Last Routine MRI - July 11th 2019

Hi, Victoria had her last routine MRI on July 11th 2019. The update is available on

https://wendyrobinson.com.au/wendys-journey-with-victoria/ 

Thank you for your love, prayers and support over the years. We are grateful for all God has done, He is faithful.

Definitely a new season

So it's  been a while since I've posted, but now seems like an appropriate time. Praise God we are definitely in a new season. Victoria and I are currently at the School Sports Australia Track and Field Exchange (ie schools national athletics championships) in Melbourne. Victoria has won a bronze medal for the 11 year old girls multi-class discus. As you can see in these photos she is a very excited girl! 

What a journey to get here! There are many people who have helped Victoria get to this place, starting 8 years ago with all the John Hunter Children's Hospital therapists that helped her after she had a stroke during the brain surgery. We are so grateful for the time and care they put into her rehabilitation, along with many other friends and family who came to our home and helped out with blocks of intensive OT and Physio.

January 2011 - Left arm and leg splint - still smiling

March 2011 - Hydrotherapy - still smiling

May 2011 - First AFO (Splint)

May 2011 - Constraint therapy - forcing Victoria to learn how to use her left hand again (no smiling - all concentration!)

Since starting school at Belmont Christian College in 2012 (the year in which we found out the tumour was growing again and Victoria had to start 15 months of weekly chemo), she has been surrounded by teachers and students that have prayed for her and supported her on the 'off days'. We are grateful for her sports teacher, Mr Robins who has continually encourage her in her sporting endeavours since kindergarten. In Victoria's words, he has always challenged her to try new things in sport, taught her how to set goals and keeps reminding her not to give up. 

When we found out that Victoria had qualified at the State competition for the nationals Mr Robins arranged for Victoria to have some more technical coaching from a national age discus champion - Ash Blackstock (and her mum Emily), which was invaluable. And there was plenty of laughing too.

I can't post any of my videos from the events in Melbourne, however click here to see a video of Victoria training, practicing the tips she learnt from Ash and Emily.

We are also extremely grateful for the help of the physios and the OT that regularly work with her to ensure her muscles are doing the right things. 

And of course we know that as well as all the hard work, the power of prayer is essential and we are grateful for those who pray for Victoria and those who continue to provide encouragement verbally, in messages and practically. God is building a great team around her. Thank you for coming on this journey with us - the best is yet to come.

After winning the bronze medal, and we were walking to our seats, Victoria asked me, "Are you proud of me mum?" I'm pretty sure I had said that to her at least three times, but obviously she needed to hear it again, so I said, 

"Yes, I am proud of you for winning a medal, but there are also at least 6 other things I am proud of you for ...

the hard work you have put in over the years to keep your body functioning; 

overcoming the fall down the stadium stairs when you hit your head on the concrete this morning; 

getting through the classification process without falling apart; 

not giving up when you kept throwing fouls today; 

being a friend to other competitors that don't find it easy to make friends; 

continually relying on God to get you through each challenge you face. 

Yes I am very proud of you."

On Sunday Victoria also competed in the 11yr girls multi-class relay, for the ACT/NSW team, as the first runner. She was a little bit nervous as she had never run a relay race competitively before (they only do it at this level for multi-class). Here she is on the tram on the way to stadium trying to settle the nerves.

Again I can't post my video of the relay, but her team came fourth. When Victoria came off the track, the first thing she said to me was, 'I want to do it again!'

Unfortunately we cannot all be here to support Victoria at the this competition, but Ken and my Mum and Dad are doing a great job at home, keeping things going. Marshall, Charlotte and Alexandra are often ringing with messages of support.

The experience of coming to this competition has been wonderful for Victoria, not only from a sporting perspective, but also from a personal perspective. The NSW team has about 150 children in it, of which about 42 are multi-class children, so in this environment she is not 'different' but she is part of a large team of children who have all overcome so much physically and mentally to compete in these track and field events. The value of experience cannot be underestimated. So thank you again to everyone who over the years has helped make this possible. 

And we are ever thankful to our God who has never left us or forsaken us throughout these year. He has carried us many many times, and always provided what was needed. He is faithful.

Yet amid all these things we are more than conquerors and gain a surpassing victory through Him Who loved us. Romans 8:37

And now an update on my book ... I've had a couple of copies printed to check out the layout etc before doing a larger print run ....

There are a couple of minor things that need to change and then it is complete! What a journey this project has been too. 

