After being told that Margie had passed from this life into the next, I began to plan what I would say and sing at the Memorial. I knew there would be no one there to play the piano for me, and Pam had told me that I would need to supply my own music. After praying about this, I had two songs that came to my mind..."Amazing Grace" and "When They Ring The Golden Bells". I knew I had the music to Amazing Grace...Celtic Music that I had sung to before when I volunteered with some other people to do a singing and testimony to raise money for a little girl named Haley who was dying from a brain disorder. But I tried hard to find the music to the latter one, to no avail. So, I prayed and asked the Lord to help me with this and if I couldn't find the music, I would just sing it without music. This I was a little worried about due to not knowing how well I would do in front of people I did not know, etc. But, it turned out to be exactly what I needed to do.
The day of the Memorial turned out to be a nice "sunny" day. I especially took time to find the lyrics online and print them out so that I could have them in nice "big" print. While going online to find the song "Amazing Grace" Lyrics by John Newton, I also realized there was much more to this song than what was in the usual song book, of which I will print at the end of this story.
I asked God to give me calmness and peace about what I had to do that day. I had already asked if I should just tell what happened with me and Margie or tell a little testimony about how I got saved before going in to what happened at Margie's. So, I decided to do the testimony, knowing it would be long, but I believe the Lord wanted me to do this.
The same day I assumed there might not be any other music playing that would make this Memorial a memory for everyone and if there was music I could just leave mine in the car. So, I copied some of the Celtic Music to a disc and took it with me. After getting to the church, I quickly found out there was nothing prepared in the music department. I was so thankful I went on a hunch about making the copy and asking if the Pastor minded if we played it. I also took my small CD player so that we would have something to play the music on. Pastor Wetherington was glad for this. He had printed up some papers with how the Memorial was to proceed, which had:
Opening Word
Scripture Reading--Psalm 23
Read Obituary
Then....me!!!!!!1
Alice Russell
Testimony
Songs (2)
Toni Blanks--Read Poem
Pam Walker--Testimony
Brianne Walker--Testimony
Open Testimonies??
Message
Closing Prayer
*Note: Brianne Walker did not speak at the Memorial. Toni read her poem and Pam spoke about her mom's last minutes before death. There were no more testimonies.
Memorial Dinner: Home of Michael & Sarah Hughes, etc.
Alice Russell speaks:
When I was a little girl my brother and I were picked up by an older married couple who took us to a Methodist church where we learned about Bible things and as a child I was "sprinkled" for salvation purposes. But, I was not saved at this time. As time went on, I had a friend in school who had invited me to a revival meeting at Black Walnut Baptist Church. The preacher preached hellfire and damnation that night and I got under deep conviction about going to that hell he talked about. I went forward, but the Pastor of the church asked me if I wanted to rededicate my life to God...To make a long story short, I did not know how to anwer him, I expected him to tell me what to do. So, eventually he sent me back to my seat. I did not get saved this night!!
As time went on, I became a teenager deeply involved in the things of this world. I had friends in Ash Avenue Baptist Church in which I attended some and one Sunday a bunch of them went up to get baptized...so I went too. I got baptized that day, but I was not saved....I knew it later. I continued in my path of doing my own thing and later at the age of 18 I got married. My husband's dad was a barber, so I decided out of the blue to go to Hairdressing School. And this is where I ran into Hilda. Every day Hilda talked about hell, the lake of fire and how we were going to end up there if we did not get "saved". Well, at first I was angry about having to listen to this "fanatic" talk to me about these things. Day after day we had to endure this, but unknowingly the Holy Spirit was dealing with me about what Hilda was saying.
As time went on I began to give a lot of thought about what she was saying, especially since I had in the past been in some churches who talked of salvation. I had in the past also attended Revelation Baptist Church with a friend named Claire and heard the real truth about salvation. But, Hilda really drove this home to me...Never had I seen anyone so worried about another's soul. After a while, I realized that this way of salvation was right. One Friday night in March 1974, I laid in my bed, feeling that any minute I would drop off into hell, I cried out to God in the best way I knew how and asked Him to forgive me for everything I thought was wrong at the time. I asked Him in the best way I knew how to save my wretched soul. I already knew that He had died and suffered a terrible death for my sins. I felt that He cleansed me. The next morning I had to go to school. I wrote Hilda a note and told her I had gotten saved that night before. She looked skeptical at me, mainly because I still had a cigarette pack in my pocket and still had my "britches" on. But, I knew I was saved!!!! It was a great thing to me.
The next thing I talked about at the Memorial was how my husband was saved and that I had been in a Revival Meeting where a preacher was preaching on giving our all to God. "Whatever It Takes" was being sung. I responded in my heart to this. Later as time went on my husband was called into the ministry. So he and our family ended up being in a street ministry where we dealt with different kinds of people about salvation.
I believe the Lord used all this, coupled with my prayer for someone to go visit to be able to talk to Margie and know how to deal with her. She was ready when I got there, especially since I told her that the Lord sent me there, which he did! I also realized that Margie had finally come to the end of her life and had no where else to turn. She had become desperate. There was no way of getting out of her situation. She needed someone to make her understand that she needed to repent and receive the free gift of salvation. Margie had let me know that she wanted her family to know what she had done that day with me. So, I figured the best way to do this would be to give a testimony at her Memorial.
The following song is a Memorial to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ:
AMAZING GRACE
Lyrics By John Newton
Amazing grace! how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me!
I once was lost but now am found, was blind but now I see.
Twas grace that taught my heart to fear, and grace my fears relieved;
How precious did that grace appear, the hour I first believed!
The Lord has promised good to me, his word my hope secures;
He will my shield and portion be, as long as life endures.
Through many dangers, toils, and snares, I have already come;
Tis grace hath brought me safe thus far, and grace will lead me home.
Yea, when this flesh and heart shall fail, and mortal life shall cease,
I shall possess, within the veil, A life of joy and peace.
The world shall soon dissolve like snow, the sun refuse to shine;
But God, who called me here below, shall be forever mine.
when we've been there ten thousand years, bright shining as the sun,
We've no less days to sing God's praise, than when we'd just begun.
John Newton
Then I told them that Margie would not come back here to this earth if she could. Why would she want to come back to a world full of sorrow, pain, and heartache. The next song that I sung was fit for Margie and where she is now!
WHEN THEY RING THE GOLDEN BELLS
Don't Daniel de Marbelle
There's a land beyond the river, that we call the sweet forever,
And we only reach that shore by faith's decree;
One by one we'll gain the portals, there to dwell with the immortals,
When they ring the golden bells for you and me.
Refrain:
Don't you hear the bells now ringing?
Don't you hear the angels singing?
Tis the glory hallelujah Jubilee.
In that far off sweet forever,
Just beyond the shining river,
When they ring the golden bells for you and me.
We shall know no sin or sorrow, in that haven of tomorrow,
When our barque shall sail beyond the silver sea;
We shall only know the blessing of our Father's sweet caressing,
When they ring the golden bells for you and me.
Refrain
When our days shall know their number, and in death we sweetly slumber,
When the King commands the spirit to be free;
Nevermore with anguish laden, we shall reach that lovely Eden,
When they ring the golden bells for you and me.
Refrain
At this time I truly thanked Sandy (who was sitting out there) and Pam (Margie's daughter) for allowing me to go to see Margie and the Lord using them to answer that prayer of mine. I would not trade it for anything in this world!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
AMEN
No comments:
Post a Comment