God is Here

Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. (Lamentations 3:22-24

I can’t remember the exact day that we got this white board for dad but I remember the moment.  My brother in law Michael thought of it.  We were trying so desperately to communicate with dad but hand gestures can only go so far.  Mike thought about getting a board with letters on it for dad.  So we did that and dad started to communicate with us.  Then came the white board with a marker.  At first, everything seemed like a scribble and was so hard to read.  We asked a lot of questions and did our best to understand what dad was writing.  As time went on, dad’s scribbles became more legible and easier to read.  His messages were a breath of fresh air to all of us.

On Monday, April 30th dad wrote down Lamentations 3:22-24 when his friends came to visit.  We all looked this verse up together and were reminded that God is faithful.  He will not fail us.  It’s amazing that as bad as dad was feeling, that he was taking the time to encourage everyone who came to his room.  This only further demonstrates my dad’s character.  He is a man of God and he will do anything to help someone see Jesus.

Here is a journal entry I made shortly after dad shared this verse with us…

It amazes me how dad ministers to others in this time.  Lord, he has such a beautiful servant’s heart for you.  Please teach me how to have a humble servant’s heart like my dad through this experience.  Please increase my faith and expand my territory.  I pray that I will grow in Christ through this experience.

One of the sweetest moments I experienced with my dad was when I gave him his Bible one day and he looked up the verse Matthew 13:44.  I read it to him, as he was still having difficulty focusing on the words.  Here is the verse…

“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field.  When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.”

My dad then proceeded to point to the word treasure.  I said, “treasure”.  Then he pointed at me!  He pointed at the word again and pointed back at me.  Then he closed his Bible and took a nap.  It was the sweetest moment as my dad reminded my that I’m a treasure to him.  I’ll never forget that moment.  I know my dad loves me and I know he always has.  But to be considered a treasure to him was the greatest compliment I’ve ever received.  Thank you Dad!  I pray I can be a treasure to you for many years to come.

Dad and I would also go back and forth saying, “I love you more.”  One day he wrote “love ya more” on his board for me.  It’s amazing how much we celebrated every small step of progress in the beginning.  We have numerous pictures of everything dad did.  We were celebrating the fact that God was giving him more time on this earth and that slowly he was making progress.  Here are a few of my blessings during this phase of the journey…

1.  It was a huge blessing to be able to communicate with dad again.

2.  Dad continuing to be a light to everyone who entered his room by sharing Bible verses and doing his best to keep his spirits up.

3.  One big blessing was when people came to take the night shifts for us.  Dad still did not want to be alone but it was tough to be there 24 hours a day.  Thankfully, Pastor Brian, Pat Lies, Jenny Bexel, and Dad’s cousin Jimmy stepped up to the plate.  They made the load just a little lighter for all of us.  Thank you for loving my dad so much!

4.  Getting to know some of Dad’s friends and how he has impacted their lives.   I might never have met Pat or Jenny had this not have happened.  Both of them shined the light of Jesus brilliantly.  Pat is on fire for the Lord and his presence was such a blessing in the room.  Thank you Pat for being a great brother in Christ!

5.  Hearing that I am a treasure to my dad.

6.  My siblings and I coming together in such a wonderful way.  We had family meetings and were on the same page.  This time could have torn us apart but it didn’t.  In many ways it has only given greater depth to our bond as siblings.  I have some of the most amazing, strong, talented, and gifted siblings you will ever meet.  Through this experience I have come to value each one of them more than I ever have before.  So thankful that God has used each of our strengths to come together and better serve my dad.

7.  A big blessing is my sister Abigail who really kept everything together when it came to extra paper work for dad.  She thought about things that I never would of thought of.  She has displayed a strength through this that I’ve never seen in her before.  Thank you Abigail!

Dear Father God, I continue to rejoice in Your good work.  Lord, thank you for bringing these many blessings to mind and for giving me the strength to walk through this difficult time.  Thank you for teaching me so much through this and for enhancing my relationship with my siblings.  I’m blessed beyond words to be serving a God who is faithful!  

Counting my Blessings,