My prayer is that this book will be a blessing to many people, not just those people who find themselves on a similar journey to us, but to anyone who is in a situation where they have no options other than to trust God - and the challenge that presents as we fluctuate from belief to unbelief and back to belief.

As I was asking God what to put in this post about the book He reminded me about the dedication page in the book ...

Just in case you can't read it in the image, it says ...

This book is dedicated to our daughter, Victoria Grace, without whom there would have been no story to write. I love you Victoria. Thank you for showing me how to live in victory despite my circumstances.

As I re-read the dedication I realised that once again over these past few weeks Victoria has shown me how to 'live in victory despite my circumstances.'  

In the past couple of weeks Victoria has had some appointments that have negatively impacted her emotionally - lots of anger and tears. Then as I mentioned briefly above, here in Melbourne on the Saturday morning just before she was to go to the classification appointment she fell down the steps in the stadium and hit her head. 

After being checked out by the first aid people, she slowly and carefully made her way to the classification appointment (which has previously been an experience that also resulted in a lot of negative emotion as her level of physical disability is assessed - it is a bit 'in your face'). Thankfully the classifiers were very child friendly, and there was no emotional outfall. 

Then it was time for the discus competition, she was a little shakey on her feet, and after throwing a couple of fouls she looked to me standing at the fence and indicated for me to pray (as if I wasn't already praying!!!!). She knows Who gives strength in moments like these. She didn't give up, kept focused and eventually won the bronze medal.

So despite the years of heartache, pain, disappointment, fear and emotional depletion, I can see God's hand on her life, and our entire family's lives as the years go on and His purpose unfolds. And I am grateful that He has carried us through, continually building a deeper level of trust in Him - learning how to live in victory despite the circumstanced - In Jesus Name.

So if you are local and interested in purchasing a print copy of my book I am selling them (cash only) for $25 (incl GST) each, or $20 (incl GST) each if you order two or more - perhaps you might like to give one as a gift to someone who is going through a similar journey to us (there is lots of practical information in it too) or to anyone who is needing hope and inspiration to just keep going.

If you are not local, I will very soon have my website ready to accept online orders and payments. I'll let you know when this is ready, along with the availability of ebook and audio book.

Initially the profits will cover the outstanding production costs, and then a portion of the profits will go to the charities that have helped us over the years.

For anyone interested, the book covers the first three years of this journey. The table of contents is listed below ...

