Betty at Home With The Lord

On April 19 at 2:30pm Betty passed on into the presence of the Lord. She was quite tired from her long illness and was ready to meet her Lord and Savior. It was one of the most peaceful scenes I had every witnessed. After opening her eyes for a final time, whispering something to her daughter and looking at everyone gathered in the room, Betty quietly rested and a few minutes later her struggles in this world were all behind her. She had received 'the goal of her faith, the salvation of her soul.' (1 Peter 1:9) I felt incredibly privileged to be a witness as someone stepped from this life into glory and the presence of God. Words cannot adequately express what a privileged scene it was.

The following week was very busy as I travelled to Klemtu to help perform the various services associated with a funeral week in Klemtu. I travelled with our retired Mission Director, Bill Lottis, and his wife, Sandy. It was one of the most intense yet rewarding weeks I had spent in Klemtu. In time I will share with you some of the exciting things that are happening. But during the week, together with Betty's family and community, we cried a bit, laughed a bit (Betty was a funny lady full of humor), shared a lot of meals together and sought the Lord for help, strength and comfort. It was a wonderful opportunity to share the Good News of Jesus Christ with people there. The services were not only made up of Klemtu community members but people from neighboring Native communities as well.

One of the interesting developments during the week concerns Native Leadership Development and Betty's role as a Lay-Minister. During Betty's lengthy illness three people stepped forward to carry on the ministry in the Church there in Klemtu: Jeanette (Betty's sister and a wonderful Christian lady), John and Alan. John has a very impactful prayer ministry with people and Alan is a naturally friendly and gregarious believer. During the week the family and community made it quite clear they wanted these three to collectively carry on the Lay-Minister's role and "keep the Church lights on." I began to talk/mentor them concerning pastoral ministry. It is something that I will continue to do in the future. Pray for these three as they seek to minister to people in this role.