Soul Ache

        I just left the University Church of Christ where we spent time in praise and in prayer for all of those involved in the horrible accident on Friday. My heart aches for all of those involved, but especially for Anabel's mom as my heart so recently knows the hurt of loosing a child. 
        I had the pleasure of meeting Anabel at ACU. She and I connected over donkeys. Yes donkeys. We both have a love for animals, and she was telling me last spring about how she and her brother were planning on raising donkeys that summer. And I was telling her that one of the first things I'm going to do when I move to the country, is buy a donkey. She said, "Really? I'm going to give you a donkey when you move. I can't wait!" So sweet. She and I struck a friendship up. I didn't see her often around campus, but she would send me little emails and brighten up my day with her sweet words and her genuine interest in my life and my happiness.
           About the middle of July this summer, she sent me a message to ask how my summer was going. It being God's perfect timing, it was just weeks after my sweet Hank had passed away. I told her about him, and the moment she got that email, she wrote me on her heart and continued to carry me there over the next months. She emailed me to check on me, encourage me, and pray for me. 
           One day at chapel after I had gone back to work, I was having a particularly hard day. I wept through the entire service and afterward was surrounded by my coworkers comforting me. And do you know who else surrounded me? Yes, sweet Anabel. She patiently stood there waiting to comfort me. When our hug and conversation got interrupted by others wanting to hug me, she did not give up and leave. She stayed and waited..... she had more to say.
          She hugged me tight, with tear-filled eyes, aching for her friend who hurt. She told me that she loved me, she was praying for me, and said with such sincerity that she would do anything to help me. This sweet girl, who had not even known me for long, let her heart be stained by my hurt and my tears. She wanted to carry some of that burden for me. 
          She continued to email me, encourage me. One of the last things she wrote to me was, "I know that I am just a student here on campus, but I will always be here for you and hope that you know that I will do anything I can to help you, even if you just need someone to listen." I told her she wasn't just a student..... she was amazing. 
          It isn't at all surprising to me that what she was doing when she passed away, was going to serve. She truly had a servant's heart.
          God we hurt, and we just don't understand sometimes why life has to be so hard. We don't understand why such an amazing person with so much to give had to go so soon. It just doesn't make since that this needs to be the plan, when she had so many more lives left touch on this earth. Lord, please help us to desire your good and perfect will be done. Lord please be with Anabel's mother, and father, and her brother who are missing her so much. Lord, please help to ease Mrs. Reid's soul ache, the one I know all too well. Please carve her name on our hearts, just as she did mine. And Lord please send her our love, and make sure she meets Hank, that little boy she cried over with me.
          Anabel always ended her emails to me with Blessings, Anabel. Thank you Anabel, for your blessings. I have truly been blessed by you. 

Just two more days....

          In just a couple of days, we will be participating in marathoning for miracles. A sweet, sweet lady named Wendy and her coworker Robyn, approached me after chapel on a day that I was really struggling. I sat there trying to sing songs of praise, but I just could not stop the tears that flowed down my face. She came to me after, told me that she loved me and thinks about me all the time, and then began to tell me about Marathoning for Miracles. It's a race to raise money for Hendrick Children's Hospital to help children right here in Abilene.
         So, she set up a facebook page and set a goal of 2 relay teams for the race. Invitations to the event were sent out, and those people sent the invitation on to others, and soon, we had 4 teams of five and 2 running a half marathon. That is 22 people walking/running for Hank. Just amazing....
One of Wendy's student workers, Garrett, who had not even met me at the time, designed some amazing t-shirts for us. Don't I work with a wonderful group of people?? Here are the shirts!

          The verse is Luke 18:16 "These children are the Kingdom's pride and Joy."The pictures don't do them justice. My photo taking skills are....well, awful. Don't worry though, I have an awesome photographer friend that will be taking pictures at the event on Saturday so I will have some great pictures to show you. Her name is Cindy Gravitt of Gravitt productions and she's the best! Oh, and she works with me at ACU too. I know, I'm a lucky girl to work with such amazing people.


          The registration fees for our teams and individual runners totaled $1,260, all going to Hendrick Children's Hospital. That amount is awesome! But my sweet sister wanted to do more. She set a goal to raise $1,000 to make an extra donation in Hank's name. She sent out fliers to who knows how many people, sent them out on facebook, and propositioned friends. 


And guess what???


We are almost there!


$775 donated by friends, family, and even strangers.


       So, when we reach our goal, we will have a total of....  $2,260 being donated in Hank's name! I am so proud, and so, so thankful! This money will go to help children in Abilene, TX who need medical care.
       So, I just wanted to say THANK YOU! To everyone who is helping or supporting us in any way. I can't tell you how much it means to me. It is so awesome to know that the money raised in memory of my baby boy will go to help other children right here in our very town.
        Praise God for good friends who do good things in His name and to help honor and remember my sweet Hank.