We
asked for a miracle for our sister Anelia, and God answered our prayers. Her
miracle was her first sight of our Lord’s face and of heaven yesterday
afternoon about 2 hours after this photo above was taken.
Anelia’s
dear doctor told us that it would be better for Anelia to discharge her from
the hospital and to take her home as he had done all that could be done for
her. The hardest thing was telling her husband Tony, and her daughter JenJen
and JenJen’s husband Jimrel, and to see their grief and tears as we hugged them
and watched the nurses unhook the machines, tubes and needles and prepare Anelia
for her trip home.
About
two hours after her discharge, as she lay in the back bench seat of our
vehicle, with cushions and blankets beneath her and with her head in her
husband’s lap, in a very peaceful way as the familiar mountain scenery rolled
past the windows, she was ushered into our Lord’s presence. Her daughter and
son-in-law were right there with her, and she went in a quiet moment and
without a struggle. God’s plan for Anelia’s time to step into timelessness had
come and it was good.
Her
daughter JenJen, and the whole family, are so thankful for your prayers. In
their grief as they wept, they found great comfort in Philippians 1:21, which
we read together in the hospital and talked about during the hours when we were
processing Anelia’s discharge from the hospital.
Arriving
back home with Anelia’s dead body was not the outcome they were hoping for but
they accepted it as God’s plan and the church family there is rallying around
them. Her body is laid out in her home as the custom is here, and all the
family and neighbours are there helping. The coffin is being hand-built by
friends and neighbours as we write this and the grave is being dug by these
same friends and neighbours. People are cooking rice and feeding all who are
visiting and helping with the work…..and when all is ready, her body will be
laid in the ground. Probably sometime later this afternoon.
Death
is a harsh and bitter reality in our earthly lives…..but our HOPE does not
disappoint. It is a living hope through the resurrection of our Lord Jesus
Christ from the dead. 1 Peter 1:3
Thank you for all your messages and emails and
prayers – they have been sustaining us through these days!
