I received the following update on Charlie a few days ago and wanted to pass it on to you. Here you go. Ryan

It has been exactly one month since that terrible day when Uncle Charlie nearly lost his life in a high speed head on collision in southern Oklahoma. We were told time and time again what a miracle it was that Uncle Charlie was able to survive. The more we learn of the details of the accident, the more we all realize how blessed and fortunate we are to still have Uncle Charlie around! Since that day, many more miracles have taken place, all of which we give God the praise and glory for!

One of those miracles involved Charlie actually flying home (with full assistance) to Florida to heal and eventually go through rehab! Uncle Charlie was not supposed to fly for at least 8 weeks due to his 14 broken ribs and broken sternum. But when doctors saw Uncle Charlie’s improvement in breathing and saw where his internal bleeding had stopped, they granted him permission to go back to Florida just in time for him to see his youngest son graduate from Bible College! What a surprise it was for his son as he had no idea Dad was coming home!

Uncle Charlie is currently at home in Tampa and took a bit of a set back due to the travel and activity over the weekend, but we all know that home is where Charlie belongs and it will be better for him in the long run.

Doctors say that he will be in his leg and arm casts for 6 weeks, after which he must get three 2-inch pins removed from his right wrist, which are currently helping hold that portion of his arm together. Then he will need to undergo rehab treatments in order to restore use of his right hand. That could take weeks or months, we don’t know yet. He has had two surgeries on that wrist already, and the good news is that the nerves were not severed. Doctors are confident that even though Charlie’s right arm will never likely be at 100%, that he will eventually heal enough to live a normal lifestyle and even perform and play the guitar again!

Right now Uncle Charlie is trying to do without his pain medications, which have their own side effects, and is doing a great job of “gutting it out”. Of course he is enduring a much larger degree of pain in recent days, but he just takes each day one at a time. Charlie takes aspirin every 6 hours, which seems to help manage his pain levels to where they are a bit more tolerable. The main thing is that his attitude remains positive and his spirits high!

This will no doubt be a long and slow road to full recovery. Knowing Uncle Charlie, the biggest obstacle he will face in the weeks and months ahead is his patience! He’s already talking about continuing to record Made 2 Praise, going back on tour with his new team, ministering to children, etc. Waiting on God’s timing as his body heals will be hard for him, as he is used to being quite active. March is the target date we all have for Uncle Charlie to begin traveling again.

Uncle Charlie wanted us to make sure and let all of you know how much he appreciates every one of your e-mails, letters, cards, calls and visits while he was in Oklahoma. He wanted all of you to know that he has read each and every one of them and they were all a great source of inspiration to him just to know he had so many friends and to know that his ministry has impacted so many people. Charlie has been overwhelmed with gratitude. We hope you understand it’s virtually impossible for him at this time to answer and reply, but hopefully through this update you will know how much you mean to him! He wants you all to know that he may be down, but he’s not out! He feels even more convinced now that God has big plans for his “second half”!

Many of you have been asking through your messages if there is anything you can do to help Uncle Charlie. We at Upward Bound Ministries are very grateful for your concern for Uncle Charlie and appreciate your outpouring of love and care. Here are a few things you can do should you feel led:

Continue to pray for Uncle Charlie. He would be the first to tell you this is the most important thing you can do for him. You can pray specifically for these things:

His complete recovery in God’s time.

That his pain level without meds will begin to decrease more and more.

That he will once again be able to do what he loves best – ministering to children through music, teaching others to use his tools, and mentoring others for ministry.

That Charlie will find and pursue God’s perfect plan for his future.

That God will provide all his financial needs for family, ministry, medical expenses, and other expenses that will occur between now and March in the midst of losing his income that would normally come through touring.

For his wife Tammy as she tries to balance working full time with giving Charlie the proper care he needs. Also for her endurance as the process of taking care of Charlie, taking care of insurance and finance issues, etc. can be very tiresome physically and emotionally.

That God would supply wisdom and grace to Uncle Charlie and Tammy as they have lots of decisions to make in the days ahead.

Uncle Charlie loves to hear from you, so feel free to drop him an email or note every once in a while. This really lifts his spirits! His email is charlie@unclecharlie.com and his address in FL is Uncle Charlie, PO Box 627, Lutz, FL 33548.

Some of you have even asked how you or your church could help financially in the days ahead. We have been seeking council in that area and what has been advised to us is that should anyone or any church feel led to help in that manner, the best thing to do is simply make any checks payable to Charlie Bancroft or to Tammy Bancroft, rather than to the ministry. These can be categorized as love offerings and would not count as taxable income to Uncle Charlie. This also enables Charlie or Tammy to apply the funds exactly where they are needed most, even if not related to the nuts and bolts of the ministry itself. Already we have received various gifts from concerned people and churches, and Uncle Charlie and Tammy want everyone involved to feel their heartfelt thanks. This is a humbling feeling for them, as they are used to being on the “giving” end of things. But they also realize that God uses His people to provide needs and understand that He is the ultimate provider for anything lacking in our lives.

Thank you again for your concern about Uncle Charlie’s welfare. He wants all of you to know his chin is up and he looks forward to being back in the saddle this spring with his new team. We’ll continue to keep you posted as he goes through the healing and rehab process.

God Bless each of you, and as Uncle Charlie would say,
Cya here, there, or in the air!
UBM Staff