Monday, April 9, 2012

A Great Day!

We had a great day today! Elder Schenk had a peaceful night and morning. In the afternoon things changed a bit. He had some visitors. His good friend who spent the first 4 nights and days in the hospital with him, hadnt seen Britt since then. When Britten responded to him he became emotional, with tears of joy streaming down his face. They had a awesome time together! Then Elder Schenks Mission President and his sweet wife came and it was another glorious exchange of love and devotion! Earlier in the day, we had explained to Britten that in order to get rid of the trach and gastronomy tube, he would have to learn to swallow. He would have to be able to drink and eat food. As we watched him through out the day he looked as though he was practicing swallowing. We wondered if that was really what he was doing. This evening he let us know that he wanted water. The nurse gave him half a cup of water and a tray to spit in. He held the cup all by himself and put it to his lips. He took a little water, and to all of our surprise, He swallowed it! He continued this until all the water was gone, and he did it without coughing or sputtering. I guess that was not good enough. He downed another half cup of water. We now know, he was practicing! Here we are at the end of another day, marveling at the miracles and blessings received from our loving Father in Heaven. We are thankful for the prayers of all our loving family and friends. Steven, Karla and Britten

32 comments:

  1. Oh, what wonderful news! Even though Britten has a long way to go, what awesome miracles are happening every day. With the Lord's help and Britten's determination we know he will continue to make great strides.
    We send our love and continued prayers for all.
    Love, Bruce and Laura

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  2. No determination in him at all, is there? It shows how strong he is and how willing to fight! What a winner. We love you all! As always our prayers and love are with you. Stacy & Leslie

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  3. That is so wonderful!! I have been reading all your daily posts and it is so evident that miracles are happening each and every day and that the Lord is looking out for you all! You are all an inspiration. Your faith, patience and persistence is unshakeable and I seriously feel so uplifted seeing your upbeat and positive attitudes throughout this all. Know that not just me but tons of people have been praying for you and continue to do so. I know the Lord always answers our prayers. Can't wait to continue hearing his amazing progression.

    Vanessa Vogel...the sister who was in the MTC with elder shchenk

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  4. I'm another stranger following your story. I'm so happy to hear of his progress. I have a little boy and I can hardly imagine going through this. Thinking about your situation makes me feel a lot of love for you and your missionary. Thank you for continuing to share what's going on and sharing your faith and hope with us. You are all (and will be) a strength to others forever for having been through this together. Lots of love and prayers for Elder Schenk and your family.

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  5. THIS IS AN AWESOME MODERN DAY MIRACLE! I STILL COUGH WHEN I DRINK WATER AFTER 26 YEARS! How soon till he's released?

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  6. So grateful for Britt's unconquerable will and faith!

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  7. It sounds like Britten has a great sense of humor too :)

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  8. What a beautiful story! Tell him to keep up the good work!
    -Trista, from Kansas

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  9. Reading your daily updates is always the highlight of my day. You have no idea how much hearing about even the littlest improvements mean to those of us who have been following this from the beginning and hoping for a positive outcome. We feel like Britten is our son now, too and celebrate his successes! - Kerry Harding, Washington, DC

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  10. Wow, I haven't read your blog for a few days! I'm amazed at how well Britten is doing! He sounds so good. We keep praying for him! I know that our Heavenly Father is answering our prayers each time I login to read about how you all are doing! Look Up and Know that I am God, is what my missionary always tells me. Keep Looking UP! He won't let you down!!!

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  11. Our spirits are lifted every night when we read your blog. We look forward to these updates so much. We're on the edge of our seats, practically cheering when we read about Britt's progress and the miracles that our Heavenly Father is blessing him with. Your son is absolutely amazing and we're honored to have him in our family. Love you guys tons!

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  12. We had Fast and Testimony meeting yesterday. I knew I wanted to bear my testimony, but was thinking of what I wanted to say. I ended of speaking about Elder Schenk and his family and the miracles that were happening to him. I said, I truly understand the scripture that says "Mourn with those who mourn". Now we are all rejoicing with you in all he is accomplishing. Is his eyes open to see you? He is progressing well every day. I know he will look back at this time of his life as faith promoting experience. And I will always remember reading the blog of the every day miracles that happened in his life. He is a real fighter! Patti SLC.

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  13. We are so happy to read about the miracles that are happening for Elder Schenk. He is truly being watched over as are all of you. May our Heavenly Father continue to bless your family. Thank you for continuing to update the progress he is making. Our thoughts and prayers are with your family. -Mark & Leslie Anderson

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  14. This post brought me to tears (as many of the previous posts have). What a courageous wonderful man. Thank you for your updates! Mom calls daily for her updates! You guys are always in our prayers. Get well Elder Schenk you have touched the world deeply! Much love Dayna (Moser) Kent

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  15. Ele vai ficar bom. Deus, o Pai... o ama!!!...

    Elder Camargos (Missão Brasil Curitiba)

    Este irmãozinho ainda tem aqui na terra
    uma MISSÃO ESPECIAL,
    que não conhecemos...

    Fico tão feliz
    pelas notícias boas
    de HOJE.

