From Jesus Apodaca~~

First of all, I would like to say thank you to my friends who played a part in my recovery after my accident back in 1978.  I normally don't bring up such a dark time in my life but never really took the time to say thanks to guys like Skip Hemperley, Jim Strickland, Brad Buffington, Paul Jaramillo, Kenny Stevens and Doug Kramer.  Thanks also to Chris Smith whom I will miss so much.  There were others who reached out to me either in prayer or by some other means and I want to say thanks to them as well.  Thank you all for helping me out of such a pit that I was in at the time.  I want to share a recent devotional that I read that really touched me:

There's something powerful about hearing testimony from those who've been through incredible storms.  I'm discovering that it's equally, if not more powerful, to hear the testimony of people who are currently still in the storm.  We all like to hear about the happy outcomes which is always encouraging and edifying.  However, some of the times I've grown the most in my faith is when I've witnessed the authentic blatant testimony from men and women who are living currently in extraordinary storms of life.  Their faith and perseverance inside the trials has encouraged me in huge ways!

I believe that one of the most powerful ways we can share the gospel with others is how we connect it with our own stories.  Since that time back in 1978, my life has taken many twists and turns.  My life has been determined mostly by what happened then.  I do believe that God intervened and stopped me in my tracks and turned me around from a life that was spiraling downward and started setting me on a correct path.  It still took me 10 years to come around to what He intended me to be.  To be honest, He is still working in my life daily to hold me accountable to what I should do, say and act like.    I have met many people who were in their own personal storms.  Whether they were injured in Viet Nam, a car crash that took away use of their legs, being shot, or just a birth defect in which their entire life was with handicap, these people, both young men and women, wee my person friends and they had huge influence in my life.  I learned so much from these athletes in competition and in regular life.  Many of their injuries and handicaps were much more involved than mine was.

Those Grants classmates and friends who reached out to me I will never forget and I apologize for not having reached back to them to say Thank You.  I am so sorry that I couldn't be there in person and I am also sorry for not having attended the previous reunion gatherings that occurred.  Lisa, thank you for all the hard work that you and others have done in arranging all of these events.  There are several who are not with us anymore and some of them I didn't know about and I am so sad for our losses.  

Thank you for reaching out to me and I pray that we all can have another opportunity to gather again.  My prayers for a safe gathering and travels.  May God Bless us all.  Go 76!