Sunday, June 7, 2009

Glimpse from Heaven




Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known. I Corinthians 13:12

We don’t yet see things clearly. We’re squinting in a fog, peering through a mist. But it won’t be long before the weather clears and the sun shines bright! We’ll see it all then, see it all clearly as God sees us, knowing him directly just as he knows us! The Message I Corinthians 13:12




Dear Family and Friends,

As many of you know I lost my Dad on December 18th, 2006. It has been a great time of grieving but also a time of praising because we know that Dad has reached his eternal home with God. Our family thanks every one of you for your thoughts, prayers, and presence. It has made us feel loved and given such honor to my Dad. I was given an incredible gift on December 23 that I wanted to share with you. As most of you know Mark and I started an adoption journey 1 ½ years ago that ended without us getting the children. We had really felt that God had given us many answered prayers that encouraged us to proceed with the adoption. When it fell through we truly didn’t understand. We found out that we wouldn’t be able to get the children the week we thought we would be flying to Kazakhstan . I have been telling my family since this time that I can’t wait to get to heaven to find out what the purpose of this whole thing was. Well, on December 23rd, Beth, Lacey and I were sitting at the mall trying to finish Mom’s shopping for her and all of a sudden I blurted out to Beth and Lacey, “We didn’t get Sasha and Galina because it had never been about us”. Let me explain. Many of you don’t know this part of our adoption journey. Two weeks before we were suppose to travel to get the kids I invited my Dad to travel with us. We did a request to expedite his visa so he could travel when we did. When we weren’t able to go he went ahead and went and stayed with Brent and Beth for a month with the plans of meeting us when we got there. He never would have made a second trip to Sereygevka, Kazakhstan if we hadn’t followed through on our adoption journey. Dad had the opportunity to establish many relationships and share his struggles and love of God the month he spent in Sereygevka. He also came home and went to many churches to share his story. His “mission trip” to Sereygevka left him with a level of contentment that he told us he had never reached before. It strengthened his faith and gave him an excitement for sharing this faith with others. He walked the streets of Sereygevka not knowing the language but talking to people. He sat at their tables with the barrier of language but was able to communicate that he was there to listen and he cared. He truly showed these people God’s love!
On Christmas Eve as I was relaying this story to one of my friends I was left speechless when I realized that my Dad was still taking care of me by giving me this special gift from heaven of understanding.
Bob Williams left an awesome legacy for anyone he met. Please continue to honor his memory by loving others the way he loved each and every one of you.