Table of Contents

Introduction

Chapter 1 The Diagnosis

Christmas Holidays

Reflection – The importance of a shared faith when the going gets tough

Chapter 2 Family, Fun and Fear

Waiting Days

Reflection – Distractions – there is a battle going on

Chapter 3 Post Op Recovery

Hospital and waiting days

Reflection – The Holy Spirit – our Comforter

Chapter 4 Home and Rehabilitation

Emails 8 Feb to 3 Mar 2011

Reflection – Rehab – Conquering and creativity

Chapter 5 More Therapy

Emails 14 Mar to 18 May 2011

Reflection – Creativity in therapy

Chapter 6 New Things and Events

Emails 16 Jun 2011 to 30 Jan 2012

Reflection – Camp Quality meets our needs

Chapter 7 The News We Didn’t Want

Emails 22 Feb to 18 Jun 2012

Reflection – Dealing with disappointment

Chapter 8 Chemotherapy

Emails 19 Jun to 22 Jul 2012

Reflection – The Carer needs to be cared for

Chapter 9 Wonderful Support

Emails 1 Aug to 14 Sep 2012

Reflection – Community, giving and receiving

Chapter 10 Scans and A Big Scare

Emails 1 Oct to 16 Nov 2012

Reflection – Plan B preparing for the crisis

Chapter 11 The Silly Season

Emails 26 Nov to 28 Dec 2012

Reflection – Mothers

Chapter 12 New Year and a Blog

Emails 6 Jan to 24 Jan 2013

Reflection – Writing as therapy

Chapter 13 School and Another MRI

Blog posts 31 Jan to 15 Feb 2013

Reflection – Fathers

Chapter 14 Normal Life

Blog posts 19 Feb to 29 Mar 2013

Reflection – Siblings are a blessing

Chapter 15 Living From Scan to Scan

Blog posts 9 April to 21 May 2013

Reflection – Thankfulness is key

Chapter 16 High Temperatures and Hospital Again

Blog posts 29 May to 5 Jul 2013

Reflection – Practical tips for the home of a child on chemo

Chapter 17 Precious Family Time

Blog posts 12 Jul to 26 Jul 2013

Reflection – The Bible

Chapter 18 The Wish

Blog posts 3 Aug to 9 Aug 2013

Reflection – Charities

Chapter 19 Reality Hits Fast

Blog posts 11 Aug to 19 Sep 2013

Reflections – Keeping the left leg working

Chapter 20 Living from a Place of Victory

Blog posts 27 Sept to 29 Oct 2013

Final Reflection – Three years of learning

Epilogue

Acknowledgements

About Wendy Robinson

Appendix A Scriptures

Appendix B Victoria’s Medical Diagnoses

Appendix C Occupational Therapy Activities

Appendix D One Hour Occupational Therapy Plan

Appendix E Master List of Lists

Appendix F Emergency Hospital Bag Contents Checklist

Appendix G Homecoming Checklist

Appendix H School Booklet

Appendix I Signs for Displaying at Home

Appendix J Home Medical Kit

Appendix K Charities that have helped our family

Appendix L Maintaining and Improving Leg Function

Notes

My sense is that there is a second book to write, and the story is only just beginning!

Anyway, that is more than enough information for now! Thank you so much for staying the distance with us. Please continue to pray for Victoria as she approaches the teenage years and the challenges they can bring. I am going to finish this long post (sorry that it is so long - but there was so much good news to share!) with one of my favourite scriptures ...

But me, I'm not giving up. I'm sticking around to see what GOD will do. I'm waiting for God to make things right. I'm counting on God to listen to me. Micah 7:7 The Message

I pray that God will bless you and your family and give you the strength to overcome and live in victory, In Jesus Name, Amen.

A hope and a future

For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. Jeremiah 29:11 NKJV

On Tuesday this week Victoria had her 25th MRI. Yesterday, 12th July 2018, we received the results. The tumour is stable. There has been no growth for almost 5 years now. We have a faithful and merciful God. We continue to declare the scripture from her dedication 10 years ago ...

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever. Psalm 23:6 NKJV

The oncologist is confident that the tumour will not grow now and has ordered one final scan, in 12 months time. Again, we have a faithful and merciful God. We will continue to pray for full healing in Victoria's body, brain and eyes. Nothing is impossible for our God. 

Thank you for standing with us in these past almost 8 years, believing that our God can do miracles, and supporting us in so many different ways. 

For Victoria the last 12 months have been a period of building greater resilience, both in relation to pre-scan anxiety - of which none was evident for this latest scan, praise God; and also in terms of physical training - being more efficient in all movement.

Victoria is often seeking out ways to connect with other children who have disabilities. This might be at the swimming or athletics competitions, chatting to the other children and then asking for contact details so she can communicate with them between competitions.  

Searching the internet and watching inspiring videos of people who are living life despite their physical challenges, is another activity Victoria finds helpful. One of her favourites is the Yes I can, video, an ad for British 2016 Paralympic team.  

Another resource she found was a series on Netflix called, Alexa and Katie, about a high school student having treatment for cancer. I watched a couple of episodes with her, and there were some very real moments, bringing tears to my eyes, grateful to  a team of people who did not shy back from tackling a difficult subject.

Physically the last 12 months have been a challenge too. June 2017 Victoria started experiencing pain in her left knee which lead to an 8 month break from swimming, running and dancing. Not a happy time for a child who loves to be active. However she did a lot of rehab to make her body stronger, and we now have a little mini gym at home now!

Despite the lack of swimming training for 8 months, the time in the gym building strength paid off, as at the swimming competitions earlier in the year Victoria improved all her PB's, some by 12 seconds.

We are looking at ways to help Victoria further develop her swimming. On Sunday we attended an event facilitated by CPSARA (Cerebral Palsy Sporting and Recreation Association) to connect with paralympians, establishing mentor relationships for the young aspiring athletes and their parents. It was a very informative and fun afternoon. 

We are grateful that Victoria enjoys swimming, and always has, right from the very first session of rehab she did with hydrotherapy when she was only 3 years old! 

As Victoria gets older and is understanding more about how her body functions, she is taking more responsibility for maintaining and improving her strength and movement. For example, the OT recommended that Victoria do some regular stretching up of her left arm to help keep the full range of shoulder movement. So Victoria came up with the plan of putting the dippits that she enjoys as a snack, on a shelf high up in the cupboard. This would then force her to then use her left arm and hand to reach up every time she wants a snack - which is quite frequently!

Earlier this year Victoria had the opportunity to be part of a program trialing carbon fibre AFO's (splint) for children. This different type of splint has greatly improved Victoria's walking, enabling her to walk with a more even pattern, expending less energy, so reducing fatigue.

