Dear Ones,
Greetings from Lexington, KY and we arrived here after a full day of travel in the rain and lots of traffic. Our usual place to stay was filled up and so we kept traveling. I had a wonderful swim and today we will be going to Knoxville and Thursday to Statesville, N.C. So excited.
Devotions from Judy’s heart,
I just finished reading the new book out by my cousin’s daughter-in-law, Kristin Salvevold, “A Quiet Witness”. It was so good that I read the whole 346-page book in one day, as we traveled. It taught me much of how the Lord can navigate His children through the most difficult circumstances in life and shower them with His goodness, binding them together as a family in God’s love. I can’t even imagine the painful circumstances this family endured as Kristin and her husband Chris first lost one baby by a miscarriage, and then had 8 children; one was a special needs daughter, Britlyn, who had a rare condition of a deletion in her tenth chromosome which hindered her from growing as other children and required surgeries and lots of therapy.
The latest 8th child that was rather a surprise, was Jensyn with an even rarer condition that only a few in the world have. It is called Trisomy 5p which resulted with many multiple problems that required constant care, much of it being in the hospital ICU. But she was loved so much by her parents and all her siblings that I think they would all say she was a gift to them and helped each of them to cling to the Lord in deeper ways than they ever would have, without caring for her. Often mom or dad had to miss birthdays or games of her sibling because she was in need of emergency care. Since Chris is a pastor, their church stepped up to help often and prayed much. Miracles were evidenced when they prayed, and Jensyn would suddenly get better. Jensyn was a silent witness as she never learned to talk or walk but communicated God’s love in other ways.
The family was all able to be with Jensyn when she was near her homecoming and through tears, they each sat at her bedside and cradled her and said their goodbyes. They sang and worshiped together and before her last moment they sang Chris Tomlin’s song, as the words became very real, “I will rise when He calls my name; No more sorrow, no more pain.”
Although she lived only 6 ½ years she touched many hearts, even of the doctors and nurses. There were 550 at her funeral, and Al and I were among them and very touched. It was a funeral we won’t forget as Jensyn’s siblings were the worship team and lifted their hands and hearts in praise to the Lord for His gift to them. Jensyn wasn’t a burden but God’s gift of love.
Each person has to deal with pain and death, and it isn’t the same for everyone. Jensyn’s siblings have written letters to her, and they are grateful for what they have learned through her. One said she taught her to how to love without expectation of return. Another felt she learned that she couldn’t rely on her own strength, but the Lord’s. Her brother writes that she brought the family close and now they await being reunited someday.
Challenge for today: Be present to others going through grief and allow them to grieve their way and hold them up in prayer.
Blessings on your day and prayers and love, Judy
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