This is one of the best videos I've seen in a long time. It sums up a lot of what I've been thinking and studying lately. It's also very similar to the principles in the book "Radical" by David Platt that I taught at my church recently. Check this out and be challenged!

Last night I attended an event put on by the Blount County Global Women to raise awareness leading to action in the fight against human trafficking. The stories and information presented were a bit overwhelming. Human trafficking is a huge and terrible problem in our world today. And it is not just something happening "over there". It is happening in our own communities as well.

During my last trip to Haiti, I received terrible news. A good friend of mine, Linda Cooper, passed away. She had been fighting a battle with ovarian cancer, though by looking at her, you would have thought she was strong and healthy. And that's how she looked the last time I saw her. I can't describe how crushed I was at that news. Several days before I had received word that she was in the hospital due to fluid build-up on her lungs. I prayed and pleaded for her healing as I have many times before. The day before I heard she was in the hospital, I emailed to let her know I was thinking about and praying for her. I was very surprised and delighted to find a response from her the next evening! She told me it was good to hear from me and that she had been praying for me every day. She mentioned briefly that she had been sick and in the hospital. (She was never one to dwell on her condition and always tried to focus on the positives.) She finished the email by saying, "I am glad you emailed me. It is such a blessing to my heart to hear what God is doing. It is like a lovely bright spot in my day. Take care and I look forward to seeing you when you return." When I first read her email, I was so touched by her saying that my email was "a lovely bright spot in [her] day." I responded to let her know that her email was a lovely bright spot in mine! Indeed it was. After realizing all she had gone through that week with her illness, I was so blessed that she had taken the time to write me back. And now, it is difficult for me to read the last line of her email without getting very emotional. She was looking forward to seeing me when I returned. It crushes my heart that that reunion never occurred. Though I am thankful that one day it will!

I have been so blessed this past year to have had the opportunity to spend more time with Linda. If you read my blog back in June, I told about going to Children's Hospital with some ladies from church. I mentioned that Linda was the inspiration for that event. We were able to go a second time in July. Again, Linda came up with the craft and brought all of the supplies for us to help the children make colorful and funky bird feeders. The children loved it! I also spent an afternoon with her one day at her house, just sitting around like old friends talking about life, faith, our families, and so on. She encouraged me. I encouraged her. It was such a sweet time together that I will always cherish. Linda was also in my Sunday School class. I always hung on every word she said. She spoke about the faith I believe in, but there is something about listening to someone who is dealing with such a hardship, yet still remains faithful, that can teach, challenge, and encourage you like no one else can.

Perhaps some of the most meaningful times with Linda were during the Radical class I taught. We studied the book Radical by David Platt. Linda heard I was going to teach the class and told me she really wanted to come. With her cancer, some days were better than others, but she told me she would be there whenever she could. And thankfully she was able to come to most of the time. She would share with me outside of class how much the study meant to her and how much it was challenging her. She shared with me her struggles, such as how sometimes she didn't want to ask for prayer requests for herself because she felt selfish when there were so many others needs in this world. She didn't like to be the center of attention. I encouraged her to tell us her requests anytime and that it was our privilege to pray with her about any need or desire she had. But it was incredible to hear her testimony, to see how strong her faith was despite her illness, and she was a huge encouragement to me, constantly challenging me in my own faith! She was always looking to do more for others. It always impressed me how she would share about how the study was challenging her to want to serve in new ways. Here she was, dealing with so much, yet she was constantly thinking about what more she could do to spend more time with God and help others. After her death, I shared with her husband Raymond how I have met so many incredible people throughout my life, but Linda's testimony shines above all the rest as someone who has forever changed my life. Knowing what she was going through and yet hearing her praise God through it all has caused me to examine my own life in many ways. I don't think words could ever express how much Linda meant to me and the impact she had and will continue to have on my life. But I wanted to put some of it in writing for all of you because her story needs to be told. Especially what I'm about to share...

Linda wrote me that email on Friday. On Wednesday, she was gone. On Saturday, I was flying home, but unfortunately I would still miss her service. The night she died, I received an email from Tony Servies, a friend and member of my church. He and my family had been giving me information about Linda being in the hospital, passing away, and upcoming arrangements. The following email came about four hours after I heard of her passing away. It was the greatest gift anyone could have given me during those beginning hours of grieving. I will let you read it in Tony's words:

Those of you who were in church this past Sunday got to see one of the best examples of a testimony that I think you will ever see. As Mrs. JoAn was playing "Our God Is An Awesome God" Linda rose to her feet and lifted holy hands to the Lord. Her obedience in praising Him seemed to give our church a certain "liberty" and I saw a lot of teary eyes. It was an amazing moment to watch this person who had been brought into the sanctuary in a wheelchair, stand to her feet and confirm that our God is awesome!

But that is only part of the story. I was very blessed to have been by her bedside on Tuesday evening to have prayer with her. While I was visiting with Linda, I remarked to her sister-in-law, Debbie, about how this past Sunday Linda had given our church a liberty to praise by her actions. Linda told me that God challenged her with "if you think I am so awesome, then show me". That is what prompted Linda to rise up and praise Him. She overcame any hesitation and simply praised him in the best way she knew how.

