Troy Manning

It’s been three months since I had the sledding accident in which I fractured the T-12 vertebra.  The doctor said that the healing would be advanced enough that I could go without the brace at this point.  Since the temperatures have been rising recently, I decided I would get some relief by taking it off.  I knew that I would be in my car for 4.5 hours today too, so I thought it would be a good day to begin easing back into normal life.  So far, so good!  I’m still trying to be careful, though, since my muscles are not as strong as they were.  Though my “armor” protected me from certain things, it didn’t allow my muscles to do their job.  So they are weaker than they used to be.  I can definitely tell!  In about a week, I’ll probably start doing some exercises to strengthen the muscles. 

I’m so thankful for how the Lord has answered prayers.  I don’t feel any pain, except when I sleep in certain kinds of beds.  I’m not sure what kind that is, but I know that after about 6 hours of sleep, I get waken up because of a dull pain in my back.  Thankfully, some beds don’t cause such pain.  But at this point in my life, I don’t have a choice as to what kind of bed I sleep in.  Right now, I’m in a comfy prophet’s chamber at Grace Baptist Church (Leigh Crockett) in Anderson, IN.   We’ll see how this bed does tonight. 

What a blessing that I can take my brace off just as we move into summer and just as I begin heading further south!

On another note, I had a great time at Grace Baptist Church in Springfield, IL.  They have already shown their heart for Bibles International by taking on another consultant, Anna Beth Wivell, recently, and they demonstrated it again by their attentiveness to my presentation.  I also enjoyed fellowshipping with the Bradys, especially Dave Brady, the assistant pastor.  He and his wife got married only a little over a year ago, and Dave is older than I am.  Their testimony was an encouragement to me!