Dear Friends,
I write to you on behalf of Seth Jackson, my 13 year-old friend who was paralyzed in a surgical procedure in 2009. We are coming up on the 3rd anniversary of his paralysis. Kim and I and many friends of Come Rest Ministries have faith for Seth’s healing. Please join us in believing prayer.
Seth is a wonderful young man with a smile that lights up any room! It breaks my heart to see him continue to struggle. When I visited him up in Minneapolis the day after his paralysis, I felt like Jesus spoke to my heart. I heard the Lord say, “Tell Seth to ask Me to heal Him, Trust Me to heal Him, and work with Me.” Seth is the son of Pastor Will and Jackie Jackson. From 2002-2007 Will Jackson served faithfully in our midst as Senior Pastor of Hus Presbyterian Church. Pastor Will currently serves in a part-time pastoral capacity with Calvin Sinclair Presbyterian in Cedar Rapids and as part-time custodian at Faith Bible Church in Robins. I have witnessed Will, his wife Jackie, and all their children go through several painful trials in the last few years. They are heroes to me because none of them have given up on the Lord and they are always seeking Him as to how they can help someone else.
Two years ago we made an appeal on Seth’s behalf and many individuals and several churches responded with prayer and financial support. Those funds were expended to help Seth begin a recovery plan of prayer, therapy, training, and equipment in consultation with Project Walk in California. Spinal cord injured and paralyzed patients walk out of their clinic each year. Seth spent one month out in California with Project Walk in fall 2009 and since then has worked with his family on Project Walk oriented home exercise. With those exercises and lots of prayer, Seth has seen some significant progress with increasing feeling moving downward into his legs! Praise the Lord!
However, he still remains wheelchair bound and was hospitalized last summer with infection issues. Due to this there has been a real setback because Seth’s infected tissue needed all this time to heal from the inside out and his exercises had to be suspended all these months as the tissue healed. This is a real challenge. With no exercise, Seth’s legs have lost ground in tone and strength. We need the prayers of you and your church and ask your financial support for a plan to be enacted as soon as is possible. Seth will need to begin a new plan of Project Walk home hopefully soon to build back and prepare for a 3 month immersion at Project Walk in California this summer. We believe, with his family, that he needs 3 continuous months on site in California to see sustained progress . The Jackson family is facing great general financial challenge in addition to the understandable stress of coping with Seth’s injury. Many have asked us why the Jacksons don’t sue for damages and why their insurance doesn’t cover this. First of all, the Jacksons have explored a very justifiable course of lawsuit but have encountered continual unjust roadblocks all along the way. I have witnessed firsthand how the system is stacked against them. Secondly, Seth’s injury occurred during a time when he only had Title 19 coverage because his father was in between jobs without health insurance. Title 19 does not pay for Project Walk. I have personally witnessed Seth’s physical progress until this infection and scoliosis this past summer. I have personally witnessed the agonizing saga of unjust medical and legal processes under which the Jacksons are suffering. I have a sense of righteous anger and resolute faith that compels me to ask you and your church to consider three steps on Seth’s behalf.
1. Pray for Seth’s complete recovery from paralysis in the long run, and complete short term recovery from his tissue infection soon so he can resume strength and home exercise.
2. Pray for at least $30,000 to be raised between now and May 31st, 2012 to pay for Seth and at least one of his parents to go for a three month immersion at Project Walk this summer.
3. Give personally as the Lord leads and ask your own local church prayerfull consider helping Seth.
River of Life church here in Cedar Rapids continues to administer a Seth Jackson 2CMIRACLE fund. You, your family, your church face many needs. Some of you helped generously two years ago. I’m sure you have been blessed by the Lord for doing so. Others legitimately did not feel led by the Lord to help two years ago. I certainly understand if any you do not feel led to help now. I simply ask you each to seek the Lord. He will let you know what He wants you to do. If you believe the Lord wants you and/or your church to help, checks may be sent to River of Life, designated for the Seth Jackson fund. Please mail to River of Life, 3801 Blairs Ferry Rd, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, 52402.
In addition to helping Seth, I still believe this process will eventually bring hope to many spinal cord injured people in our city and nation—maybe even in your own family or church. We want to learn right along with the Jacksons. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me at dickspeight@comerestministries.com. Thanks so much for prayerfully considering this opportunity to be the Body of Christ.
Come Rest Ministries is committed to ministering deeply to pastors, missionaries, and their families—as well as all God’s people. If there is any way you, your family, your pastor, or your church need prayer, rest, renewal, retreat or encouragement in any way, please contact us. Thank you so much.
Blessings,
Dick Speight
Come Rest Ministries
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