Allen received wonderful news at the guest house last night. The counselor from the Trauma Recovery Institute called and said that based on the intake forms he completed, he is a candidate for their recovery program. Also, because of logistics and the fact that we are already here, they rescheduled things around so his treatment will begin next week.
Our plans are to leave the monastery tomorrow morning and visit Hiram’s stepfamily near Bowling Green, Ohio for the weekend. At some point, Hiram will take the bus back to Ames so he can work next week. I will accompany Allen to Morgantown, and we’ll stay at a hotel for the week as the therapy is outpatient. I get a tour Monday and a short session of Friday so I learn some skills to help Allen. Allen will do seven hours of therapy a day with an hour break for lunch.
Stay tuned for details about what we do after that week. Most likely, Allen will come back to Boone for the holidays and do more planning then. Keep him in your prayers as the unknown seems large for him now. We are so proud of the steps he’s taken and his desire to be wholly healed.
We are comforted by God’s use of Allen’s aunts in this process. His Aunt Susan in Washington, who is a mental health counselor, told us about this treatment facility. His aunt in the Twin Cities, also a mental health therapist, checked out the website and had positive feedback. The step-aunt we’ll visit in Ohio is a school guidance counselor and has given us good advice, also.
Our next steps are to book a hotel room and find bus schedules. So keep praying for good decisions and clear heads. Much love to you all.
