I honor you, Grandma...

My grandma passed away this week and since I can not be there to properly mourn and celebrate her life and death, I felt God prompting me to honor her on my blog because of the work that she has done spiritually in my life. She was and will continue to be my wisest cheerleader for the gospel...I will miss our conversations about what God is doing in our lives, but I know she will now have an even greater perspective...

Dear Grandma, I would like to take this time to honor you, not because you were a great grandmother (though you were) or because you liked to give away a lot of things (though you did), but because of your amazing relationship with Jesus Christ, an amazing woman of Faith. Although it is a sad occasion that your physical presence will no longer be here on earth with us, I am excited and happy for you that you have gone Home. I would like to say thank you from the bottom of my heart for being a living example of a disciple of Jesus Christ and not backing down from what you believed. Thank you for being real about the gospel, sharing it wherever you went, and not being afraid of what people would say...I really admire you for that and long to follow in those footsteps. You always chose God's will for your life, no matter what the cost was. It didn't matter how much pain you had to go through or moving from your comfortable house, you still saw the good in what He was doing. I also want to say thank you for your constant prayers, Grandma. I know many of them God has answered in my life while I am here in Africa. Thank you for your confidence in Him and never backsliding when things got tough. Even when people may have thought you had been too religious or preachy at times, it didn't bother you because you knew who you were in Christ. Thank you for speaking truth in our lives, and I ask for forgiveness I wasn't "in the mood" to listen to your wisdom and revalation. I admire your willingness and endurance to fight the good fight of faith, looking forward to what was before you and forgetting the past. Your eyes were like Paul's, on getting the crown of God's call from heaven; to count everything as loss compared to knowing Jesus Christ our Lord. That's you, Grandma. Everything else was worthless compared to your relationship with Him...Thank you for understanding my desires to give everything to find the abundant life in Jesus, the freedom that Christ has offered to each of us, but few rarely find. Thank you for choosing the narrow path and not giving into the fear of man. Grandma, I am excited that you are in the best place possible, receiving the treasures you have built up in heaven. Thank you for living your life loudly, boldly, and courageously for the Kingdom of God. May the seeds you have planted in my life as well as many others grow into trees of righteousness. May you see the fruit of your laboring in prayer. May you rejoice and be glad that you are now seated in heavenly places with the greatest person who has ever walked the earth. You have lived your life, Grandma, as a strong woman of Faith. May God bless you as you rest in His loving arms and dance in celebration that it is no longer mourning time for you. For Song of Soloman says in chapter 2 verses 10-13, "My love speaks and says to me, 'Get up, my love, my beautiful one, and come with me. For see, the winter is past. The rain is over and gone. The flowers are coming through the ground. The time for singing has come. The voice of the turtledove has been heard in our land. The fig tree has its fruits. The flowers on the vines spread their sweet smell. Get up, my love, my beautiful one, and come with Me.'" I believe this is Jesus welcoming you home and into the beautiful spiritual body He has prepared for you to live forever with Him.

I love you so much and look forward to the the day when we can share about my adventures, but I know that you will be able to be where I am...Come along for the ride, Grandma!