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Our VisionIs to Aspire … to Inspire… a Desire… in JESUS! The Newsletter of the Bolsover and Staveley CircuitAugust 2006 No 60 TRAIL BLAZERS Our aim is to provide a safe, happy, caring environment, where children can find out about Jesus and how much He cares for each one of them. We invite children from a particular year group at a time to come to about 6 weekly sessions. Trail Blazers is always fully subscribed and occasionally we have to resort to a waiting list. The final session is usually a Trail Blazers party! Following a particular weekly theme the children participate in a wide variety of activities such as: § team games These activities fill the 1hr 15 minute sessions to the brim! God has led us in so many ways; as we have ‘knocked’, doors have been opened. He have given us strength and enthusiasm for this special responsibility, enabling us to work well as a team co-ordinated by Alison. Please pray for Trail Blazers, that God will continue to use us to share His love and that the children will be responsive to His voice. Alison Beresford WHAT HAPPENS NEXT? It all started on September 8th, 2003. I was at Hill Top in Bolsover and Paul was at college. I received a phone call from the Army cadets in Staveley saying that Leslie had had an accident and to come quickly. I told the people I was with and asked them to pray as I did not know what the situation was. As I drove, I was full of mixed emotions, but at the same time there was a peace that only God could give. When I arrived in Staveley I was confronted with police, ambulance, paramedics and Leslie on the road, semiconscious and bleeding badly from the head. He had been knocked over. There were some cadets trying to keep him conscious while the paramedics got a line into him for a drip and tried to stabilize him. As the paramedics were working on Leslie, I had to tell them that he was only 13 years old as they wanted to send him to the Hallam in Sheffield. As soon as they knew his age they realised that he needed to go to Sheffield Children’s Hospital. He was too ill for a straight transfer so they took him to Chesterfield, where he was stabilised for the journey. I text Paul, to say “don’t go home, meet me at Chesterfield hospital”. Paul arrived at the hospital the same time as I did. We were shown to a small room and told to wait for the doctor to come. Paul went and rang our family and also Peter Cross. There was nothing we could do but wait. The next few hours were a nightmare, Peter came and stayed until we went to Sheffield. We did manage to see Leslie before he was retrieved, but nothing could prepare us for what was to come. We got to Sheffield Children’s in the early hours of 9th September. There we had to wait again. One of the doctors finally came to us and basically told us that Leslie had very little chance of surviving, if he did there was no telling how bad he would be. We were being prepared for the worse. We went home knowing that this could be the last time we saw Leslie alive. The next morning there was no change and over the week the pressure in his brain got dangerously high. On Sunday 15th we were told that if he survived the night they would have to open the skull to relieve the pressure. That day Paul rang Peter and he arranged to come with Mark Coles to pray and anoint Leslie with oil. This they did and that night we left the ward, leaving Leslie in God’s hands. In the morning the doctors asked what we had done to Leslie as when we left the ward his brain pressure started going down and he had turned the corner. We spent three weeks in Intensive care and then another three weeks in a rehab ward. Leslie went from strength to strength. We had to learn how to clear his chest as he had a tracheotomy, but that was not needed as he soon learnt to clear his chest. On October 20th Leslie was moved to Chesterfield Royal, where he learnt very quickly to walk and feed himself. He was so quick in walking and eating, that everything the staff put in place he was doing before they thought he was ready. After four weeks in Chesterfield, on November 21st he was discharged. Since he has been home it has been and still is an uphill struggle as we have to be available at all times. It took us 18months to get him to school as he was too bright for one and had no social skills so the mainstream school could not cope. Eventually on February 28th 2005 he went to Ashgate Croft where he has relearnt a lot of his social skills and has had an education that has suited his disabilities. Leslie has damage to his frontal lobes, which control emotions, behaviour, memory and concentration. He has now left Ashgate and is hoping to go to college where he can learn a trade. With the right support he may be able to hold down a job. In approximately two and a half years Leslie has gone from being like a baby to a young man who still has brain damage but has the potential to become independent. The damaged parts of the brain can never be mended, but there are ways that might be able to retrain the parts that are not too badly damaged. He is still and will always be a challenge, but as you have read this we hope that you will see that God can and does answer prayer, but we need to let Him do it in His way and in His time. Sometimes His ways are not what we want, but are in the long run for our best interests. We are all involved in a charity call Headway that supports survivors, carers and family of Acquired Brain Injury whether by a road accident, fall, stroke or assault. Thank you for your love, prayers and support during this traumatic time and we ask that you will continue in this as we try to help Leslie and other survivors to live independent and useful lives to the best of their abilities. Paul and Christine Richardson COMMUNITY BIBLE STUDY Evening groups are also held at Scarcliffe and Calow. CIRCUIT WELCOME SERVICE NETWORK On Thursday 21st September the Network Come Together will commence at 7:00pm through to 9:00pm again at Staveley. The speaker will be Mrs J Munt. All ladies will be very welcome. TREASURE HUNT PRAISE AND HEALING SERVICES AT HALL ROAD The Circuit Office will be closed from Friday 4th August until Friday 18th August. Circuit DIARYMeetings and Other Church Events for the forthcoming months.August 200619 Men’s Fellowship Breakfast 8:30am Staveley September 2006 1 Welcome Service 7:30pm Staveley © 2006 - Bolsover and Staveley Methodist Circuit |
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