The Possibilities Are Endless....

A couple months ago I blogged about our frustrations surrounding Elena's communication system and some of the struggles we had been dealing with.  We've been praying and praying about it for months.  Let me just share with you how faithful God has been.

Elena has had a communication system in place, as she is non-verbal.  Non-verbal doesn't mean she doesn't make sounds, it just means she is unable to form her sounds into words.  So, nearly two years ago we began meeting with a therapist who helped us identify a system to help Elena communicate both at school and at home.  It's incredibly complex, both for us and for Elena.  To simplify, she's had to learn vocabulary words and memorize a specific order of these words.  A pretty tough task for anyone, let alone a four/five year old.  

She has proved herself and her ability to handle this, which is incredibly promising, it has just never felt like the most practical or opportunistic system for her.  She was still only being given choices, not the ability for her to say whatever she was thinking, not to mention it was a slow process and difficult to use in a classroom and home setting.  It worked best when Elena was isolated and could really focus on the task.  Not exactly the picture of our home life or even the Kindergarten class.  

So, we began to pray.  We asked all of you to pray for a breakthrough of some kind.  

About a month ago, Chad was meeting with a client and they began discussing Elena and this issue.  It just happened that this client's sister was an Adaptive Communication Device Sales Rep.  After getting her on the phone, she and Chad connected that she was already familiar with Elena, as she had evaluated her at school the previous year to try out different pieces of equipment.  What are the chances?!  She mentioned she had recently had success with a device on a few kids with similar issues to Elena.  

A couple weeks ago, we all met at school to test it out.  And so here we are, the next couple months we are trialing out a new communication system.  One that gives Elena the ability to choose her words and has the potential to give HER the power of communicating.  I have SO MUCH HOPE riding on this.  

This has been another example of God's faithfulness in Elena's journey.  We know how capable Elena is.  We believe we have barely begun to tap into her little mind and all that is possible with her.  I can't express to you what it would mean if she were able to "talk" with us.  Just the very thought of it makes my heart sing.  

So, I ask that you continue to pray for our girl in this specific area.  If she shows promise and ability in the next few weeks with this new device, who knows what is possible.  Pray that she would be able to realize the opportunity she has with this device.  Pray that her teachers and therapists would help her navigate the new system with ease.  Pray that we would be able to work with her at home (in this craziness that is our reality!).  Pray that this would be THE catalyst that allows us to see into Elena's little mind and allow her to show us all she is capable of.  Oh, to know what she thinks!!

This is such a huge opportunity for all of us!  We so love all of you for your support and prayers!

xoxo
Emmalee