I just have to tell you . . .

It's 5am and I'm sitting in the Will Rogers Airport, waiting to depart for Boston, where I will attend, participate and speak at the NKH International Family Conference.  I am beyond thrilled to be able to do this!  It's obvious that the Lord wants me to go alone on this trip, and I'm not sure why, but I do know He has a specific purpose for that, and I'm excited (and a little nervous) to see what that plan may be.

The main reason of my post this morning is to tell you about something so special, so intimate, so priceless . . . well, I just HAD to tell you!!

You remember Makenna Johnson, Ellie Kate's dear friend, who went to be with Jesus over a month ago?  Makenna had this very special bed that was not only handicap-accessible, but it also protected her in many ways.  Friends had even made intricate bumpers for this bed, with special verses written on the foam underneath, so that Makenna would be surrounded by God's Word, God's TRUTH each time she lay in that bed.

 

 

 

 

Lucy has a special bed too - it's special because it belonged to Ellie Kate.  And while it is an unspeakable blessing to us, and something we will always treasure, it is something we think Lucy will out grow.  We believe that she will have the ability to stand one day, and thus the current bed would be very dangerous for her.  We applied for a bed like Makenna's.  We needed one, and yet we were denied it (insurance and medicaid are doing a lot of denying as of late).  Mike and I weren't too worried, even though these beds run upwards of 10k.  God has always provided for us, and we knew He would provide this, if indeed it was a need.  We just didn't know how creative He would go about doing it!

Matt and Marianne Johnson, Makenna's parents, GAVE US Makenna's bed.  The bed she slept in, played in; the bed they held her in, the bed she passed away in.  They gave us this intimate part of their lives, this intimate part of their Daughter.  So, Mike and I journeyed down to Plano, TX to pick up this extra special gift, with Lucy in tow (thanks to Mike's dad who let us use his new truck for the transport!).  We just kept thinking in unbelief, "How can they give this to us?  Why would they give us such a treasure?".  It's because Matt and Marianne love Jesus more than anything else, and they listen to Him and to the Holy Spirit's leading.  Even in their grief, they choose to bless us with something so close to their heart.

Lucy loved playing in Makenna's room!

Now Makenna's bed is Lucy's bed, and she loves it.  It's a beautiful white, and the bumpers match her room perfectly.  And those same verses on the foam that once surrounded Makenna in her sleep now surround our Lucy Belle - words of Truth, of never-changing Truth.  It is impossible for me to truly convey my feelings of all of this!

Even Henry Loves the Bed!

 

"The Princess and the Pea"

Thank you, Matt and Marianne for sacrificing something so very dear.  Thank you for allowing Makenna's life to bless others, even in her physical absence.  Lord, thank you for faithfully providing, just as you said you would do.  Jehovah Jireh, My Provider.  Blessed be your name.