Joy in My Sorrow

A letter to a friend who has gone to be with Jesus.

Dear, darling Erica,

Oh my sweet friend and beloved sister in Christ. I am grieved beyond comprehension at hearing of your early departure to be with our Savior, Jesus, who you love so much, yet I rejoice in your homecoming because I know there's nowhere else you'd rather be. You were such a forgiving and kind, tenderhearted friend to me. Truly, you loved everyone with the love of Christ, your heart so pure, genuine and full of compassion. I am tremendously blessed to know you, dear friend. So thankful for all our talks we had heart to heart. All the times we spent together talking about Jesus and what it means to live a life truly surrendered to him. Your earnest desire to honor, love and serve Jesus was the deep cry of your heart and it propelled you forward in all you did. You always wanted to share God's love with everyone and I know how often you have gone to the Lord interceding for your friends, classmates and coworkers, praying that they would come to know Jesus. You also shared God’s love and the power of the gospel with the nations, in Haiti, Nicaragua and more recently and closest to your heart, in Mongolia. Your faithfulness and selflessness both challenge and encourage me to press on and continue running this race with endurance. You have joined the great cloud of witnesses! How awesome is that?

Sweet Erica, I am going to miss you always. I can just see your smiling face and feel your hugs; hear your voice, as though you were still here. I can't believe you're gone. I love you so much. I look forward to giving you the biggest hug ever and I look forward to thanking you for being the generous, selfless, wonderful friend that you have been to me. I can't wait to sing praises with you again, and play guitar together, except this time in the radiant light of our God, instead of sitting in a warm patch of sunshine on our living room floor. Your life is a treasure, and mine is boundlessly blessed to have not only crossed paths with yours, but to also have been intermingled with yours. I am forever grateful to my loving Father God for bringing you into my life. A ray of bright, pure light, a dazzling beauty of a woman, the fragrant aroma of Jesus. Your testimony will forever inspire me, Erica; your life, light, and love I will always remember with great gladness! I have only loved you imperfectly, but I know one day I will be able to love you purely and without fault, and I shall know you far more deeply and richly than I already do. Oh happy, happy, glorious day!

So in the meantime dear friend which I pray passes in the blink of an eye, enjoy all the amazing celebrations at your homecoming! I hope we're housemates again in the place our Father is preparing for us. Maybe you're already there checking it out. I'm sure there's an open pasture beyond where beautiful horses come to graze, and even some funny, stubborn goats, hehe. See you later, precious friend. I can't wait!

Love always, your sister in Christ,

Heather

        

Erica with one of her favorite study buddies, Keebler, in the house we shared with our other dear friend, Britt, on Magnolia Lane in Blacksburg, Virginia.

   

 

“But the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn, which shines brighter and brighter until full day.” Proverbs 4:18

Erica’s obituary can be found here.

Our Portion in Life

Psalm 16:6 "The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance."

What lot has God dealt you in life? Do you accept the portion you are given and say that it is sufficient? Or simply adequate? Do you shake your fist at God and ask "Why am I not given more?"

When you look at your family, your relationships, your home, your bank account, your possessions and your job, do you delight in the abundance of provisions you have? Or do you see a lack, an absence, an unsatisfactory sufficiency? What if we are all widows with only a handful of flour in the bowl and a little oil in the jar? Cannot God cause what we have to stretch, multiply and fulfill all our needs? Do we declare His provisions contemptible, or do we train our eyes to see the rich, gracious and ample nature of all that we have in Christ?

Walk in My Shoes 2012

On February 20, 2012, I had the honor and privilege of meeting Lauren Book at a small, intimate reception in Perry, Florida. A “thriving survivor” of childhood sexual abuse, Lauren was nearing the end of her third annual event, “Walk in My Shoes”. The first year she walked 500 miles, 1000 the next and now this year she tripled the initial distance to 1500 miles.  With a small, close-knit support team including a photographer, drivers and logistics personnel, Lauren has walked from Key West up across the Florida panhandle and then doubled back towards Tallahassee. Along the way, people have joined up with the group at cities and towns across Florida to walk with Lauren and show their support. The goal of the walk is to raise awareness of the terrible abuses committed against children everywhere and empower victims to tell someone about their experiences and seek professional help. I only spoke briefly to Lauren, but she was very warm and friendly. We spoke a little about our college experiences and life after college, plans for the future, etc. There were many people there and I couldn’t take up too much of her time talking, but she really impressed me as being sweet and genuine.

