Remembering Mom Karen

 

To think that it was a year ago today that we celebrated the life of a precious soul on this earth, Mrs. Karen Harris. During the summer of 1998, while I was serving at Royal Heights Baptist Church near Vancouver, I became very close to the Harris family. They took me in as one of their own. It wasn't very long until Mrs. Karen became Mom Karen to me. She would usually sign cards and emails to me 'from your North Delta Mom' (they live in Delta, a suburb of Vancouver) and I became 'your Mississippi daugther'.

Mom Karen had the gift of making anyone feel special. She took such good care of me each time I visited the family.

In August of last year, she was diagnosed with cancer in her sinus cavity. In less than 2 months, on October 18, she was gone. I couldn't believe it and I think there are still days that it's surreal for me. I've made 3 trips to the Harris home since Mom Karen was called Home and it sure was wierd not having her at the house. I am so thankful to have known her and that a part of her will always be with me in so many different ways, including her daughter, Becky, being one of my best friends. Mom Karen loved Anne of Green Gables and the Maritimes. I'm so glad that I got to experience what she loved so much.

The entire Harris family are so very special and my life has been enriched by knowing each of them.

In the collage are just a few pictures of my favorites with her. The top left one was the last time I saw her. It just so happened that God allowed them to visit PEI the summer of 07. I'm so thankful for that lunch and visit we got to have. The middle one was from her son's Matt (Amber)'s wedding in April.

Being Thankful

We celebrated Thanksgiving in Canada yesterday. Even though I've been in Canada for over 8 years now, it still seems wierd to celebrate Thanksgiving in October! But hey, being American, I get to celebrate it somehow next month too!!

With it being the Thanksgiving season, I've been thinking about what I am thankful for. My last few blog entries have been about the difficult times lately, so I thought it was time to be a bit more positive.

Here's my top things I'm thankful for:

~that Jesus didn't give up on me, that He saved me and I will spend eternity with Him
~how God provides for me and I have Him to turn to each and every day
~my precious family who I miss dearly
~friends all around this world
~my Canadian family who shows such love to me and makes me feel like part of theirs (there are a number of families that feel like my own)
~the churches God has allowed me to be a part of
~music that speaks to the soul
~clothes on my back, a car to drive (even if the heat isn't working right now, but it gets me around!), food in my cupboards, a roof over my head in the basement suite of a wonderful couple that I work with
~a wonderful job where I work with incredible people and get to interact with missionaries and help educate our churches about missions
~laughter
~smiles
~children
~and the fun things that life brings

As I communicated with some missionaries last week about stories for our International Missions Offering prayer guide, I told them that I am so thankful for how they give themselves away to advance the Kingdom of God! As I read more of their stories and get their prayer requests, I realize the sacrifices they are making in serving our Father.

What are you most thankful for?

I am so blessed! In the difficult times, may the blessings around us keep us going!

Prayer for my PEI friend, Cindy and her boys

I got word Friday night that my friend, Cindy, in PEI, lost her husband, John. He passed on Friday afternoon, a day after their 4th anniversary. John has been sick for awhile. I pray he knew the Lord and is all healed! Cindy has children from a previous marriage and 3 are still at home: twin boys who are 12, I think, and another son who is maybe 13. Please keep Cindy, Jeremiah, Elijah, Isaiah, and John's children in your prayers. The visitation is tomorrow night with the funeral on Tuesday.


I met Cindy and her precious boys the summer of 2007, when Seth, Freda, Kendall, and I were involved in ministry in Slemon Park, 45 minutes from Charlottetown. I only saw John a few times when I would visit Cindy and the boys. John was usually sleeping because he wasn't feeling well. Community Baptist has been seeking to plant a church in Slemon Park for many years. We feel that Cindy is the 'person of peace' or the Lydia in this area of Prince Edward Island where there is no CNBC church. Community was able to meet some practical needs for Cindy and her family and she and her boys were our faithful ones as we sought to have a weekly ministry in Slemon Park.

I have been able to keep in touch with Cindy since I moved away and was able to briefly chat with her via yahoo yesterday. Obviously, they are very sad and she feels lonely, heartbroken, and empty. She knows that she and the boys will get through this together. Please pray for God's strength and peace during this time.

I also ask you to pray for my friend Frances in North Carolina. She came with a team to PEI the summer of 07, as they did ministry in Slemon Park and another area. Frances' sister passed away suddenly last weekend. Frances is the oldest of eight with neither parent alive and another sister died in early 07, I think. Pray that Frances and her family knows God's peace in a powerful way.

