Community's Loss is Heaven's Gain

Yesterday was a busy day.......Women in the Word Bible study in the morning to continue our series of Beth Moore's teaching on "Loving Well". Friend Cindy went with me and after the study we together worked on gathering up the last evidence of the women's retreat held in February. It felt good to pick up this and that we found here and there and get everything in its place. The church is expansive and there are several closets where things landed. We looked around in our designated closet up off the "upper room" in the attic. At least I have a better idea what we have and where it is stored. We are already working on next year's retreat and have a speaker in place. That is the person that gives us the words of God's truth so our speaker is vitally important.

In the afternoon, I continued the task of retreat cleanup by going in my garage, full to the max, and worked through the luncheon sets we use for our morning tea. Our garage isn't heated so I haven't wanted to tackle the task until now. This morning there is a peace in my being as they have all been gone through to make sure each box has the correct set and the correct number of plates and cups and they are safely in their places until next February. Huge effort done!

During the middle of my work we got a call that a precious elderly man was found lying in his yard and was on his way to the hospital. We talked about going to the hospital to be with the family and proceeded to do so. Ken couldn't go because of a prior commitment so my friend, Bernice and I traveled to Crown Point St Anthony's Hospital together. When we arrived, we asked at the front desk for the family of Roger Boonstra. We were told they had all gone home. We asked, did Roger go with them? They said no and that they would have a nurse talk with us. Soon a very pleasant lady came into the waiting room and asked if we were family. I answered that we were close friends from church but in my heart I wanted to say, "Yes, we are members together with them of the family of God". The nurse graciously explained that Roger had not responded to the efforts to bring him back and so had passed away. She told us that the family had gone to his home to be with his wife. Onward we went...to De Motte to sit with the family. There is a preciousness about going to the home of Christians in the presence of death. There is great hope and an assurance that Roger is home with his Lord. His wife, through tears, told us many things of him that were enjoyable to hear. She showed us a card she had given him one Christmas eons ago which he to this day had used as a bookmark in his Bible. As she spoke to her children whom were not in town yet, she told them that Dad had helped her put clean sheets on both the beds that morning so the beds were ready for them. They expected their children to come today for a visit and were preparing for their arrival. Roger was out cleaning up the yard so the emaculate place was up to snuff. He didn't come back in and his wife found him lying on the ground near a fire he was tending. He and Janet have been married 64 years. Each Sunday they sat across the aisle and up a couple of rows from our usual place. During the greeting time at church there would be hugs all around with this dear couple. Their example of Christlike living is a testimony to the world around them. We will miss this dear man of God but oh, the joy he has found that God promises he had waiting for him.