Vacation Bible School

This last week, our church had Vacation Bible School. This was probably the first time in 39 years that we were unable to be at VBS.

We still remember Vacation Bible School when we were young. Every summer when school was out, VBS started the very next week. We went immediately right in to VBS. And then it lasted for two weeks. There was no break, no sleeping in. It was still better than being in school all day.

The little church we went to was a newly being built basement church with no air conditioner and the worst part, NO INSIDE TOILETS. They had two outhouses - one for the girls and one for the boys.

And I know you won't believe this, but my husband was a rascal in those days. He was probably the first kid to almost get suspended from VBS for locking a boy inside the outhouse.

Our mothers always helped out in VBS and we remember the variety of snacks they had each day - Cookies and Kool-Aid. And this was before paper cups. Everyday we drank kool-aid from iced aluminum glasses that had to be washed by hand each day.

But it was still a great time. I can remember the crafts and how proud we were of what we made and receiving the certificate saying we completed VBS. And I still remember singing the songs. My favorites were "HASH" and "My Lord Knows The Way Through The Wilderness."

Good childhood memories.

We do want to keep you up to date on Jerry's health. This past week was a little hard.  Each week Jerry seems to be getting weaker and runs a temperature daily.  He now is getting transfusions twice a week. The doctor could not give us a time schedule, but did say that the leukemia is progressing.

We still have a good God who we know loves us and has blessed us more than we deserve.

We love you and thank you for your  love and prayers.

Memorable Evening

I was having a hard time deciding what to get Jerry for Father's Day. The last month he has been giving away all of his belongings to different people. He kept telling me he didn't need anything.

One day Kyla wanted me to make her a lantern like the ones on the movie "Tangled". I had no idea how to make a lantern, so I looked it up on the internet. I found a place that sells them and you can actually set them to soar into the sky. They are called Chinese Wish Lanterns.

I decided that would be a great present for Jerry. The thing that makes him the happiest is watching his grand children laugh and have fun.

It didn't work out for us to do it while the family was here, because the wind didn't cooperate with us. It has to be below 5 mph. Well last night the wind was only 3 mph. Our adventure began. We sat Jerry in a lawn chair and Neal had to do the work, because the rest of us were afraid we were going to catch something on fire. But after reading the directions a dozen times and watching videos on how to do it we were ready. It was so great. I told the girls they were part of a fairy tale. It was so exciting to watch the lanterns as they floated into the air and floated off into the distance until you couldn't see them any longer.

As I watched them float off into the distance, I knew I didn't have to make a wish. I knew our God already knew all my wishes and prayers. And as Rapunzel says, "It was the BEST DAY EVER."

  

I did want to give you an update on Jerry.  He still goes weekly for blood transfusions and platelets. Each week we can tell he's growing a little weaker and the transfusions aren't lasting as long. Some days he sleeps a lot. But he does have some good days and we treasure every one that the Lord allows him.  One of the hardest things for Jerry is not to be able to go to church. Usually by Sunday, his blood is low again and he's too weak.

We still covet your prayers and appreciate all the love and support.

We love you!!

 

The greatest gift I ever had
Came from God; I call him Dad!
~Author Unknown

I want to wish a Happy Father's Day to my dad, my husband, and my four sons. Jerry was so blessed to get to see three of our sons this weekend.

I'm so thankful that my Dad, John Knight,  is still living. He'll be 89 years old in July. He still has a great sense of humor and I always enjoy talking to him. He's been a great Dad.

Mark, Neal, Scott, and Jerry

Our son, Scott, and our grandson, Greg





Our son, Neal and our granddaughters, Brylee, Hayden, and Kyla



Our son, Mark, and our grand children, Alexis and Gavin




Our son, Aaron, his wife, Jackie, and our grandchildren, Emma,
Ethan, Evan, and Elena

 

Alexis, Maria, Mark, Gavin, Lisa, Scott, Greg, Patricia, Jerry, Hayden, Neal, Brylee, Amy, and Kyla

Nostalgia

nos·tal·gi·a  (n-stlj, n-)

n.

1. A bittersweet longing for things, persons, or situations of the past.

2. The condition of being homesick; homesickness.

As you know on June 9, we celebrated our 45th Wedding Anniversary. It was a great day. It was also a very emotional day full of NOSTALGIA for days long past, for friends we miss, for another time and another place.

On the other side of the coin, we are also homesick for a place called Heaven.

A few months ago this poem by Dr. Raymond W. Barber touched my husband's heart.

 

 

My Journey With Jesus

I heard the voice of Jesus say,

"Come, my son, with Me today."

Over the uneven pathway of life we go,

Fearing not the bitterest foe.

Day by day, we walk hand in hand

As we journey to the Promised Land.

Facing life's problems of every kind,

I bravely walk with peace of mind.

