--Please read in glory and honor towards The Lord who does all things good.--
My dear friends, I feel it is my greatest responsibility to inform you on this news which I have just now received in the last hour. Friday, August 22, 2014, my own high school, Oxford High School (OHS), and Jackson Prep (Prep) played their first football game at Prep. On the field that night was Walker Wilbanks, a junior at Prep and also a brother, son, and friend to many that were there and not there that night.
"In the second half of the game, Wilbanks came off the field not feeling well.Wilbanks was taken to the hospital "immediately" after being assessed by Jackson Prep's training staff, which Head of School Jason Walton said includes contracted sports medicine professionals.
Once he reached the emergency room, Wilbanks began to cramp and vomit, officials said. He had a seizure, and his brain started to swell and was not getting enough oxygen. Wilbanks was being cared for at the University of Mississippi Medical Center in the Neuroscience Intensive Care Unit. An MRI revealed the swelling in Wilbanks' brain isn't as severe as originally thought, according to a tweet sent out by Wilbanks' brother, Landon." http://www.clarionledger.com/story/news/local/2014/08/25/paramedics-not-consulted-wilbanks/14582499/
Friends, this morning I received a text message from a dear friend who lives in Jackson asking to continue to pray and spread the word to many other believers in hopes that Wilbanks would heal. After school today, I received a text message from the same friend informing me that our dear Walker has gone to be with The Lord.
Brothers and sisters, I am not telling you that our prayers were "not working" or "expired", but they in fact they were to a God more powerful than anything we possibly imagined!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I know it is hard to understand the death of a loved one, even one you never met (much like my relationship to Walker), but it is also hard to understand HOW AMAZING THE LORD IS! He was so jealous of us, He was so jealous of Prep and of the community that He had to have Walker up there with Him, and now I am jealous of Jesus and Walker. Every day I want to meet Him, and Walker got to see his dad and his best friend for the first time today.
I don't mean for this to sound cheesy or typical or make it sound like I'm seeking attention, because I only want what I have to say be the words of The Lord speaking through me. The purpose of this announcement was to ask all of my happy friends to pray for the Wilbanks family.
Although I myself have never experienced a loss quite like this, I have indeed experienced loss. Every day you want what you've lost back. Every day you become dry and drained of the thing that kept you hydrated for so long, but the most beautiful things about The Lord is that He in fact can save you from this dryness by His never ending fountain of life.
Also, if any of you are feeling lead to reach out to this sweet family, I am going down there the weekend of September 5. If any of you would like to write a letter or just say you are keeping them in your prayers or you just want to tell them how amazing the grace of Jesus Christ, please message me or email me at [email protected]. I will be in town visiting a few friends but also dropping by the Wilbanks' home if you would like me to leave the with a word from you guys. Much love much thanks.
"If we live, we live for The Lord; and if we die, we die for The Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to The Lord." Romans 14:8
