Friday, Dec. 8
We learned something new today … Dustin is no longer technically in a coma. He is now in what doctors call a vegetative state. Here is the difference: when a person is in a coma, he is essentially sleeping; when he is in a vegetative state, he has sleep/wake cycles, opens his eyes, may move around some.
Please note: Dustin has not ‘woken up,’ per se. He remains unresponsive and technically unconscious. But he is no longer in a coma. As well, please note that he is not in a persistent vegetative state as one must be in a vegetative state for several weeks before his condition is considered persistent.
For Leigh Anne, continue to pray for her to have wisdom and guidance in decision-making and peace with decisions made — especially concerning Dustin’s ongoing care and where it will take place. As has been said previously, Leigh Anne is being counseled and well cared for ‘on the ground’ by several pastors, friends and family regarding these difficult decisions. If there are suggestions for Dustin’s care that you feel would be helpful, please do not post them here as comments but send them to this email address. Thank you for your genuine and sincere concern, as well as your thoughtfulness in these matters.
As well, pray for Leigh Anne’s endurance and strength. The truth is, if all of this is a marathon, we really have no idea at what mile we are. Fortunately, our Father knows the end from the beginning and calls us to come to him for rest along the way.
Let us, then approach his throne of grace on Dustin’s behalf, for his healing; on Leigh Anne’s behalf for God’s sustaining grace; and on behalf of the children who miss their daddy. And may we all cry, “Come quickly, Lord Jesus!” And more importantly, hear and believe his response, “Yes, I am coming soon.”
December 9th, 2006 at 9:54 am
Thank you for your diligent updates for those who are praying for this sweet family. We will continue to pray. I just got off the phone with a lady from Albany Georgia and their church, Northgate Pres, will be praying, also.
December 10th, 2006 at 4:04 pm
Leigh Ann,
Romans 15:13 gives us eternal hope. “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him so that you will overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”
I am Betsy CHristiansen’s friend at Surfside PCA and have been praying for you Dustin and the children. May the power of the Holy Spirit work in you to bring hope.
Elizabeth SMith
December 10th, 2006 at 5:29 pm
Leigh Ann,
Please know that the Sterenberg family is praying for you, Dustin, and your precious children. Y’all are on our mind and in our prayers. Last fall your husband prayed for my son Jacob at the North Texas Presbytery’s Fall Youth Retreat. Jacob was hit by a car and was in a coma for several weeks and then in nursing home situation while he moved through his vegetative state. We know that you are in a marathon and pray several times a day for your peace,strength and endurance. God sustained us through many months (and continues to do so) and pray that you will know this sustenance and sufficiency as well.
Praying,
Kim, Brian, Jacob, Michael, Benjamin, and Nicholas Sterenberg
December 10th, 2006 at 10:11 pm
I attended Dustin’s “Decision Making” seminar last summer at RUF Summer Conference, and what the Lord said through Dustin has made a big impression in my life and I’m sure the lives of other college students there. Please know that we here in RUF at the University of Tennessee at Martin are praying diligently and daily for Dustin and your family.
Philippians 1:6
December 11th, 2006 at 10:18 am
Dear Leigh Ann,
My thoughts and prayers are with you daily. God works miracles despite what doctors may tell you. Reading these posts every day shows me that you have such a strong spiritual group surrounding you.
My prayer today is that you will have a sense of peace and know that God is in control.
Your “friend” in Marietta, GA.
Jamie
December 11th, 2006 at 10:49 am
Dear Leigh Anne,
I remembered the words of Dr. Robertson McQuilken, the beloved former president of Columbia Bible College. He faced a major decision a number of years ago when his wife Muriel entered the advanced stages of Alzheimer’s disease. He was urged to continue with his “more important” duties. But in March of 1990, Dr. McQuilken announced his resignation with the following letter:
“My dear wife, Muriel, has been in failing mental health for about eight years. So far I have been able to carry both her ever-growing needs and my leadership responsibilities at Columbia Bible College. But recently it has become apparent that Muriel is contented most of the time she is with me and almost none of the time I am away from her. It is not just “discontent”. She is filled with fear-even terror-that she has lost me and always goes in search of me when I leave home. It is clear to me that she needs me now full-time. The decision was made, in a way, 42 years ago, when I promised to care for Muriel “in sickness and in health, till death do us part.” So as a man of my word, integrity has something to do with it. But so does fairness. She has cared for me fully and sacrificially all these years; if I cared for her for the next 40 years I would not be out of debt. Duty, however, can be grim and stoic. But there is more; I love Muriel. She is a delight to me, her warm love, occasional flashes of that wit I used to relish so, her happy spirit and tough resilience in the face of her continual distressing frustration. I do not have to care for her. I GET TO! It is a high honor to care for so wonderful a person.”