Bearing the burdens with joyful heart,

Nothing my soul from my Saviour will part.

"Peace, be still," He whispers to my soul

As through the clouds I see the goal.

He comforts me as friend to friend,

And He'll lead me safely to journey's end.

No burden is too heavy; no night is too long,

As along the way He gives me a song.

When my steps are uncertain and my way unclear,

I feel His sweet presence and find Him near.

When the sky of blue becomes a cloud of gray,

I trust Him all the more to lead the way.

"I will never leave thee," He comfortingly said,

As upon His breast I laid my head.

As the sunset of life stared me in the face,

I entered the valley secure in His grace.

Together we reached that blissful shore

Where pain nor death can be no more.

Home at last beyond the gate

For my friends and loved ones I'll patiently wait.

-Raymond W. Barber

We are so thankful for the 45 years the Lord has given us together.

And also thank you for the cards and love. We love you.

An Eventful Week

We knew Jerry was getting low on blood and platelets over the weekend, but he insisted he would be alright until he had his appointment on Monday morning. WRONG AGAIN!

On Sunday night and Monday morning he was unable to walk on his own. He spent Monday and Tuesday in the hospital getting blood and platelets. (I'm not listening to Jerry again. I'm going to make him go).

We did manage to have a good visit with his brother, Bob, and his wife, Julie, on Tuesday and Wednesday. Bob was the one who was Jerry's donor for the stem cell transplant.

We had a lot of reminiscing of old times. We enjoyed every minute of it.

We are so glad we have saved family members. Jerry told them when they left that he would see them here, there, or in the air. What a graceful, merciful God who worked this out for us. It was hard telling them good-bye.

Jerry and Bob

Julie, Jerry, and Bob



Julie and Bob with Brylee, Kyla, and Hayden

Bob, Patricia, and Julie

One Year Anniversary

Next Saturday, June 9, will mark the one year anniversary of Jerry's diagnosis of AML. I'm writing about it now, because on June 9 we really don't want the AML diagnosis to be what we remember on that day. June 9 is a very special day. A day we want to celebrate. It will be our 45th Wedding Anniversary. It will be a time of celebration.

But almost a year ago on June 9, I can still remember the doctor coming into the room and telling us that Jerry had Acute Myeloid Leukemia. I can still remember we had went full of hope that it would be nothing and they would be able to take care of it. But God had another plan for our lives.

In May of 2011, Jerry had accepted the pastorate of Resurrection Baptist Church in Circleville, Ohio. We had already started packing and getting ready for the move. In the meantime, we thought we better get physicals because we knew we would be without health insurance. Jerry's Complete Blood Count came back showing that there was some kind of problem. Our doctor called him back in the next day and set him up an appointment right away with an oncologist. He did a bone marrow biopsy which revealed the leukemia.

Our lives changed completely. We stayed in Greenville, NC, where with the support of our Pastor, Tim Butler, and our church, Jerry was able to get treatment. Jerry took an early retirement and disability, because the doctor told him he would never be able to work again.
This year has been spent in hospitals, weekly visits to oncologists, chemo treatments, and transfusions. God did not choose to heal Jerry. Sometimes we ask why, but we know that God's ways are so far above our ways.
Through this year we have seen and felt God's love more than any other time in our lives. We have felt His love, and the love of our family and friends. We have grown closer as husband and wife.
We are so blessed.

Psalm 100

Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands.

Serve the Lord with gladness: come before his presence with singing.

Know ye that the Lord he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves;

 we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.

Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise:

be thankful unto him, and bless his name.

For the Lord is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.

Preparing For The Future

A person spends a lot of time preparing for their future. For what they want to do when they are able to retire.

Tuesday, we went to the funeral home to prepare for Jerry's funeral. It was a hard thing to do, but we know it is something that everyone has to do sometime.

Jerry is being very considerate of me. He didn't want me to have to deal with a lot of things after he graduates to Heaven. One of them was planning the funeral and the other was what to do with all the things he has accumulated through the years.

This week, while he was still able, I helped him go through all of his belongings. He wanted certain items to go to certain people. He knew that would be a hard thing for me to have to deal with. He had a lot of tools that he divided among his sons. I remember all the things he repaired and built with those tools. Then he divided his hunting equipment. I kept one of his hunting hats and hung it up in his hunting room. So many memories.

I remember almost 45 years ago, when we first started our life together. We moved into a furnished apartment. All of our belongings along with a few wedding presents fit in the back seat of our car and our trunk. We didn't even own a television.

But we felt so rich. We had each other, our whole lives ahead of us, and we felt like we could conquer the world.

And the best thing we can tell you is that we have prepared for our eternal future. We have obtained an inheritance of a home in Heaven. This is the most important preparation a person can make. To make sure you have a home in heaven, and we have done that.



Hebrews 1:4

Being made so much better than the angels, as he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they.