April 21, 2017
I have so much news to share this Friday! Our Faces Fundraiser is going amazingly! We have filled 55 of our 100 squares! If we fill every square by April 30th, then we will raise over $5,000, and we will officially reach our goal of $60,000! For every square purchased, the person making the donation can send us a picture to be included on the faces posters we are making for Josiah's therapy room. He LOVES looking at people's eyes so this will bring him a lot of joy! The pictures that we have received thus far are wonderful! Particularly the pictures of friends and family that have been sent in memory of someone who has gone on to Heaven. 
I purchased a couple of slots myself this week. One to remember my childhood friend Taitym who passed away in 2003 from Cystic Fibrosis. I miss him a lot. One to remember Joseph. The sweet baby boy that I cared for who died from SIDS in 2005. And one to remember our dear friend and brother in Christ Jerry Jarrell. Jerry went to Heaven this week after being diagnosed with Pancreatic Cancer. He was such a godly man who had a passion for telling others about Jesus. Back EONS ago when I was a senior in high school, I had a friend who started attending church some with us. This fella was interested in being more than friends, but my Daddy (very wisely) was having none of that. The first Sunday he visited, Jerry asked him if he could meet with him sometime the next week. When the guy realized that my Daddy was serious and he would be nothing more than a friend, he moved on. Several years later, I ran into him and he said, "You know that guy Jerry from your church? He still calls me often and we talk." I share this by way of demonstrating Jerry's passion for sharing Jesus with others even when no one knew he was doing it. Before he passed away, Jeremy spoke with Jerry about his rest home ministries. We were both shocked to find out that Jerry faithfully visited 11 different rest homes! He also visited so many people when they were sick or in the hospital. The last time I was at ARMC with Jalen when he had had a seizure, the nurse said, "I think your pastor is out in the waiting room." It was Jerry. 
Jerry and I have had several conversations in the past about our boy's autism. He shared with me how autism has touched his own family. And, with each conversation, he would assure me that he was praying for us. People often say the words "I'll pray for you." But, with Jerry, you knew it was a certainty. And there was a tremendous comfort in that. A few weeks before Jerry died, one of our pastors conducted an interview with him for our Sunday school class. Jerry lived a life of such exemplary faith that it was important for him to share about the hope he had in Jesus particularly when enduring suffering. I had determined that I would share Jerry's interview on this website, because it was such an encouragement to me. You can imagine how touched Jeremy and I were this week to find out that, in lieu of flowers, the family has asked for people to honor Jerry by giving to the Josiah fund at Beacon Baptist Church. What an honor! What a tremendous gift! Jerry was a man who loved God and others. He will be missed greatly! This is the link to the interview I mentioned above.http://www.sermonaudio.com/sermoninfo.asp?SID=32817118381
Our current total is $57,399.30!!! The plan is for the framing to begin this week on the therapy room! And the cement decking around the pool will be going in very soon! We are so grateful to everyone who has given to make this happen for Josiah and our family! To God be the GLORY!!!!Because of His grace,
Christy
*Please continue to pray for Josiah. His insomnia is very bad this week. There is nothing like a season of very little sleep to make you VERY grateful for the times when he does sleep! God is sustaining us!
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