Wow! And let me repeat from before, Linda never liked to be the center of attention. So when I read this email, I knew that this was no small thing. I can close my eyes and envision this entire scene playing out in my mind, and sensing how significant it was for her to act out this seemingly simple gesture. For her, it was a big deal. And I know that everyone in the sanctuary recognized that as well. She and I have had enough conversations about her faith and personality for me to know how huge this was, and how meaningful it was as an act of worship. And couple that with the fact that Raymond shared just how sick she was that very weekend as he had been constantly holding the "sick bucket". He said she had zero strength on that Saturday and told him she didn't think she would be able to go to church. But Sunday morning came, and she was up and ready to go. Exhausted and I'm sure still not feeling well, they wheeled her in. And what a testimony! After I read the email I was so thankful. I was thankful that she was used by God up until her last breaths as such a powerful witness to everyone around her. I'm thankful that despite her quiet nature, she displayed such bold faith and courage. To me, she displayed that boldness every day, but to hear about such a stand during her final days was just one more incredible story to add to hundreds more.

Earlier this year I had made a CD for Linda with a variety of Christian songs that have encouraged me. She seemed happy to receive it. A couple weeks after her death, I received a message from her oldest daughter Brittany. Brittany said she was driving Linda's car one day and nothing was on the radio, so she checked the CD player to see if anything was in it. On the CD was written "Our Hope Endures", the title of one of the songs. As she listened to the songs she said she could imagine her mom listening to them too. Brittany said the songs have given her peace and I pray they brought peace to Linda as well. It meant a lot to me to know that Linda had been listening to that CD up until she died. I know how powerful and worshipful those songs are and can imagine how they encouraged her and helped her to worship. And it meant a lot to me to hear about Brittany finding it and being so touched. I had also made a similar CD for her, but she hadn't found it yet. When she did, and realized I had made them both, she sent me that message to thank me. I give that thanks back to God for being a blessing to all of us, each in a special way.

I could go on and on about Linda's life and how it touched mine so, but I will close by asking you to remember her family and to pray for them. Aside from her husband and Brittany, she leaves behind another daughter, a son-in-law, two grandbabies, and many others who love and miss her so much. I thank God for the blessing of knowing Linda. And I know she is now shining brighter than ever!

On Saturday our church packed 300 shoe boxes for Operation Christmas Child! If you don't know what OCC is, it is a ministry of Samaritan's Purse, a Christian relief and evangelism organization led by Franklin Graham. OCC connects giving hearts here in the States with children all over the globe. From their website: "The mission of Operation Christmas Child is to demonstrate God's love in a tangible way to needy children around the world, and together with the local church worldwide, to share the Good News of Jesus Christ." And indeed, that is just what it does!

I have had a couple opportunities to help with OCC. I first did a couple on my own years ago. And then back when I worked for The King's Academy in Seymour, TN, my Bible students helped me pack and send nearly 30 shoe boxes. We had a wonderful time and students really enjoyed giving to children around the world in such a tangible way.

My church, Friendsville First Baptist Church, used to participate in OCC years ago, but hadn't done it for some time. My stepmom Kelly and our friend Shirley serve with the Women's Ministry at church. Last year they had both been praying about a project for the Women's Ministry. Kelly received a brochure about OCC and she and Shirley instantly knew that was their answer. They organized everything for the church to participate, and last year several people packed their own boxes in addition to having an "assembly line" of donations and a packing/fellowship day to finish them up. A dear friend of ours and like a grandmother to so many of us, Kathleen Grubb, was always seeking out ways to serve and bless others. After getting a difficult health diagnosis, she and her daughter Faye still packed up a box to send for OCC. She passed away shortly before packing day at church. Our church named our OCC ministry, The Granny Grubb Shoebox Ministry in honor of Kathleen. I was blessed to be able to visit with Kathleen during my brief visit to the U.S. last fall. She passed away a year ago today.

Last year our church packed around 150 shoe boxes. This year they made a goal of 300 shoe boxes. Throughout the year, everyone gathers up supplies and goodies for the big event. On Saturday, they had the tables lined up and all of the gifts sorted out for easy packing. There was a great turnout of people of all ages to help and we knocked it out in less than an hour! I enjoyed listening to everyone as they carefully picked out the items for each shoebox. I can tell you that they were put together with love, care, and prayer!

Here are some photos to give you an idea of the fun we had! And of course we prayed for the children and communities who would receive these boxes. We pray that they would experience God's love through this ministry and would have the opportunity to hear the gospel to receive God's most precious gift!

It's taken me a while to get this video together, but I finally made it and it's ready for you to watch! I was in Haiti from August 13-September 10 with Samaritan's Purse. I put together some of the videos and photos from that trip to make this. As with all my videos, they are pretty amateur as I've never claimed to have any videography skills. But I hope it helps give you an idea of the people and places I visited there.

