In Memory of Susan

Thursday, January 28, 1999 one of our channel's operators (you may know him as IceMan), and his wife went out to their favorite restaurant to have dinner. Because they have four small children, it was probably one of those rare occassions when a busy pastor would be able to have a nice, quiet night alone with the love of his life. On the way home, the automobile hit a patch of ice and the car went out of control into a tree. Though there was not a scratch on her body, IceMan's wife, Susan was killed instantly. Apparently, her neck was broken on impact.

IceMan, who is the pastor of a large church in the midwest, emailed our ops team that evening to share the tragic news. Susan is survived by her husband, and 4 small children. Below is a copy of an email our Ops team received today (February 2, 1999) from IceMan which expresses not only the pain and grief he must feel, but also his faith, and the faith of his beloved wife. To preserve Iceman's privacy, the names of his children have been changed, but the essence of his words are as he expressed them:

Dear Fellow Ops,

I wanted to take a moment and send out a heart-felt "thank you" to each of you. Knowing that you were praying for my family was comforting. The funeral for my wife Susan (36) was held yesterday, and we had over 500 people attend, along with 40 ministers. It was a beautiful testimony to how loved my wife was.

The funeral itself was very moving. It was a "victory" service, just like Susan would have wanted.

My 4 children are holding up well, but I think it is hardest on little Ryan, (19 months) because he keeps going to the window looking for his mom. Aaron (4 months) has been doing well with his aunt taking care of him. The girls are also holding up well. Kerry (7) understands the situation, and she does get tearful. Nicole (5) finally understood when we went to the funeral home, and she saw her mommie's body. She cried for the first time, and then was scared and wanted to go home. (completely understandable, because I felt the same way.)

I must confess that I still struggle with emotions. I especially hate walking into our bathroom, because it looks and smells like Susan. It has all of her "stuff" and that makes it difficult to deal with. I will have to bite the bullet and start packing her things sometime this week.

In closing, let me say this; I may not understand everything, but as Job says, "Will I praise God only in the good times?" The answer is, of course not! The Lord gives, and the Lord takes away. I know that I still struggle, but the Christian faith is all about this very situation. The issue of eternal life in the face of death. Susan had a tremendous faith, and I will see her again!

In Christ,

IceMan

Earlier last year, when Aaron (their smallest child) was born, he had some major complications with his heart and will need a series of operations to correct the problem. Now, he is also without a mother, making things extra difficult for IceMan.

One may be tempted to ask, "Why would God allow such a tragic thing to happen to this man of God and to his family?" But, we know that in all things God works together for good to those who love Him and are called according to His purpose. Susan's loss didn't happen for no reason. God knew from the foundation of the world that this day would come. We may not know the reasons, but we know that God is faithful, and some good can come from even the worst of tragedies. Because there was no other injuries to her body, doctors were able to use many of Susan's organs to help others go on living.

We praise God for her life, and we lift up those she left behind. IceMan's courage in this tragic time is an inspiration to us all, and we marvel at the grace that God has given him. So, we on the ops team ask that you keep IceMan, his children and the rest of his family in your prayers. We hold up IceMan and his family to the Lord.

In Christ,

The Ops on #Christian

God always provides a way.

Life DOES go on, even when we are convinced of our own selves that it doesn't.

IceMan has had wonderful support from his family, and is now seeking the Lord in new directions.

We commend him and his to your prayers...