Update & Appreciation

Amanda and I cannot express our appreciation for the prayers and support throughout the last several weeks and specifically the last few days. Many have been a great encouragement by calling, sending emails and sending flowers. Several of our family and friends took time out of their schedule to come and support us, which meant a great deal to us. Monday was the funeral at Mid-Way Baptist Church and it was a very beautiful service. Pastor Larry Upchurch (Senior Pastor), Pastor Gene Schuyler (Discipleship Pastor) and Pastor Kevin Carson (Ozark, MO) did a wonderful job of emphasizing God's precious grace through the difficulty of life. Thank you again for your prayers and continued prayers in the days ahead.

We are in the process of setting up a memorial scholarship through the Baptist Bible Fellowship for future missionaries in honor of Ava. If you are interested, more information will be available in our next prayer letter. Also, is you have the opportunity to go online and sign the guestbook, we would like to have that as a cherished memory. Just click on the link below.

http://www.legacy.com/newsobserver/Obituaries.asp?Page=Notice&PersonID=102110386


Here are the words of the song we used for a DVD shown in honor of Ava. Powerful and precious words, which I am sure many of us can relate to at some point in our life.

Because of HIS Grace,
Craig

You're in a better place, I've heard a thousand times
And at least a thousand times I've rejoiced for you
But the reason why I'm broken, the reason why I cry
Is how long must I wait to be with you

I close my eyes and I see your face
If home's where my heart is then I'm out of place
Lord, won't you give me strength to make it through somehow
I've never been more homesick than now

Help me Lord cause I don't understand your ways
The reason why I wonder if I'll ever know
But, even if you showed me, the hurt would be the same
Cause I'm still here so far away from home

I close my eyes and I see your face
If home's where my heart is then I'm out of place
Lord, won't you give me strength to make it through somehow
I've never been more homesick than now

In Christ, there are no goodbye
And in Christ, there is no end
So I'll hold onto Jesus with all that I have
To see you again
To see you again

And I close my eyes and I see your face
If home's where my heart is then I'm out of place
Lord, won't you give me strength to make it through somehow
Won't you give me strength to make it through somehow
Won't you give me strength to make it through somehow

I've never been more homesick than now