What a high priviledge for you to be able to care fully for Dustin and God Himself will care fully for you and the children. Love never fails.
Soli Deo Gloria,
Cheryl Babington
December 11th, 2006 at 9:06 pm
Leigh Anne,
Even though we have never met, I have been praying on a daily basis for your husband, you, and your family. Please know that the thoughts and prayers of many people are focused on all of you during this time of travail in your lives. May you and yours continue to know the power of God’s love and his everlasting compassion toward his “children.” May “The Peace of God be with you and yours.”
Yours in Christ,
Sandra Alexander
Butler, Alabama
December 11th, 2006 at 11:26 pm
Good night, sweet friend!
May the Lord multiply the rest and refreshment you receive from however many hours of sleep you get tonight. May you wake with the overwhelming knowledge that you are a treasured daughter of the King, before your feet even hit the ground to change diaipers, make waffles and gather back-packs. He loves you, He loves you, He LOVES YOU!!
Me too, Holly
December 12th, 2006 at 12:28 pm
Praying for your family. Praying for a miracle. Praying for your strength. Praying for your joy. Lean into Him and let the LORD strentghten your tired frame. He is faithful. He is good.
Love in Christ,
Holly Smith
(friend of the Ferguson’s in Peru)
December 12th, 2006 at 2:38 pm
Last nite at Women’s Prayer Time, one of the hymns we sang was “It Is Well With My Soul”. Just the right timing, as I’d been thinking about it in connection with you thruout yesterday.
All anyone can hope for at this difficult and uncertain juncture is that all is well with *your* soul.
Love,
Fran Froelich
December 12th, 2006 at 4:56 pm
Leigh Anne,
We have never met, but I pray daily for you and your children that our loving father will sustain you. I pray that the Lord will fill the void of your children’s earthly father while Dustin remains in the hospital. May the Lord grant you wisdom as you make major decisions and may His peace be with you as you go through the process of these heart wrenching decisions. I appreciate the updates to compel me to pray more specifically. I wish I could do more for your family because you are heavy on my heart. Lexington Presbyterian Church in Lexington, SC continues to pray for you, too. God loves your family.
In Christ,
Rachel Caldwell
December 12th, 2006 at 9:59 pm
Good night, my sweet friend–
I talked to Holly this morning and she told me that your “nighttime routine” (in Flylady lingo) is to read these comments, so I wanted you to read this one from me
Holly also had shared that you all read Psalm 77 together while she was in Greenville. As rest would not come at 4 am this morning, that is what the Lord led me to read…and I thought of you. The deeds of the Lord are mighty…I need to consider His miracles of long ago more…I need to meditate on all His works and consider all His mighty deeds….What god is so great as our God?
As you read this tonight, my prayer is that you will feel the love of your friend (me
), your other friends, but most importantly, the love of Our Father.
Sleep well my precious friend,
Karen
December 13th, 2006 at 12:18 pm
Dear Leigh Anne,
Oh, how we lift you each day in prayer - for your stamina, your confidence in the Lord, for the details and life, for the children, and for your beloved husband, Dustin. You are so dear to us, and to so, so many back here in Texas where your family is always on our hearts and in our minds.
May the Lord renew your strength and increase your confidence in His love, His power, and His provision for your and your family.
Fondly in Christ,
Sherry
December 13th, 2006 at 1:08 pm
Hey Leigh Anne, Jacob, Nathan, and Meredith:
I am thinking today of how much Dustin’s laugh filled the halls, rooms, and hearts and TCU. I remember the sound in my head all the time and it make me smile without fail.
I am thinking of you all today and lots of days.
God is not one who makes mistakes or second guesses. He is providential and sovereign. He is that big, yet He is so near, right where you are and loving you intimately
I love you all too.