It was amazing to see so many neighbors and friends in a church on a perfectly good work day. At lease 150 signed the guest register and I'm sure there were a lot more that did not sign.
We had decided to go ahead and fill out the memorial book that was used at Dad's funeral and it turned out to not have enough pages so blank pieces of paper were added and three or four of those were filled up. We were awed at the community support and especially at the united witness to the Godly testimony of mom.
During the sharing time a number of relatives testified to mom's good influence and Bruce Long made the observation that in the three generations since mom there had not been a single marriage outside the faith. That is a rare thing to find in today's world.
The service began with a power point of mom's life with about 130 photos. There were so many photos to choose from that I stuck with strictly photos that had mom in them. We then had a second series that covered mom's mom and dad and her first 20 years planting churches across the northern US. Later I hope to post these photos on this blog for all to share. Would also like to share some photos that were great family shots but just didn't fit. Family and friends were great a getting photos to me.
One of the highlights of the service was the special song by John and Margaret Loew- Finally Home. Mom had specifically requested that.
The congregational singing of "I'll Fly Away", and "It is Well With My Soul" was really rousing. It is rare in these days to get a group together that even knows these old songs let alone how to sing them with gusto and harmony but this was one of those times. For a while I thought the piano was going to fly away!
In spite of the crowd, there was plenty of food after the service. I think Billy was eating for a solid hour.
John Hammond made a video of the service. It will include the power point photos also. For those who want a DVD of the service, all you need to do is contact me. There will be a nominal fee of $5.
Hi Larry,
ReplyDeleteThis is Tami DeVilbiss from Perry, OK, I am Leslie Allen DeVilbiss' wife. I am so sorry to hear of Maxine's passing for those she left behind. I talked to her when Aunt Velma passed and then through letters and emails. My mother Irma Giddeon kept in contact with her also through email. We read both of the books that she wrote and enjoyed them very much. I haven't got to meet you yet, but have Ray and his family several times. We love hearing the stories of Alaska and miss hearing about you all from Aunt Velma. I called Allen at work today to let him know about Aunt Maxine's new home with our Lord and Savior. I just wanted you to know that we are thinking of the entire family and someday hope to visit your great state! The family can keep in contact with us through my email: tdeVilbiss@gmail.com. I called Glenn and Faye in New Mexico and let them know too. Hope to hear from you all soon.