His Goodness In Times of Great Sorrow

Thought I would share about God's goodness.  Two students in our youth ministry experienced a life altering loss.  Abby and Logan were on vacation with the rest of their family a year ago when tragedy struck.  Abby and another young girl were having fun in the ocean when a rip tide current began sweeping them out to sea.  Abby's father Mike jumped into save her, and did, but was overwhelmed and lost his life while saving his little girl.  The grief of a lost husband and father ran deep, very deep.

So, even though I had given their family the Hope When Life Hurts Most DVD 8 months earlier for whatever reason they never got around to watching it.  They saw it for the first time at our Youth Ministry.  It took off in Abby's heart.
 
Then a couple weeks ago our student ministry attended Student Life Camp in Gatlinburg (Louie was speaker), over father's day weekend - the first for Logan and Abby without their father.
 
I invited their Mom Beverly to come spend the weekend with us.  Beverly knew about the story of Ashley from Abby and Logan, but had not seen the DVD yet.  Beverly has been in deep pain for a year as you can imagine, not without hope, but in long term grief.  Mike really was what was said about him in the story.
 
At camp Louie gave the Fruitcake and Ice Cream talk.  I could see her being visibly moved.  Later on we shared testimony at our hotel.  She spoke up and shared with the kids about the Glory of God, and His goodness in times of great sorrow.  It was moving.  Her kids Abby and Logan are the most joy filled kids you will ever meet, despite this chapter of their life last summer.
 
The Sunday we returned from Camp, Beverly spoke to the church as a whole for the first time.  She spoke of how good God was, and how our lives are to give Him glory. It was amazing, a powerful testimony from a woman who understood about the Hope that is in the Cross.
 
So, the ministry of Ashley's story and Louie's talk goes on.  I just bought another copy and gave it to a family in our church who has just buried their 9 year old son and grandson who died from a brain tumor.  May God use it in their lives as well.

Brad