Knee Injury = Loving Community?

Last night during our Joyful Noise League games one of our youth got hurt.  In a play that was a bang bang play with two youth going up for the ball, they hit knees and one of the youth came down hard on his knee banging it into the ground.  He immediately began holding it and wrenched over in pain.  Ice was immediately gotten for him and he was helped to the sideline.  His mother was called and the game went on to finish. 

After the game was over, his teammates helped him to his mom’s car.  A couple of people offered to help drive or take him to the ER but the mother said she was fine.  Now please keep in mind that this youth is not an active member of our youth group, in fact he goes to another church.  He came to us last year and played with us on our basketball team.  Once that ended and we started our three on three league he has continued to play with us. 

After Youth Group was over I got a text from the youth’s mom asking if his ipod, wallet, and water bottle were in the gym.  I went down to look for it and while I was in there another youth and his mom were in the gym.  Jo, the mom, asked me what I was doing and I told her I was looking for some stuff that belonged to a youth.  I explained what happened.  She lives near this youth and offered to take it with her so it was easier for him to get it.  We ended up calling the mother of the injured youth and found out that he had passed out in the car from the pain and had ended up in the ER.  In fact that was where they were when we called them.

Jo said that she would take the stuff home with her anyone and that they could hook up the next day to get it to him.  We all left the church.  With everything that was done from ice, to carrying the youth to the car, to taking stuff for him you could end the story there by calling us a loving community, but that is not where the story ends.  In fact, Jo and Ian, her son, didn’t go home.  Nope they went to the ER and found this youth and his mom.  They visited for a little while, gave him his stuff and told them that if they needed anything to let them know.

Today I wrote an email to the youth’s mom to check on him.  She told me how he was doing, that the knee was just bruised really bad but not broken.  She then told me how blessed she was by the visit from Jo and Ian.  She told me that they were feeling lonely when in walked warm smiling faces.  She thanked me for my concern and told me that her youth would be back soon to watch and help me with the scoreboard.  He really is a great kid.

She was right when she said she say warm smiling faces.  That is what you get from Jo and her family.  They are a very loving and caring family.  They give in so many ways and it is truly a blessing to have their youth in the youth group and their family in the church.  I am so thankful for families like theirs.  We have so many of them in our church.  It truly makes for a loving community.   Everyone who helped yesterday did an awesome job.  Thank you so much for your help!  Thank you for being a loving community!