    God bless you, mommy and daddy.

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  16. Que maravilhoso! O Senhor ainda precisa muito dele por aqui. Agora é tempo de ter fé, porque já é bem claro que os milagres estão acontecendo na vida dele e de toda a família.

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  17. This is so wonderful! It really makes my day knowing that he's on the mend! I'm so happy for all of you!!

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  18. Way to go Britt!! Keep up the good work! We love you guys.
    Derris and Laurie

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    Replies
    1. YAY! He'll have that trach, and GI tube removed in no time:) So grateful for miracles!! Love all of you guys!
      Brittany

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  19. That is such great news. Anything that Elder Schenk has ever done has been with full determination!! Keep up the great work Brit. We continue to pray for all of you, including the boys here at home morning and night. Miracles still happen and are being shown to us on a daily basis. Thanks to a loving Heavenly Father and the Savior. What a blessing it is to have the gospel in our lives. Thanks for keeping us updated. We can't go to bed at night until we have checked and read the latest update. It is so wonderful to belong to such a close knit family. YOu are truly an inspiration to all. Keep smiling, as we all are.
    Love David, Mary and all the kids..

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  20. I am just one of the thousands of members of the Church who is praying for Elder Schenk's recovery. I, too, know that miracles happen today in the lives of those who love the Lord, and of course, it has to be the Lord's will. I am just so thrilled to hear of Elder Schenk's progress and know that he is coming home. I foresee an almost complete recovery. Thanks be to God! May blessings continue to follow all of you as you travel through this experience.
    Mary M Parker
    Kaysville, UT

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  21. Such wonderful news! We love to read your comments and the wonderful experiences you are having knowing it wasn't long ago our family went through likewise experiences. Every small progress is such a huge wonderful blessing! We sure take our daily normal life so for granted don't we?! We will pray forever your you and your beautiful missionary. Soon he will be able to come home and there will be new beginnings for all! That is what Easter is all about! Rebirth, new beginnings! All our love and prayers with you all! Christina & Russ Hallam

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  22. A lo largo de estos días hemos aprendido a conocer más a Elder Schenk y a Ustedes, sus padres, gracias por el ejemplo de unión, valor, infinita fe, gratitud y amor que nos están dando. Están predicando con su vida misma sobre los milagros actuales, del día a día, están dando testimonio de la existencia de un amoroso Dios y de la misericordia de su Hijo, Jesucristo. Gracias. Seguimos orando por ustedes y porque Elder Schenk pronto recobre su salud en su totalidad. Cada progreso que hace es una alegría enorme para nosotros.

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  23. He recibido este mensaje denominado Young gems y quisiera compartirlo con ustedes Familia Schenk: "If we have faith in Jesus Christ, the hardest as well as the easiest times in life can be a blessing. In all conditions, we can choose the right with the guidance of the Spirit. We have the gospel of Jesus Christ to shape and guide our lives if we choose it. And with prophets revealing to us our place in the plan of salvation, we can live with perfect hope and a feeling of peace. We never need to feel that we are alone or unloved in the Lord’s service, because we never are. We can feel the love of God. The Savior has promised angels on our left and our right, to bear us up. And He always keeps His word."

    —President Henry B. Eyring, "Mountains to Climb", General Conference, Apr. 2012

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  24. Thanks for the updates on Britten. I don't know you, but look forward to reading your posts everyday. Not only to find out Britten's progress, but to read the strength of you testimonies. I have been touched by your positive attitudes and faith in God. I also love seeing how thankful you are for the small miracles you see and share everyday. Your words strengthen me and I thank you and pray for continual blessings on your family especially Britten!

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  25. Your updates help me keep my life in perspective. He's still a missionary to many who read these updates. Thank you for sharing so eloquently your experience and for always giving the credit to the Lord who is in charge. Still praying for you that you can come home soon.
    Connie Albrechtsen

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  26. I, like many others, am praying for your sweet son. The news today sounded incredible! I am so happy for all of you. I have no ties to you, but for the Gospel. I pray that all will continue to positive in Elder Schenk's road to recovery! Prayers for all of you....

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  27. Dear Steven, Karla and Elder Schenk,

    This is Lon & Kerry Malcolm. We have been keeping up with your uplifting blog remarks ever since Elder Schenk's accident. Your strong and sincere faith has been so uplifting for us and for all who read it. Our daughter, Tara, (in CA)visits your blog site, not only to inform herself on a missionary she has never met, but to also receive great joy from the many miracles that are occurring in Elder Schenk's life at this time. (She is also going through a real rough time.) Our love and prayers continue to be with both of you, and especially for that special missionary of yours. We can't even begin to guess how many lives he has positively touched through you as his mouthpiece!

    We love you both! Continue to endure and treasure this experience as one in your lives that will change your perspective on mortality in an overwhelming way.

    By the way, our missionary (Andrew) sends his love and concern. He continues to pray for Britten each day.

    All our love,

    Lon & Kerry Malcolm

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  28. Que maravilha de milagres!! ficamos muito felizes pelas notícias da recuperação do Elder Schenk.

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