And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes:
and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow,
nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain:
for the former things are passed away.
Revelation 21:4
Today I received the expected news. An angel named Grace went home to glory and is now safely in the arms of Jesus...
and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow,
nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain:
for the former things are passed away.
Revelation 21:4
Today I received the expected news. An angel named Grace went home to glory and is now safely in the arms of Jesus...
| Grace was my spiritual mother as well as a precious friend. She has joined her beloved husband, Alfred, known by friends and family simply as "Alf," who died several years ago. It has often been said that God works in mysterious ways. At least His ways seem mysterious to us, certainly never to Him. And AIf and Grace is one of those mysteries. At the time, Alfred and Grace, residents of Australia, were on a cruise in the Pacific Ocean. This was in August 1999. When, one evening, while aboard the ship, they happened to be watching the Larry King Live Show on television. Being featured was an interview with me. |  |
According to what Grace would later tell me, the Holy Spirit spoke to her heart, about writing me. Not knowing exactly where I was or how to get in touch with me, she made it a point to contact the Prison Fellowship office in her area once she returned to the mainland. They in turn referred her to the main Prison Fellowship headquarters in the United States.
Grace told them she wanted my address. Thankfully, someone at Prison Fellowship took the time to locate it and wrote back to her. She then sent me a letter telling me how touched she and AIf were over the interview and what I shared about my faith.
Thus began a correspondence that has lasted a long time. Every few months, she and her husband would write. Both were devout disciples of the Lord, and they loved the Jewish people too. They prayed fervently for my father, Nathan, determined to one day receive word that my Dad accepted the Lord.
But age took its toll on them both. Alfred died first. I still have the many photos they sent me of AIf feeding flocks of wild parrots in their backyard, many, eating right out of his hands.
Then Grace's health began to fail. Eventually she ended up in a nursing home. But she still continued to write. Nevertheless, the time came when my spiritual Mum breathed
her last. Her eldest daughter wrote with the news. "My Mum went to be with Jesus."*
AIf and Grace were well into their 90s when they passed. However, left behind, in addition to their own children, was a quiver full of grandchildren, and a handful of great grand-children.
What a privilege was afforded me to have known two loving saints. They were gifts from a wonderful God.
D.B.
*Children in Australia call their mothers "Mum." Grace passed away on January 27, 2012, while at a local hospital, never having recovered from a bad fall.
Grace told them she wanted my address. Thankfully, someone at Prison Fellowship took the time to locate it and wrote back to her. She then sent me a letter telling me how touched she and AIf were over the interview and what I shared about my faith.
Thus began a correspondence that has lasted a long time. Every few months, she and her husband would write. Both were devout disciples of the Lord, and they loved the Jewish people too. They prayed fervently for my father, Nathan, determined to one day receive word that my Dad accepted the Lord.
But age took its toll on them both. Alfred died first. I still have the many photos they sent me of AIf feeding flocks of wild parrots in their backyard, many, eating right out of his hands.
Then Grace's health began to fail. Eventually she ended up in a nursing home. But she still continued to write. Nevertheless, the time came when my spiritual Mum breathed
her last. Her eldest daughter wrote with the news. "My Mum went to be with Jesus."*
AIf and Grace were well into their 90s when they passed. However, left behind, in addition to their own children, was a quiver full of grandchildren, and a handful of great grand-children.
What a privilege was afforded me to have known two loving saints. They were gifts from a wonderful God.
D.B.
*Children in Australia call their mothers "Mum." Grace passed away on January 27, 2012, while at a local hospital, never having recovered from a bad fall.
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