June – July Update: Things are changing but staying the same

Mason celebrated his 10^th birthday in June.  He had a birthday party at a trampoline park in Charlotte.  Like all boys his age, he wanted Legos and video games.  He enjoyed being the center of attention and it temporarily took his mind off his struggles.

We do not know what God is going to do with Mason, but he must plan to use him in a mighty way because he keeps throwing roadblocks and obstacles in his path.  God reminded me of Joseph (not the brothers hating him part) but the long journey he had to take to fulfill God’s perfect plan.

One of the hurdles that Mason is facing is school.  Anything that is hard for him, especially when battling depression, seems insurmountable.  He is 10 years old and wants to quit school and mow grass for a living.  Since this isn’t a viable option, he remains in denial.  We have given him three schooling options for the fall, current school, home school or old Christian school.  He chooses D. none of the above.  There are pros and cons to each option.  Would you pray with us that God will lead us to the right schooling option for Mason?

Another change for Mason is his counselor.  Our insurance did not cover the person he was seeing, which made regular visits difficult.  We have moved him to a counselor within our network that he can see weekly.  The cost per visit was reduced by $200.  Would you pray with us that this new counselor can connect with Mason and help him to find a more positive mental state?

Finally, we spoke with a behavioral psychologist at Alabama’s Children’s Hospital.  Their program has a balance of the behavioral approach, that we saw at Kennedy Krieger (KKI), but also considers the sensory issues that Mason experiences. This program is smaller than KKI, so the waiting time is longer.  It takes 5 or so months for the evaluation appointment and then up to a year for him to enter their 6-8 week day program. This will give Mason time to overcome some of the depression and anxiety. We cannot tackle the feeding issues until he is in a better mental state.

We appreciated all your thoughts, kinds words and prayers.  We know that we are loved by our family, friends, and church community.

The Kerstiens