We are grateful to Cerebral Palsy Alliance and NeuroMuscular Orthotics for giving Victoria the opportunity to be part of this trial.

So there has been a lot going on in the past 6 months, and not only for Victoria, but for our whole family. At last we appear to be moving into a new season, with everyone thriving in different ways. It has been a long time coming and we are grateful for this change. On my blog last month I shared about this sense of changing seasons, here is the link if you are interested in listening to it ... New Day Dawning. I pray it is encouraging to you for whatever you may be facing today.

Another little project that has been going along in the background for the past few years is my book about the first three years of this journey. Currently it is in production getting ready for print and e-book publication, and I am recording it as an audio book. For anyone who is interested the audio recording of the introduction and chapter 1 are available for free here.  Hopefully the three versions of the book will be available for purchase by the end of the year. Along with our story the book has a lot of practical information to help families who find themselves in a similar situation.

 

Thank you again for all the prayers, support and encouragement. I sometimes find it hard to believe that I have been saying those same words for almost 8 years! But they are so necessary as we know this is not a journey we can do alone. Please know that you are part of every victory that we have experienced as a family over these years. Thank you.

Yet even in the midst of all these things, we triumph over them all, for God has made us to more than conquerors, and his demonstrated love is our glorious victory over everything. Romans 8:37 TPT

Grateful Hearts

Thank you to everyone who has been praying for Victoria. The MRI results showed that the tumour is stable. Thank you Jesus. What an awesome Christmas present.

The pre-scan anxiety we have previously seen did not appear until the night before the scan, when we were at church. Thank you to those at church who helped her work through those fears. Monday morning she was fine again, although obviously it was still on her mind, as she spent some time watching some videoes from the series 'I can't go to school today'. Victoria found these videos a few months ago on the ABC TV Education site.

I Can’t Go To School Today is a series of animated documentaries exploring the experiences of children living with different illnesses and conditions. Each film tells of the experiences of a young person whose life is markedly different from their peers, and who have all taken time off school because of their illness.

The series includes a video about children diagnosed with Leukemia, Epilepsy and HIV+. Victoria relates to these videos very well, particularly when the children talk about the masks they wear to hide their real feelings. We have found these videos to be a great resource for starting conversations about Victoria's own feelings.

On Monday, as we were walking to the hospital carpark after the scan, a group of people walked past us. After they had walked by, Victoria whispered to me, "I just let them stare Mum, just like the sister said in the movie, 'If they stare, let them stare'."

They were staring at her splint, and the movie she was talking about was Wonder. Last week we went to see it as a family. We all had moments of tears, and actually I pretty much cried the whole way through it. There was another line from that movie that Victoria has taken hold of too - Don't blend in when you were born to stand out.

We are grateful for the people who have taken the time to make these series/movies, as they do provide another avenue for discussion and increase awareness of other people's experiences.

Another Mum we had met during Victoria's first couple of days in hospital in 2011, gave me this beautiful gift yesterday. It comes from an organisation called Mumcology.org.

I had not heard of the organisation before, but when I googled it, this is what I found ...

What Is Momcology?
There is an increasing population of parents in the world going through chemotherapy. They are in the fight of their lives. They know the exact names of the drugs, how to spell them, their dosages, interactions, side effects and long-term complications…although, these parents have never been diagnosed with cancer themselves…their children have.
These parents are caretakers, nurses, nutritionists, physical therapists, inventors, world-class entertainers, teachers, philanthropists, psychologists and advocates every single second of their lives after the moment they hear the words, “your child has cancer.”

Worldwide, every 2 minutes, a child is diagnosed with cancer and another family is left devastated. 



When I watched the movie Wonder, one of the reasons for my tears, was not only the impact on Victoria's life,  her siblings and our marriage, but the impact on me - the mum. The hours and hours and hours that have gone into doing all those things listed above, plus of course, praying and petitioning God for His grace and mercy in Victoria's life. It has been something that I did not anticipate that my life would include. I am so grateful that we still have Victoria with us, as I know that is not the case for many families. But being completely honest, there have been moments of resentment, when I think about the other things that I and we as a family, could have been doing for the past 7 years, rather than hours at hospital, doing therapies and coping with the emotional outfall of it all. 

But then, by the grace of God, I lift my eyes to Jesus, and He helps me to see what He has been doing in us in the past 7 years. I can see, through the tears, that He has been drawing us closer to Him, helping us to start to understand that His ways are higher ....