 

Lauren & I at the dinner reception Monday night.

The following day, February 21, I joined nearly 500 other walkers for a short, triumphant march down the center of small, sleepy Perry where childhood sexual abuse and incest abounds. Wearing matching T-shirts and holding balloons, the large crowd of locals that spanned generations was upbeat, noisy and smiling. Although the morning was a bit cool with the threat of rain clouds rolling overhead, a powerful energy seemed to well up amongst the walkers, unifying the crowd and bringing hope and healing to the survivors among them. I walked alongside a new friend I made, Patricia, who was a part of Lauren’s team and also happened to be Venezuelan! It was a providential meeting and we both enjoyed chatting about our shared background and many other things.

 

The whole group of walkers at the end, with Lauren front and center.

At the end of the walk we took lots of pictures, ate cake from a giant, multi-hundred dollar cake designed to look like Lauren’s bus and took turns huddling under a tent as the cool rain began to fall. Slowly the crowd dissipated as small groups remained behind, people sharing their stories, laughing together and expressing their surprise and excitement over the unexpectedly large turnout we’d had. Off to one side, the team photographer, Omar, spoke to a group of women including a lady and her daughters who had been victims of sexual abuse. As they shared their stories for the camera and posed for pictures, they stood by each other’s sides, full of support and love for one another. They smiled for the cameras and stood up tall, beautiful in their strength and will to survive, thrive and overcome.

As it became clear that it was time for everyone to disband and Lauren’s team to move on to their next event, I couldn’t shake the urge to speak with Lauren one more time, to express my gratitude to her and give her one last hug. Helping me overcome my shyness, a driver on the team, Axel, handed me a copy of Lauren’s book and shoved me in her direction. Lauren graciously signed my copy and listened as I scrambled to say a few things to her. I can’t really remember exactly what I said, but I hope she understood that I was very glad to have met her! After one more hug and a picture, we parted ways – Lauren to continue her walk which finished today in Tallahassee, and I to go home, forever inspired and forever changed.

That night I started reading Lauren’s book, It’s OK to Tell, and couldn’t put it down. Many times I had to stop for a moment to regain the strength to keep reading. The tears poured down my cheeks and my heart ached for Lauren. I just wanted to reach through the pages and wrap my arms around the little girl who suffered so much, wishing to protect her and vying for her with every inch of my fiber. I had to finish her story. I needed to know how she was finally set free and where her journey of healing and freedom had taken her. It must have been nearing 5 A.M. when I finally finished reading the book and managed to drift off to sleep. Sitting here now, I look down at my teal, rubber bracelet. It says “LaurensKids.org” on one side and “39 Million” on the other. 39 million is the number of childhood sexual abuse survivors living in the U.S. today. I plan to wear my bracelet until it falls apart and then get a new one.

There is one more thing I want to share, something I learned by being around Lauren and watching her interactions with others. You see, Lauren is one of the most beautiful people I have ever met. Undoubtedly she is very lovely in a physical sense, but her beauty goes much, much deeper. The most attractive quality a person can have is this: to be unconcerned for oneself, to be stripped of all self-consciousness and in the moment to give freely of oneself to others. This is what Lauren does, she makes herself readily available to those around her as she loves on them, affirms and encourages them. She gives no thought to herself but just gives and gives, genuinely and unreservedly. It is this selflessness that makes Lauren truly beautiful. She is living a life of joy and fulfillment by giving herself in service and love to others.

 

Lauren holds hands with a new friend as they walk together in Perry.

Lauren and others near the end of the 2 mile walk in Perry.

I will remember Lauren and her kindness in the years to come. I will pray for her continued recovery and strength to endure. Lauren, this is my prayer and hope for you, taken from Isaiah 58:11-12:

May the LORD guide you always; may he satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land
and strengthen your frame. May you be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail. May you rebuild the ancient ruins and raise up the age-old foundations;
and may you be called Repairer of Broken Walls, Restorer of Streets with Dwellings.

I am so thankful and blessed to have been a part of this remarkable woman’s journey.

Thanks for reading!

~Heather

You can find Lauren’s book on Amazon by following the link below:

http://amzn.com/B004LWZ00S

Visit LaurensKids.org to learn more about the work Lauren does.

All photos by Omar Vega