I wrote a blog entry earlier this month about my granddaddy's condition. It's been a long 14 months after his stroke last August. After he got sick the beginning of October, we were finally able to bring him to Maryville from West TN. He probably would have preferred to stay in Dyersburg, but we knew that the move would provide him with the best care... namely, that we would be able to keep a better eye on him and his care. We were all very curious to see how he would do here. He was still pretty sick the first week he arrived, but since then he has really seemed to strive here. He was able to start physical therapy again, and with that and increased interaction all around, he seems to be doing really great. I have been very impressed this last week as his communication has improved so much. He is talking about a broader range of things and remembering a lot more than usual. It has been such an encouragement in all of us to see this change. He is getting back to his funny self, even laughing with and at us from time to time. My sister Rebekah just came in town from California. We've been telling him she's coming. He had a visitor yesterday morning and told him, "My oldest granddaughter is coming to see me today." That may not seem like much, but to us, it was incredible! The stroke caused a lot of memory issues, and he doesn't typically remember and express such details. We cherish every little detail like that at this point. It is always a blessing to leave his room encouraged that he is doing so much better. I'm thankful to see these improvements. For however long God continues to bless us with Granddaddy, I hope they are majority great days, that Granddaddy is as happy as he can be, and is able to still enjoy life and the company of his loved ones despite his condition. Thank you all for your prayers and support throughout this journey!

I know that all who knew Ouma were indeed blessed to have done so. And we will all hold onto the wonderful memories that we have of her. She epitomized the words "love" and "sacrifice". We will all be better people if we will live by her example. Thank you, Ouma, for your friendship, your kindness, love, and support for myself and all at FHS! Words can't describe how much you will be missed!

I’m sitting on the edge of the bed of a man who is imprisoned there. I look into his wrinkled face. He is on oxygen after a long day of traveling. When his eyes are opened, he looks settled yet discontented. When closed, he seems more at rest though I can hear his labored breaths. I fight back the tears as I realize how upset I am with all of this. I don’t like it. I’m sad, heartbroken, frustrated, and powerless. I want to change the situation but there is nothing I can do.

The man in the bed is my granddaddy. He suffered a stroke on August 9, 2010. That stroke should have carried him to his death, but a surprisingly successful surgery brought him back to life, though one drastically different than what he had lived the 83 years prior.

My whole life my granddaddy has been strong, full of life, and as goofy as they come! Now he is weak, barely living, and quiet. It hurts my heart. The last time I saw him healthy was before I left for Africa in June 2009. So many wonderful memories. A week before the stroke, he won a bronze medal in the Senior Olympics. He was always active, playing golf, meeting his friends for breakfast at McDonald’s, traveling around with my granny and after she died, his second wife… who he married at 81! J

Today, Mom was finally able to arrange for him to be transferred from the nursing home in west Tennessee to one here in town. We are excited to have him here and to be able to check on him regularly, but it doesn’t ease the pain of remembering how things used to be. The man who used to walk on his hands, have all of the grandkids walk on his back, and dole out great shoulder massages, is now paralyzed on his right side and can hardly do anything for himself. He told great stories (usually on himself) and would easily have us all in stitches. Now, it is difficult to understand the words coming out of his mouth. Since I was around 10 years old, he and I have had a running joke including a special nickname we have for each other… but I’m not sure if he remembers or understands it anymore.

I think what hurts us all the most is that if Granddaddy were in his right mind, he would be absolutely miserable in that bed. Aside from his narcoleptic tendencies, which we as grandchildren always got a kick out of, Granddaddy was the epitome of energy. He could dance circles around me! The thought of staying in bed all day would be so out of character for him. Maybe it’s a blessing that his mind was also affected by the stroke. We look for blessings to try to bring some peace to the situation for ourselves. But most importantly, I worry about him and his happiness and contentment. Is he happy? How could he be content in that state? Which leads me to conclude that mentally, he isn’t capable of fully processing everything like he used to. And again, that is probably a blessing.

So here he lies. I pray that our visits will do him good. At least now we can see him so much more, without a six-hour drive between us. His smile is still so pleasant. That is about all the emotion he can muster, and it means the world to me. He’ll kiss me goodbye and tell me he loves me. I’m thankful for that. And I’m thankful for all of the sweet and hilarious memories. But I still don’t like this. I have never really minded personally getting older, even with the big 3-0 quickly approaching. But I don’t like the wrinkles that I see time putting on those I love. My granddaddy is my last living grandparent by blood. If I have kids one day, chances are they will never meet a great-grandparent. And I certainly don’t even want to think about my own parents getting old. I can’t even imagine what it is like for my mom to have to care for her father in this way. I suppose it is just difficult for me to reconcile all of this in my mind—especially when I’m sitting at his bedside, thinking that this is all wrong. Yes, I know this is life. But sometimes, I have to admit, I don’t like it. And yes, I know that one day I will find myself in a place where there is no sadness or suffering. What a glorious day that will be. For now, God give me the strength, wisdom, and peace I need for each new day.