Dear Friends and Family,
October is here. 10/17/16 marks the seven year anniversary of Pastor Paul’s promotion to heaven. Thank you for your continued prayers for our new blended family. With each passing year since Paul has gone, there are more friends and loved ones who have departed this earth for their heavenly home.
“The day of death is better than the day of birth.” Ecclesiastes 7:1b
Laurel Moore suddenly passed away on August 11, 2016 after a brief illness. Laurel and I met through mutual friends in 1996. We shared many opportunities to work side by side in ministry with the Kern County Sunday School Association (Christian Ministry Convention). We shared years of ministry to women in leadership, pastors’ wives and my varied connections with non-profits in Bakersfield. Laurel was my mentor and example of how to be a pastor’s wife, with my newsletter to pastor’s wives. Laurel’s story of her survival of breast cancer was my very first interview. Our common bond and ministry to women in ministry led to an opportunity for me to serve for four years as a columnist to Pastor’s Wives with Focus on the Family.
In 2004, when I was diagnosed with cancer – stage 4 non-hodgkins lymphoma in the bone marrow in five places in my body – Laurel cheered me on. She had made it and was thriving and Laurel gave me the inspiration to make it, too. Laurel and her team at Minuteman Press continued to provide my printing and bulk mailing.
Laurel’s talents in printing and design included Sarah’s wedding invitations in 2008, Ben’s wedding invitations in 2013, and my second wedding invitations in 2014. There are also monthly missionary support letters, books, promotion and banners. A month ago we were working on a new project. I was so thankful to get to reconnect with Laurel; I had missed our time together. And now I look forward to reconnecting with Laurel some day when I, too, meet our Savior. I will miss her until that day.
Here’s a video link of Laurel Moore’s Celebration of Life Service.
Won’t you take a moment to pray for those who have lost loved ones?
For more encouragement, here are two blog posts from previous anniversaries of Pastor Paul’s untimely promotion to heaven:
I love you, Sheryl
“The righteous perish and no one ponders it in his heart, devout men are taken away, and no one understand that the righteous are taken away to be spared from evil. Those who walk uprightly enter into peace, they find rest as they lie in death.” Isaiah 57:1,2
“Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. God’s dwelling place is now among his people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” Revelation 21:1,3-4
To find out more about Sheryl Giesbrecht’s blog posts, books, music and free resources, go to FromAshesToBeauty.com.