For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways, says the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts. Isaiah 55:8-9

Helping us to understand that His way is perfect, that He is a shield to those who trust in Him.

As for God, His way is perfect! The word of the Lord is tested and tried; He is a shield to all those who take refuge and put their trust in Him. Psalm 18:30

Helping us to understand that without Him, we are nothing. And so we will celebrate this Christmas with grateful hearts, and a little more understanding that Jesus is the reason for the season.

Thank you again for standing with us in prayer, supporting and encouraging us. We are so grateful that we are not doing this journey alone. May God bless you and your family.

Now faith is the assurance (the confirmation, the title deed) of the things [we] hope for, being the proof of things [we] do not see and conviction of their reality [faith perceiving as real fact what is not revealed to the senses]. Hebrews 11:1

Be strong and courageous

It's been a while since I've written a post here, and that is not for a lack of goings-on but rather that I am aware that our children are getting older and I need to be conscious of their privacy. With that in mind, I asked Victoria if she was okay about me writing this post.

It's okay for me to write about me and my thoughts and struggles, but this story is not just about me, it started with a three year old girl with a tumour in her brain. And it includes three siblings and a father who each continue to process pain and grief in different ways. 

It is hard to believe it is almost seven years since Victoria was diagnosed. Here is a video we found the other day, when Victoria was four and on chemotherapy treatment, a reminder of just how young she was. 

Now she is 10 years old and full of life, praise God! Her understanding of what has happened, where she is now and what her future holds, is very tricky emotional ground. 

After the scan in May, which showed that the tumour was stable, thank you Jesus, Victoria went through an intense period of anxiety for a couple of months. We are so grateful for the support Victoria received during these months, especially from the wonderfully caring teachers at school. 

A Redkite Social Worker advised that it was normal for children around her age to re-process their cancer diagnosis, and that she is likely to do more re-processing around the onset of puberty and in her late teens. All I can say to that is praise God we don't do this journey alone!

Alongside that re-processing, there is also the continual need to attend to the physical implications of having one side of the body growing slower than the other side. We continue to pray that God will do a  miracle in this area in her life, but in the waiting Victoria is doing all she can (with the support of some great people) to keep the left side of her body functioning well.

Around the end of June, just as the anxiety was starting to subside, Victoria started to experience great pain in her left knee and pain. She was advised not to swim, run and dance until the pain subsided. 

In this 'resting' time, she was advised to start working on building up the strength of the muscles on her left side. So under the guidance of a physio Victoria has been going to the gym for the past couple of months.

In October she had some casting on her leg to help re-position her left foot (first photo). Although, even having a leg in a cast doesn't hold her back, as you can see in this video.

So I guess the essence of what is happening now in this journey, is that Victoria is no longer a little child, who easily accepts the re-assurance of her parents, "It's going to be okay". No, she is older, with more understanding. She knows what she has been through physically. She knows what she needs to do each day to keep her body functioning well. She sees her peers dancing in ways that she can't, wearing pretty sandals that she can't wear, and she has to process her anger and disappointment. She has to wrestle with that question of why hasn't God healed me yet? A question that Ken and I don't have the answer for. 

She has to find strength to keep living with hope. One morning, during those weeks of anxiety, when it was just too hard to go to school, Victoria found some songs written by Moriah Peters, including Brave; Oh hear my God is near; Stand Strong; Born to be free; Waterfall. We spent the morning together singing these songs, getting their words of truth into our hearts. 

Victoria's next scan is drawing nearer, Monday, 18th December (We will get the results on the 19th). A couple of weeks ago I found Victoria at her desk, listening to some of Moriah Peters' songs, stop/starting them and writing down the lyrics...

She asked me to laminate them. It wasn't until a few days later that God opened my eyes to what I had seen - here was our daughter, preparing herself to fight against the anxiety that so often comes prior to the scan. She is learning how to find her strength in Jesus.

We are expecting only good results from this next scan, believing that God continues to hold Victoria, and indeed our whole family in His hands. 

Thank you for your continued prayers for Victoria. Thank you for the emotional and practical support that is continually given to her. We are blessed to have you in our lives. Next week I will post the results of the scan

Have not I commanded you? Be strong, vigorous, and very courageous. Be not afraid, neither be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go. Joshua 1:9

Love and kindness

The scan indicated that the tumour is stable. Thank you Jesus for your mercy. Thank you everyone who continues to stand with us in prayer, believing for complete healing in this little body. At the results appointment there was a confidence expressed that the tumour would not grow again. Again thank you Jesus for Your mercy and that You have the victory always.

