Dear Family and Friends,
We are sharing our story with you today to beg for your prayers as our family navigates a difficult season of life. We want to give you a glimpse of the crisis that The Van Hooks are currently in, yet also honor the kids’ privacy, as well allow their story, especially Liam’s, to be their own to share. We trust that you will pray and walk alongside us with limited information.
As many of you may know, for a while now we have spent much time in prayer and had some concerns about issues our Liam has battled. Over the last couple of years, his emotional and behavioral challenges have gradually begun to worsen. Recognizing the crisis that many young men face in today’s world, we have made the decision to give Liam every opportunity to walk through these issues while young and deal with them aggressively on the early end, rather than wait until he is an adult. The brain is not fully developed until around 25 and research shows that learning the tools to cope and work through issues as a teen has a high success rate.
We have tried multiple avenues of help, and none have been able to get to the root of Liam’s chronic early childhood trauma that he has tucked away during his short lifetime. Since nothing has seemed to help, and things are continuing to escalate, Chuck and I knew that we needed to do something drastic, and we needed to do it quickly. In our search for available resources specific to Liam’s needs, the Lord rather miraculously led us to Capstone Wellness Treatment Center in Judsonia., Arkansas, about 3 hours away. Capstone is a 90-day residential treatment facility for young men. (Capstone Wellness Treatment Center) It combines professional excellence with the foundation of Christ and hope in Him. From the moment we began to research Capstone, we felt 100% confident that this is the step we need to take for Liam and our family.
The treatment center works to get to the source of the issues with 3 years of counseling compacted into 3 months. There is a 2:1 resident to therapist ratio, so we know Liam will be getting individualized care. A major selling point for us is the way Capstone integrates intense family counseling including a Family Intensive week on site for parents. They will also work with Liam and our family to create a follow-up care plan. Because of the difficulties we have experienced as a family over the last couple of years, there is a lot of healing and reconciliation that we know needs to take place. Family involvement in this process is a non-negotiable for the Van Hooks.
Chuck and I will be taking Liam to Capstone within the next couple of weeks. He is aware of this entire process and is willing to go. Although he is incredibly anxious and unintentionally trying to push us away to make separation easier, he also knows he cannot continue on in the same patterns and struggles. We are very thankful to have found Capstone, and we are eager to see how God shapes Liam and works in all of our lives through this process.
The financial cost of this opportunity is overwhelming, but we walk ahead with confidence that the Lord will provide. The full cost of treatment plus follow-up care is $119, 000. The Lord has already been gracious in providing a $45, 000 grant for Liam’s treatment through the ministry “Ashes to Glory Foundation.” Ashes to Glory Foundation was founded by a couple who sent their son to Capstone, and recognized the immeasurable value of quality, Christ-centered professional therapy. The high cost of such a program makes it practically impossible for many who need it, but Ashes to Glory Foundation works to make this help possible for more families.
We have also received a direct grant of $7,000 from an organization called Lifesong for Orphans with the opportunity to receive up to $7,000 in donations matched! Which is incredible. We are diligently working to fundraise the remaining $52,000. That remaining balance will be split up into 4 payments to Capstone: The first $13,000 is due when we check Liam in next week, day 1. The second $13,000 is due the next month, day 31. The third $13,000 payment is due on day 61, and the final installation of $13,000 will be due on day 91.
We foremost covet your prayers for God to do a miraculous work in Liam’s heart. We are praying that He would protect, guard, and heal our broken hearts in this process, and that the Lord would surround our other children with His peace and security. It is not easy to share these struggles with others, and it is definitely humbling to ask for spiritual, emotional, and financial support. However, time and time again the Lord has proved His faithfulness and power to our family through the love, prayers, and generosity of others.
I want to share a glimpse into the supernatural provision we have been praying for. Before Chuck and I had our phone interview with Ashes to Glory, I wrote a prayer in my prayer journal asking for supernatural provision and letting God know we trust Him. Then I opened my bible to continue reading where I’m at in 1 Kings. It is absolutely no coincidence that after reading Chapters 13-15 the previous day and skimming Chapter 16, that as I began reading Chapter 17, it was the story of Elijah. In this story, the Lord tells Elijah there will be a drought, and he sends him off telling him He will provide for him. Elijah obeys, and the Lord supplies his needs until the brook dries up then he sends him to find a widow the Lord said will supply his needs. He comes to the widow who is gathering wood for the last meal she is about to make for herself and her son. She has practically nothing. Elijah asks the widow to bring him food, and though she has little, she willingly provides. Elijah promises that the little she has will continue to be replenished until the end of the drought and sure enough, “it turned out as he said-daily food for her and her family…God’s promise fulfilled to the letter.”
I laughed and with tears in my eyes reread the story aloud to Chuck. This was just a few hours before our phone interview with Ashes to Glory and finding out the insanely large blessing of a gift they would be providing for Liam’s treatment at Capstone. His supernatural provision is real, and His promises will always be made complete.
Our family, friends, and church family have always embraced us with a deep love which fills us with thankfulness and praise. If you would like to be a part of this story and the Lord’s supernatural provision for our family through Liam’s treatment, you can do so via Lifesong for Orphans. 100% of the donation will go directly to the treatment, and the contribution is a tax-deductible donation. All donations made will be sent to the Capstone treatment center in addition to the grants Ashes to Glory and Lifesong for Orphans have given. Making a donation through the ministry and suggesting it go toward Liam allows the donation to be tax deductible.
Thank you for loving our family and for faithfully approaching the throne of grace on behalf of our son. The past week has plunged us into a pit of grief and pain like we have never known, but we have also felt the almighty hand of God pull us up out of the pit. We have been reminded that a miracle first requires a crisis. We beg the Lord that this crisis will be the catalyst to a powerful miracle in our son’s life. Thank you for bearing this burden with us. If you have specific questions about the treatment center, Ashes to glory Foundation, Lifesong for Orphans, or how the funds are used more specifically, Chuck and I are both available to answer questions. We do ask that in consideration of our family during this time, that our story remains private. There is currently much work to be done in the means of restoring healthy relationships, especially among the siblings. We firmly believe that when Liam comes home for reentry, we will all be ready to receive him with grace, forgiveness, and renewed minds and hearts. A strong foundation of healing only God can provide.
In Christ Alone, Chuck and Rachel Van Hook
"
STRIPE charges an online processing fee (2.2% +.30 USD per transaction)*. Your donations will be decreased by this amount. You may also send a check payable to “Lifesong for Orphans”. In the memo line please write “Van Hook 90678”, to ensure it is credited to our account. Please mail to Lifesong for Orphans, PO Box 9, Gridley, IL 61744.
Lifesong has been blessed with partners who underwrite all U.S. administrative and fundraising costs (TMG Foundation and other partners). That means 100% of your donation will go directly to the adoption.
- In following IRS guidelines, your donation is to Lifesong for Orphans. This organization retains full discretion over its use, but intends to honor the donor’s suggested use.
- Lifesong is a 501(c)3 tax exempt organization. Individual donations of $50 or more and yearly donations totaling $250 or more will receive a tax-deductible receipt. Receipts for donations under $50 will gladly be sent upon request.
- *3.5% fee for donations given with an American Express card
"