For Chase

Mark, Chelsea, Kendyll, Carlie, and Abby Kate-


You all have been on our hearts so much this week, and your story has touched people who don't even know you. The fact that you feel the Spirit lifting you up right now is lifiting us too. People you've never met are praying for you every day, and your faithfulness in the face of such a difficult situation is amazing and encouraging to them. God is good!



What a great idea that you had to celebrate your baby Chase with a balloon release! We were together this morning with some friends from church and we all wanted to participate. Even the little ones didn't mind letting their balloons go so that Chase could have them! We prayed for all of you. We asked God to be with you today as you remember Chase, and that the days to come would be filled with comfort and peace. We were all together this morning to have a garage sale to benefit a charity that we're working with. We waited for the right moment to gather for the balloon release, and seized the opportunity when things finally died down. When we gathered together to pray, I noticed that a shopper had acutally joined us in prayer. Someone in our group explained what we were doing and she felt compelled to join. What I didn't know at the time is the story behind her tears that she shared with me later. I'll try to quote her as best as I can.



We lost our son 24 years ago, when he was just two days old. The pain never goes away, but it does get better. It's so hard with things like this because they just don't make any sense. It just doesn't seem fair for something like this to happen to people who love God.

I know I'll see him again though, someday soon. And I know who is holding him now. (sound familiar, Chels?) I used to think that the first thing I'll do when I get to heaven is ask God "WHY?" But now, I think that it won't even matter. He'll be healthy and whole and I'll just be glad to be there with him and with the Lord.

Tell Mark and Chelsea and the girls that I'm praying for them.

We have been thinking about you so much this week. We asked the same questions that I'm sure all of the people who love you are asking, "Why would something like this happen?" During one of those conversations Angie, my sister, reminded me of the story of Jesus weeping at Lazarus' death. We know that in his humanity, the pain of losing someone He loved was difficult, but Angie also thinks that He wept because this is just not what He designed. He wanted more for us than the pain and sin of this world, so He came for us, died for us, and now waits for us.

So we prayed that in the midst of something that is so obviously NOT from God, His hands would be the presence that you WOULD feel. And I think that our visitor during the prayer today proved that God is working in this. That woman shared her grief and was strenghened by the fact that your family was glorifying God today, rather than turning away.

We love you!