He works all things together for good....

This has been quite a tough year for the Ward household. In May, my uncle passed away from a hard fought battle with cancer. Then two weeks ago, Daniel's grandma, Ruby Griffin, passed away unexpectedly. She was 83 years old and such a wonderful Godly woman. In both cases, Grandma Ruby and Uncle Norman loved the Lord. The found great comfort in Him and in knowing He was in control of their lives. They both trusted in His perfect plan even if that plan meant going home to be with Him.

Through all of this, it has been amazing to watch God work. How in their deaths, His hand can clearly be seen. For example, last weekend when we went to the hospital to see her, Daniel went to her bedside and began quoting scripture in her ear. Then he felt the desire to open the Word of God and read to her. He asked her nurse for a Bible after he had searched the Critical Care Room she was in and could not find one. The nurse said, "I am sure there is one around here somewhere." They both searched and searched and finally after about 15 minutes, they found one. He was able to open God's word and read to her. About an hour later she went home to be with Jesus. That night we were talking about the events of the day and Daniel said one thing he would like to do to honor the life of his grandma was to get enough bibles to put in each room of the critical care unit where she died. I thought that was a great idea and one she would be thrilled about. For the next 2 days we were consumed with funeral arrangements, visitors, phone calls, etc. Then we received 2 boxes in the mail - one with 15 bibles, and one with labels that said "In memory of Ruby Griffin." We were overcome with emotion and felt extremely blessed. We got to sit with Joshua and Caleb and place the labels in each bible. We were able to talk to our children about Grandma Rudy and her love for Jesus, about Jesus' love for them, and how these bibles would impact each family that would read them. Then, we were able to deliver the bibles to the hospital just before we came back to GA. It was such a tremendous blessing for us, and we know those bibles will be a great blessing for families whose loved ones are sick in that unit.

In times such as these, I am thankful that God can be seen so clearly. It helps me to find rest in Him, comfort in knowing His presence is with me, and that He truly is working all things together for good and for His glory!

- Jessica