Homecoming celebration
Pastor’s family and community rejoice in youth’s return
A pastor’s family and community rejoice in youth’s return.
The Rev. Jeremy Freeman marvels at his son’s newfound boldness for the Lord.
When the Freemans saw that a large group of people had turned out on Monday to welcome Caleb back to school, they were overwhelmed.
“We pull up to the school, and the entire high school is out on the street. The high school band is there, and the band is playing. Caleb gets out of the car, and they all start chanting ‘Caleb Freeman!’ Caleb was just blessed. It was awesome,” Freeman said.
It seemed a perfect time to thank God for His grace and goodness after the teenager’s near-fatal traffic accident.
The preacher said he knew neither him nor the school’s principal could lead a prayer, as prayer on school grounds must be student-led.
But Caleb could do it. And he did.
His father watched with love and pride. “I looked at him and said ‘Caleb, are you sure you want to do this?’ He said ‘Dad, I was born for this. I’m bold now,’ ” Freeman said. “Caleb has gotten bold now, about his faith, about the Lord.”
The spontaneous prayer outside Newcastle High School was among a series of special moments and tributes the family has experienced Caleb returned home on Aug. 18 for the first time since the December 2017 accident.
The 16-year-old received life-threatening injuries in the accident that occurred when he was driving him and his younger brother, Clayton, 15, to a University of Oklahoma men’s basketball game in Norman. Clayton was not seriously injured in the crash, but Caleb suffered a severe brain injury that had the family fearing for his life. Later, when they knew he would live, they became deeply concerned about his long-term prognosis.
Freeman, senior pastor of First Baptist Church of Newcastle, said hundreds of people welcomed Caleb at Will Rogers World Airport and the family saw another 50 or so people cheering and waving “Welcome Home Caleb!” signs as they made their way through their city of Newcastle. Another group of well-wishers — this time the family’s neighbors and friends — greeted the teenager as he made his way up the walkway of their home.
“When we came walking out of the airport, you would have thought he was a rock star. There were about 200 people there, and they were cheering and chanting. It was absolutely amazing. Caleb loved it,” Freeman said.
A reception for Caleb was held at First Baptist-Newcastle later that evening.
And Sunday will be another big day for Caleb.
‘Faithfulness of God’ stands out
Freeman said he and Caleb will have a question-andanswer session to give the youth an opportunity to talk about his eight-month-long journey to recover from his injuries from the accident. The Q&A and a video focusing on Caleb’s recovery will be featured at the 8:15 and 11 a.m. worship services at the church, 1650 N Main.
“I was just telling my wife that one of the things I want to come across on Sunday is how many
people have been involved in this journey, and I want Caleb to see the support — he is where he is for a lot of reasons and one of the main reasons and because of the people’s prayers and support,” the preacher said.
He said his son’s situation seemed miraculous right from the start.
He said the teen’s pickup collided with a tractor-trailer and its load weighing a combined 79,000 pounds, and yet the youth suffered no broken bones.
The teen went through months of rehabilitation at several facilities, including those in Omaha, Nebraska; Boise, Idaho; and Englewood, Colorado.
Freeman said the teen will continue rehabilitation for his injuries, but obviously this time closer to home.
“What stands out the most to me in all of this is really the faithfulness of God to us. Every single place we’ve gone, God has put people in our life that we needed at that moment,” Freeman said. “God’s provided every step of the way.”
Inspirational Facebook page stays put
Numerous people all over the world have followed Caleb’s progress through the wonders of social media.
The Freeman family’s “Pray for Caleb” Facebook page and the hashtag “butGod” together became a social media phenomena. They propelled Caleb and the power of prayer to prominence.
Freeman said the hashtag had its roots in one of the family’s darkest times, but it has helped shine a bright light on their faith in the Lord.
“The ‘But God’ came about at a moment where we were told that he (Caleb) may not live through the night. That’s when we said ‘We know what the doctors are saying, but God has the final say,’ ” Freeman said.
“It just latched on. We get messages from people almost everyday saying how that has encouraged them.”
Freeman said the family plans to keep the Facebook page active for a while, and they will update it on a daily basis.
They want onlookers to continue to see all the ways that the Lord is doing the miraculous in Caleb’s life. “People have literally asked us to keep it going, keep it going,” Freeman said.
“Caleb’s progress is going to continue. We believe he’s going to run again. We believe he’s going to play basketball again, and when those things happen, that’s going to be huge because this is a guy they didn’t think would ever eat again, much less run or walk or anything like that,” Freeman said.
“If they want to keep following the miracles, they can do that, because God’s not done yet. We really believe that impossible doesn’t exist with God.”