showed up in ways that I still don't think we can fully grasp.

We greeted Scott (dad), Debbi (mom), Tyler (older brother - 20), and Travis (now age 16) with big hugs for everyone.  We brought them into our living room, sat down, and started talking.  I asked many questions that I was waiting to ask, the first one to Tyler asking how it felt, as Travis's big brother, to see the transformation of his brother from a wheelchair to playing tennis and doing things he could never do.  The emotions for all of us were transparent, we held nothing back and shared details of what life had been and how God had turned everything around.  I can't begin to tell you the way we look at life now, the way we see God's grace, how it was what got us through so many years of endless doctor appointments, surgeries, test after test, hours of therapy every week, and so many unknowns.  As we listened to the Putjenters, it was clear they felt the same way.  God's amazing love, God's amazing grace is so powerful and it united our hearts before we had even met each other.

I had emailed Debbi on Saturday and asked if they could stay for dinner after the shoot.  They stayed last night and we enjoyed talking about details of what life was like and what life is now for both of our families.  They shared how the first year of life on the medication for Travis was like a newborn, he learned how to crawl, sit up, eat on his own, and, after about a year, walk.  There were things that were shared that made me realize Lilly is exactly where she should be as far as responding to the medication.  There were things that were shared that made me realize if Travis's true diagnosis had been made earlier, he would have an even better life.  Because Travis was in his wheelchair for so long, he developed severe scoliosis.  His spine is acutely curved and they are planning a surgery later this year to put a rod in his back to help straighten his spine.  God used this and a few other details to bring to my heart and mind how important it is to get an early diagnosis, how things could be so different, how Travis could have been enjoying life with his family from such a younger age.  God will use it all, and already has, to bring about change for others.  Travis and his family are so much stronger for all they've gone through, the impact on their community has been significant, life changing. God will work all things together for the good of those who love Him, who are called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28), He will and He already has.  

Yesterday was only the beginning of many things to come.  God has so much more planned and He is showing us little glimpses along the way.  Our entire family was changed in ways I don't think any of us realized would happen.  All the people who were here yesterday, that were excited for the meeting and our time together as families, were changed in ways I don't think they realized would take place.  God showed up in ways beyond what we could have ever anticipated, in ways that moved us all and changed us. This is only the beginning, keep praying for Lilly, keep praying for Alex, Braden, Erta and the hundreds, thousands of other kids and adults who will and are experiencing new lives.  Keep praying for all those that are just watching, here to see something amazing, something that will move them.  God is moving in hearts of all those watching and doing things, individually, in each person's heart (from the film crew, to Joe's peers, to each one of us), meeting them/us right where we are at with exactly what we need to see, hear, and grab hold of.  God is moving, His Love is changing hearts and His Grace is being poured out in abundant ways.  Please keep praying for there is so much more to come.

We love you all so much.  We couldn't make this journey without you and all of your prayers.  Thank you, thank you, thank you, for taking this journey with us.  We are truly blessed beyond understanding!

Love
Retta, Joe, Zach, Noah and Alexis