I wanted to write about what my Nannie told us about my Papa before he died. It’s really neat and I think it will just touch your heart.

Several years ago Nannie and Papa had a man start coming to their church, I remember him vaguely because he was very unkept and shaggy looking. He was a drug addict and really heavy into drugs. Then one Sunday I remember coming back and seeing this man, only he had changed…he was clean shaven and looked like a totally different person. God had delivered him from his habit and he started attending church with his wife and kids. This lasted a while, then one by one they all quit attending church. As it turns out he’d gotten back into drugs and been arrested and he was in prison now………

When Papa had his heart attack a couple months ago he was rushed to the hospital. When he recovered he couldn’t move much or talk very well. He was in a lot of pain.

He said to Nannie “why didn’t God just take me to heaven already?” He was very discouraged.

Nannie said “Coleman, I believe God left you here for a reason and you’ll just have to wait and see what that is!”

Well, Papa continued to get worse and was in such bad pain. We knew it wouldn’t be too long before the Lord decided to call him home to Heaven. Papa wanted to go back to the farm. They took him home in an ambulance and he lived the rest of his days on a hospital bed next to a window overlooking the mountains. Nannie hired a couple of nurses aides to help her out with Papa. And who do you think was one of the nurses aides? It was the drug addicts wife and they hadn’t see her in years since she’d left the church. Nannie said Papa testified to her and told her he really wanted to see her in church and that the church still loved them and she need God to get her life back in order. Nannie said she started crying and it really touched her heart. She also told her husband in prison about Papa and what he said and it touched him too. She also came back to church, the church they left so long ago…..and they did still love her. Because of all this her life and her children’s lives may forever be changed.

All because of the circumstances surrounding Papa’s cancer and his death. Even in his last days he was an inspiration to someone and that is just how God can use you!!! I loved this story when she told us about it and I’m so proud of my Papa. He was an older man when he was saved and Terence and I were very fortunate to see him baptized a few years ago. It’s amazing to see God’s work in ways we would never have thought! Isn’t our God awesome???!!! We should wake up every day thinking “how can God use me today?” And He will and He does.