(Frances is 2nd from left, standing)

from the words of Paul: "All praise to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. He is the source of every mercy and the God who comforts us. He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When others are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us. You can be sure that the more we suffer for Christ, the more God will shower us with his comfort through Christ. So when we are weighed down with troubles, it is for your benefit and salvation! For when God comforts us, it is so that we, in turn, can be an encouragement to you. Then you can patiently endure the same things we suffer. We are confident that as you share in suffering, you will also share God's comfort." (1 Corinthians 1:3-7 NLT)

Love Happens

Have you seen 'Love Happens'? www.youtube.com/watch?v=JB4NxGvd4kI

I wasn't sure about going to see it because I hadn't read any reviews and the last thing I really needed was a chick flick and a movie that wasn't worth my money. Well, I can say that it wasn't too bad...I could have done without the language, but that's Hollywood for you. I am not one to recommend a movie when it uses the Lord's name in vain. Take the language and sexual references out and this movie might have an A+ in my book.

I thought 'Love Happens' was gonna be all about a man and woman who meet and fall in love when least expected. Sure, that was the gist of it, but the main character is an author who is now a celebrity because of his self-help book. His wife died and he wrote a book about his experience with dealing with grief. I'm not going to spoil the movie for you, in case you haven't seen it, but the title deals with much more than love between a man and a woman.

This movie has really got me thinking about how I deal with grief. Death has really hit home in the past 2+ years and I sometimes wonder if I have dealt with it all as I should be. We all deal with death differently and it's a process. I'm just thankful that I have God in my life, so I can somehow try to make sense of things.

If you haven't seen the movie and plan to, take your tissues. You'll need them!

It's been quite the month plus...

I wouldn't have thought I would have attended a second Celebration of Life Service in a month. This one was for the husband of a friend. Don passed away at the age of 62 from a massive heart attack over a week ago. It was so sudden, but he knew the Lord. His wife, Laurel, worked at the seminary while I was there and she was my former church's treasurer for a time. What a sweet lady! I didn't really know her husband, though I remembered him when seeing his picture. When I left the service on Saturday, I felt like I knew him a bit better. It was a beautiful testimony to Don's life and service to the Lord and love for his family and many passions he had in life. Please keep the Miller family in your prayers (daughter Jennifer, son Chris and his young family).

My dear friend, John, got the results from his brain tumor on Thursday. Not the best news. It's in Stage 3 and is incurable (but we know God could work miracles). He will start 6 weeks of daily chemo and radiation in mid-October, with a 2 week break. Doctors said that 50% of patients have 3-5 years with some living to 10 years. We are praying for at least 10good years! John will turn 50 in December and says he will celebrate his 60th! John is self-employed and owns a commercial sheetmetal and plumbing business. He will eventually sell the business and will be semi-retired. John and his wife Debbie plan to travel! The family already had a trip planned to Mexico in a couple of weeks. The doctors said it was fine for him to go. Please keep John and the family in your prayers as they embark on this journey with cancer. Pray for John's continued healing from the surgery. Debbie is clinging to a verse that God showed her just days before John's surgery: Psalm 27:14 "Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord." That's one we should all look to!
For those who don't know John, here's a face to put with the name:



I'm not sure what to really think of everything that's been happening. I'm just thankful that I have God to look to in these difficult times. I am realizing more and more how fragile life is and that each day is a precious gift from God. As my friend Jesse Morales said in July 2008, "If today was your last day on earth, how are you impacting this world for the Kingdom?" Definitely something I try to remember each day and do something!

We're not promised tomorrow, but we do know the One who holds tomorrow and we can hang on to His promises!! Sometimes, that's all we can do...

Update on John Eagleson

Thanks for praying for John. He had the majority of the tumor removed yesterday. A small portion wasn't removed because removal would affect his speech and motor skills. The family has had conflicting information given to them about what's going on with John, so that's frustrating. As it stands tonight, they still aren't sure if the tumor is cancerous, but radiation and chemo has been scheduled for later this week, if it is needed. He did have an MRI tonight, so hopefully they'll know something soon. As a result of pain and brain surgery, John is not himself. Please pray for his healing. We have to remember the John we know and not the effects of the tumor!
I was able to visit with John and Brandy at the hospital tonight. It was good to see them and just get a glimpse into what John and the family are facing. I went by the house and got to visit with the rest of the family while they were home for dinner. Their church has been providing meals for a week now! What a blessing! I'm glad I was able to visit with them and get more details on what's going on and not going on.
It was a hard afternoon for me after Jessica called and said they got news that the tumor is cancerous and he will begin radiation on Thursday, they'll see what stage the cancer is in and chemo may be needed. Woah...You know this is a possibility, but I didn't want to hear it. I went to the hospital and Brandy isn't seeming like they received that news today and she even made a comment about we don't know if it's benign or not, so until we know...I thought, "Either Jessica was wrong, I totally misunderstood, or Brandy doesn't know"! I was glad to get to the house and get the story straight. When I walked in Jessica said, "Mom, will you please tell Ellen what's really going on because we're all confused". Debbie cleared up some things for me...they are a bit frustrated, but what can you do.
Maybe God used today to prepare me even more for what could come. There's a reason for everything and as my dad said today, "Keep the faith"! That is what I am trying to do and reading all those stories in the Gospels of how Jesus healed so many!