Charlotte came to the hospital with us on Monday to support Victoria preparing for her scan. There is nothing like this sisterly love to add some hilarity to the goings-on.

These last two weeks Charlotte has been all we hoped a big sister would be. She has managed her own anxieties and encouraged her sister with a reassuring love and patience.

And Charlotte hasn't been the only one pouring out love and grace to Victoria in the past two weeks, when anxiety about this scan rose it's ugly head and caused some havoc.

Victoria's school friends have been giving her cards of encouragement throughout the week, and comforting her as best they can. Yesterday after getting the scan results we decided to bless the Year 4 students with a party to say thank you for the love and kindness they have shown Victoria. Charlotte took on the role of event co-coordinator and table design. Alexandra was her helper. Victoria decided she would like to go to class (probably a good idea after she hasn't been in her own classroom much in the past two weeks!).

What a blessing the school community has been to our family over these past two weeks (and indeed the entire 6.5 years of this journey). Showing the practical love of Jesus in our time of need. Thank you.

At the end of this post is the entry from my God Girl Blog last week explaining more of what has gone on in these weeks leading up the scan.
 

Now we now looking forward to returning to that lovely normal life that we have begun to so enjoy. The next scan will be in December, with a view to then having the scans further apart.

Saying thank you again for your prayers and support, seems so inadequate, but that is all we have, so thank you. Thank you for not giving up in prayer. We have seen the goodness of God, and can testify to the truth of this scripture....

The thief comes only in order to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance (to the full, till it overflows). John 10:10

We continue to stand on The Rock that is Jesus.

Watch, stand fast in the faith, be brave, be strong.
1 Corinthians 16:13 NKJV 
 


God Girl Blog Entry - May 11 2017

For us, it's that time when the scan-anxiety starts to take hold. How do you teach a nine year old to find refuge in God?

Be my strong refuge, to which I may resort continually; You have given the commandment to save me, for You are my rock and my fortress. Psalm 71:3 NKJV

Can you remember what you were doing when you were 9 years old? I was at a little primary school in Auckland. We would walk to school carefree. On Sundays we would roller-skate in the local Supermarket car park because there was no Sunday trading. We would have fun (and some scary moments) sailing around the Hauraki Gulf on the yacht my father built. I was part of a family that loved me and encouraged me. There was probably some stress in my parents life, but I was oblivious to that, and that oblivion was okay because they were adults and I was a child. Kid's lives are supposed to be stress free. Aren't they?

On the news we can see that there are many kids whose lives aren't stress free. No, for some every day is a fight for survival. 

In our little world here of Valentine, our little nine year old's world has been punctured by fear and anxiety for the past week or so, as her next scan draws nearer. It is heart-breaking to watch.

How do you teach a nine year old to find refuge in God?

My answer - by letting her keep living life, not isolating and withdrawing her from life and the hardships. But rather, letting her experience the many ways God has provided refuge for her.

Refuge - a shelter from pursuit or danger or trouble; a person or place offering this; a person, thing, or course resorted to in difficulties. (Oxford Concise Australian Dictionary)

Here are some of the ways that God has provided refuge for Victoria over the past 10 days......

With the swimming coach - who took the extra time to encourage her to try something new this week

With the school teachers - who have gifted her with grace as they have moved her from class to class finding distractions, and given her beautiful physical gifts.

With the school office staff - who provide cuddles, a comforting word and the phone call to mum.

With the sports teacher - who takes extra time to help her prepare for the school athletics competition next week

With the 4WD clubs - who gave up their Sunday to give the Camp Quality families fun on Stockton beach. 

With her brother - showing her a new app on the ipad (although I don't know if it was entirely appropriate)

With her sisters - as they blast out Toby Mac songs in my car, singing at the top of their lungs - this is not a test, this is the real thing!

With Ken - taking her out on a donut date for afternoon tea

With me - sitting in the back seat of the car together after arriving home for school. Just sitting together, few words spoken.

With her journal - writing her thoughts to God and drawing love hearts.

With my missing bible - reading with the torch at night, when the lights should have been out.

And all this with the prayer covering of many who have stood in faith with her for the past six years.

This is the refuge that only a loving God can provide. 

He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the LORD, "He is my refuge and my fortress; My God in Him I will trust." Surely He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the perilous pestilence. He shall cover you with His feathers, and under His wings you shall take refuge; His truth shall be your shield and buckler." Psalm 91:1-4 NKJV

Thank you to everyone who has provided refuge to Victoria in some way this week.