* On Friday, the day Chris called Search and Rescue, he got a new, understanding supervisor @ work
*Jon and LaDonna drove 1,000+ miles and made it safely
*God gave us 2 other God-fearing families to walk through this with
*Steven got leave to come from Germany - and then his leave was extended thru Christmas!
*David Vahey - clean shirts, tissue, video, humor, press experience, emotional support....etc
*Mari Yeckel
*A 2+ hour dinner with Steve Rollins of Portland Mountain Rescue talking about Anth and Jesus
*The press - their questions, the clips they chose to play, the nationwide coverage and presentation of the Gospel!
* 2 beautiful, wondrous, clear days on the mountain - watching teams and helicopters get a chance to search
*Timberline Lodge
*Jean and the Megumi Chalet
*Dennis and Holly, our chaplains
*The Bridge Church - prayer, love, texts, scripture, food, hugs, cards, e-mails...wow...
*My parents opening up their home
*The fact that the Sheriffs Department allowed Chris to participate as much as he did
*The amazing amount of dedicated, highly qualified people that were involved in the search
*Shannon Cadwell finding the notes from last year's Elevate - Anth's group discussion on Legacy
*The Portland Mountain Rescue guy in Mari's small group who was on the search
*Craig Roberts asking us to pray for them
*The MIRACLE of unexplainable weather
*Corey (from the Sheriff's Dept.) having a chance to open up and share the Lord with his colleagues because of this
*Anth's chemistry teacher approaching us at Stuffy's and sharing his remembrance of Anth's heartfelt and genuine thank-you
*Joe Nollmeyer
*Patrick and the worship team pulling together Wish You Were Here and Praise You in the Storm for Anth's memorial
*Having a chance to go back up to the mountain on a perfect, beautiful clear day and Uncle Jimmy getting a chance to stay longer
*Darla Nolan giving all the moms one of Katie's scarves
*The Olive Garden crying with us and blessing us so hugely on Anth's birthday
*Bank of America manager's daughter knew Anth from a Bible study
*Rob Cruickshank - a personal connection with Search and Rescue
*Getting a chance to meet, hug and encourage a lot of the rescuers involved in the search - Search and Rescue, Portland Mountain Rescue, the Air Force PJs, Sheriff's Office, Mountain Wave Communications...
*A church in Little Rock, AK letting us know their 8,000 member church spent their service praying for us
*All of you praying and encouraging us
This is only the beginning! I KNOW that the Lord will continue to bless us in the midst of our grief. I KNOW that He will continue to use Anth, Katie and Luke to bring glory to Himself...and in that I find peace.
*
Mel, this is so AWESOME! I've been trying to put all those things to words and you just did. I'm so grateful for you and all the amazing people that Anthony loved that I now love in Longview. Excited to see you tomorrow! Oh, and I may just use your idea for one of my blogs...if you don't mind ;)
ReplyDeleteAmen, sister! Our God is GOOD and does BEAUTIFUL works in our lives!