Continue to pray for the family in this time as their whole world has changed overnight...

Prayer for Friends

Seems it's been quite the year or more for illnesses and deaths. I told my mom last night that I didn't want to hear about anybody else being sick or dieing. Sometimes it just seems to be too much, but doesn't it usually come like that, all at once? I'm just thankful that in these difficult times, I have the Lord in my life and can look to Him!
I just wanted to take this spot to ask you to intercede for friends. Some of you may know the ones I will mention. Whether you know them or not, I ask you to pray for them and their families. Intercessory prayer is so huge!

What's heavy on my heart tonight is that my dear friend, John Eagleson from Calgary, will have brain surgery tomorrow (Monday) morning at 7:30Mountain Time. Just over a week ago, John had a major seizure in the middle of the night. CT scan revealed a huge mass on the left side of his brain that has been growing for quite a few years. He really had no signs. Seems that the tumor is malignant, but until the doctors take the mass out and get it tested, we're not 100% what is going on. Please pray for John as he has surgery. Pray for his wife Debbie during this time. Ask for strength and peace for her. Pray for daughters Brandy, Jessica, and Amy---all under 30. Jessica is married to Dayton and they have 2 daughters, Athena and Kaylee. Pray for John's parents and siblings and a host of extended family and friends. Pray for John's recovery. Pray that all of us will remember that God is in control. The family has already seen God working in many ways and all are encouraged by that. The reality of everything just hits at times...
John and his family have made me feel like part of their family from the time I met them. We were at Mountain View Christian Fellowship together and they have had me at many family functions and have just 'loved on me' during my time in Calgary. John and his wife have been somewhat like surrogate parents to me, seeing that I am far from my own parents.

A young friend from my hometown and church was recently diagnosed with lupus and a blood disorder called ttp. I need to research more about both diseases. Mallory Batte will always hold a special place in my heart as I remember when she was born, watched her grow up, and when I served as children and youth minister at the church, she was part of my group. I believe I saw her come to know the Lord and be baptized! Mallory is not yet 23 and has been in the hospital for a few weeks now. Pray for complete healing of her body, that she can be released from the hospital soon, and that she'll have the strength she needs during this time. Pray for her parents Doyle and Kathy, and sister Miranda and her young family. Pray that this time will grow all of their faith!

I found out last night that Mr. Bob Allen from my hometown passed away last week after having a brain aneuresym (spelling?). His wife, Mrs. Gloria Allen, was my high school English teacher who ended up being a dear friend. He was one of our town pharmacists for many years. The Allens are incredibly gifted in music and used their gifts in many different ways. Pray for Mrs. Allen in the sudden loss of her husband. They didn't have any children. Pray that she and family and friends will take comfort in Jesus!

My dear friend, Jackie Rettig, phoned today. I was about to call her! She and her husband, Kevin, became wonderful friends of mine while in seminary. Kevin and I were in class together and Jackie managed our bookstore. Since he graduated, they moved to his hometown in Montana and are pastoring a church. They have a 4 year old daugther, Fiona. In the spring of 2008, Kevin was diagnosed with multiple myeloma (spelling?) that has basically 'eaten' up a lot of his spine. He has been undergoing extensive treatment with trips to Salt Lake City. They are back in Montana and Kevin is preaching again, after being in SLC for a few months. He is doing farely well, regaining his appetite and strength each day. His immune system is low, so they have to be careful with that. They will continue treatments at a local hospital. Pray for his healing and strength for the family. Kevin and Jackie are in their early forties. Pray that people will continue to see Christ in their lives and they can be a light to others.

Continue to pray for the Morales family (see posts below). Kathy and Emily are the ones at home now, with Emily at school each day. Pray for strength for Kathy as she adjust to not having her husband there. Pray for Emily as her dad is no longer there with her. I contine to be encouraged by the family's faith and how I see God at work in Jesse's passing. Reports are that folks became Christians at the service and I think God's at work in the life of our little church as new faces are there! We had a young man playing the drums today who was saved at the service! An elderly lady was there today who is the Morales' neighbor. She felt led after the celebration service for Jesse that God wanted her to help with the children at our church! Oh, how we see God working during this difficult time. It's in these things I see reason for Jesse's illness and death.


Some good news this week was that I found out that two friends are expecting babies!! Yippee!! I needed that good news!!! Pray for Erin and Heather and the little ones that God has created inside them!

In the midst of all this life stuff, God does remain faithful and He will give strength when it is needed most. His Word is full of those promises!