Graduation

Better to go to the house of mourning, than to go to the house of feasting. For that is the end of all men; and the living will take it to heart.

Ecclesiastes 7:2

Hey Everyone! Well, that past week has been pretty rough, a lot of emotions running loose. Many of you have probably heard of the Vanryn and Cerik families' daughter identification mix up. My mom grew up with the Vanryn family and although we didn't know Laura personally, my mom did babysit her as an infant and was close with her family. We had been praying for her constantly for the past five weeks, and praising the Lord that she was alive and recovering. Like everyone else it was a great shock to us when we learned that the girl we had been praying for was not Laura but Whitney Cerik. We mourned the loss of Laura deeply but rejoiced for the Cerik family.

Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep.

Romans 12:15

We know all the Lord does is His will, and is right. The Vanryn's had been such a great witness to all the medical staff and others involved, and are now and even greater witness of our Lord and Savior as they mourn the death of their daughter, but are not defeated. They trust in the name of the Lord their God and know that their darling daughter lies in His everlasting arms.

On Thursday we were told of a young man sixteen years old of whom our family was aquatinted had suddenly been struck down with a bacterial infection (he had just had the flu). We prayed while he fought for his life for forty-eight hours, and wept when we heard the news that he had gone home to his savior. Those two days of waiting for news and praying were some of the toughest days I have endured, praying that the Lord would spare him yet asking the Lord to kindly take him to his eternally home if that was His will. There are no 'what ifs?', for from the very beginning God has known how many years we would live to the very day, hour, and second. Please pray for the Vannete family. Caleb left behind three sisters, two brothers, and two loving parents.

We celebrated Dan's graduation on Friday the 2nd. It was a very beautiful service, and many of us were teary eyed (not for the first time that week). Over the weekend we had many relatives here and we enjoyed each others' company emensly. We were able to share memories of Dan, and many charges were directed to Him (as well as to all listening) to spur him on to this new stage in his life.

I have grown wonderfully this weekend. I was challenged through the words of my loved ones. The deaths of two young people, 22 and 16, caused me to look at my own soul. Would I be ready when the Lord calls me home? I had made my decision for Christ repenting of my sins and putting my faith in Him, but had lost my fire all to quickly. I prayed like I had never prayed before, and now I can tell you that I shall live my life for Christ, so that on my last day, the Lord will be holding out His arms to me and saying, "Well done, good and faithful servant!"

Please keep the Vanryn's and Vannetes in your prayers for they still have a long road ahead of them. Have a wonderful week. God Bless.