Amazing Grace

I am awed by the power of God that I saw and heard about this Easter Week. 

There were testimonies from people whose lives had been wonderfully changed by surrendering to Jesus and stories about one of them, a college age man who was recently filled with the Holy Spirit and not knowing any better then prayed for a person who was deft from birth and that person received the ability to hear (still not knowing better the next week he prayed for another deft person who received the gift of hearing).  I saw God give confidence and boldness to those who had little and saw grace flow in many ways.

But there is one particular story I want to share.

On Monday my 94 year old mother-in-law, Helen Johnson, finally left on her flight to Heaven.  She had intestinal cancer and was expected to have only 1 to 2 days left for the previous 2 to 3 weeks.  It had been a very stressful time for everyone but by God's grace and the help of a lot of family and Hospice she was able to be at home the entire time. 

Jackie and I have been living with her for the last 4 1/2 years and we returned to the house from work Monday night around 8 pm.  At 10 pm began the shift of a Hospice nurse that everyone really liked.  All of the Hospice nurses were great but Lisa would do little extra things like rubbing Helen's feet.  Jackie had a conversation with Lisa the day before and it turned out that she actually was attending a church that we also worshiped at for a couple of years while living here in Kalamazoo.

Shortly after Lisa arrived Helen's breathing and coloring started changing.  Lisa asked the family members who were there in the room with her and Helen if it was OK to play some worship music which she had on her phone.  After starting to play the music she felt the Holy Spirit telling her to sing Amazing Grace.  She asked the family if she could sing and after a few lines they joined with her. 

Just then Helen, who hadn't anything to eat, drink or even moved for the last 3 days except when the nurses moved her and whose mouth had been open the entire 3 days, closed her mouth.  Her mouth opened and closed again a couple of times in time with the song, her eyes fluttered some, a bit of a smile formed on one corner of her mouth, and then her breathing stopped.  It was a very beautiful moment for all who were there.

When the singing started I got up from where I was sitting in the living room to stand with a couple others just outside the bedroom door and joined in.  After that I went back to the living room to sit down and started praying quietly in the Spirit.  Lisa soon came out and sat in the corner of the living room to make a few calls.  In the first call I could tell she was in tears, explaining to whomever how the Holy Spirit wanted her to sing, how she objected to Him that she was nervous to do so, and that she was finally obedient to the leading of the Spirit.  She explained what then happened. 

I know her tears were those of joy.  For Helen that she was finally released from the used up shell of her body to be able to go to the Savior that they both knew.  And for her, that she was granted the opportunity to be used by the Spirit at such a time.

That Monday night, 4/14/14, it snowed once again in Kalamazoo.  Helen loved fresh snow.  That night her soul/spirit flew with angels through the falling snow to be with Jesus and all those departed she knew who were also with the Lord of Glory.  Her body left on a gurney down the slope of the front yard leaving tracks in the fresh white deposit.  It was perfect.