ReplyDeleteMelanie - you don't know me, I am one of the thousands of nameless, faceless people who have been praying for you and your families. I am also Danielle (Grimes') mother and I have begged her for any updates through out last month. As I have read your blog, I have prayed, cried and right along side you, I have asked "Why?" But, I have also been silenced and inspired by the wisdom and strength you have displayed. I believe that Anthony, Katie and Luke's passing has touched more lives than can possibly be imagined. And I trust that God will use every tear shed for His glory. Although your life is forever altered, know that there is a ripple effect that has changed the perspective and lives of so many who have heard and watched, (mine included.) I will continue to pray for all the families. Life is for living and living for Him. Clearly, these three did just that. Thank you for your list of blessings. May we all be challenged to remember our own in the midst of our daily walk. Our God is awesome! Fondly,
ReplyDeleteMarcella Anderson
Mel- I am one more person that you don't know who both cries and rejoices with you. I am a friend of Amy Boles (She is my boss at work) and therefore a friend of yours' and a friend of Anthony, Katie and Luke. I am also a friend of the out of doors, the Mountains and the cold. The night before the search was ended I felt impressed by the Lord to spend the night in prayer. I took a sleeping bag went into my yard and spent the night on my childrens' trampoline. The temperature was in the low teens and the wind was whipping acroos the sky. Never in my life have I expierienced such a holy and pure time. As I hunkered down in my sleeping bag... I was freezing so staying awake and in prayer came easily. It only took about 1/2 an hour before I realized that i was Feeling what our friends had felt or were feeling, I was hearing the same wind that they were feeling and viewing the very same stars that stood above them. Never has prayer come so easily. I came inside at 3:00 AM to see if there was any new news. When I came inside the sky was crystal clear. 15 minutes later I went back out to my sleeping bag and was in the middle of a snow squall. I had left my sleeping bag open so i shook out as much snow as i could and got back inside. i didn't know what i was praying for whether there was still life attached to our friends bodies or whether they were in the warmth of the Lord's hands...i just prayed; i prayed for our friends, our friends families, our friends friends, the searchers, and for those who's lives would be touched forever by these events as mine had been. As i was out doors that night shivering i felt the peace and presence of the lord as never before. i also became keenly aware that on the mountain there was probably a mingling of the Lord's presence, of fear but also of the peace of God which surpasses all understanding. This morning as i read your blog i cried with you and rejoiced with you. i am sure of this that both the tears and rejoicing over these events will continue untill the Lord's appearing or untill we join Jesus in his kingdom which surrounds his beautiful and lofty mountains. There is a verse that talks of Christ wiping away the tears of the saints...our tears will be wiped away. The greatest news is that we will be rejoined with our friends and we will rest with them in peace for all eternity.
ReplyDeleteThank you girl for writing this all down. I love that I am able to process along side you via blogging with you and mari. ugh. thanks for putting it all into words. i've really been struggling with the hot & cold thing. Like if I think I have cold feet, guess again. This ain't cold. If I am eating a hot, yummy meal - how can that be right? ya know? the same kind of stuff. I am glad I got to meet you in person at the memorial. check out my blog a few posts ago, i am processing too... Lord help us!
ReplyDeleteMel, that comment from bob is amazing! Amy Boles is a dear dear friend of mine and knew Anthony as well. She and Bob work at a Young Life camp in New York State and I've been updating her on the whole story. Wow, I'm so touched that Bob stepped out of the comfort of his warm home into the freezing snow to pray for Anth, Katie, and Luke. Gives me goosebumps. Do you mind if I post this on my blog?
ReplyDeleteMel, I thought of you this morning and asked Amy how you are doing. Before Amy answered I already knew. You have suffered great loss and are approaching the anniversary of that loss. I knew that you would be struggling and also that you would be in that place of enevation and restoration that somehow can only happen simultaneously with Christ. I've spent some time on your blog tonight and mourned your further losses but rejoiced in the new life that is in you and also the ongoing life that surrounds you.
ReplyDeleteI empathise with where you are. I believe you are in a place that you simultaneousley you want to shake yourself free on one hand but which you can embrace with the other. As a child I was sexually abused by a presbyterian minister that took me under his wing after the death of my Father. A year and a half ago I began the process of reporting the abuse to the presbytery. It's been a long hard road. A official investigation committee was set up by the presbytery and and so the process began. I won't bore you with the details but emotionally the journey made me feel the full gamut of emotions. There were times of pain..great pain, hope, sorrow, fear, I had flashbacks and often felt paralized. I met and had to talk to many individuals about the details of the abuse. It's been rough. I bring this up just to say there are other people in this life with you. Feeling many Feelings. Often times not even knowing what to do with those feelings.
The one thing I know is that Christ, the Son of God, went through it all first and now stands at the right hand of the father and enables his children to do the same. I will be praying for you... but with that said the main thing I know about prayer is that I suck at it. I long for the day that we will see not as through a mirror dimly, but face to face.
in his grace
bobby
I forgot the r in the word enervation. I am often forgetful in this way. Here {rrr) are three r's one for the word enervation and two to bank, in case i forget to put them in words in the future
ReplyDelete