We wanted to take this opportunity to thank all
of you for your fervent prayers. Because of them, God gave us the strength to get through the darkest and bleakest
moments since Nolan's diagnosis last November.
Pastors, Staff, and Congregation of Golden Hills Community Church, thank
you for your never-ending faithfulness! We are blessed to have such a wonderful church family.
Dr. Soe, Nurse Chris, Madeline, and the entire hospice staff, thank you
for going above and beyond the call of duty as you administered so much more than mere medical care.
Sutter Elementary School Staff and Students, thank you so much for being an extended family to us!
Your visits and support meant so much to Nolan...and all of us!
Katrina, thank you for all you did to raise community awareness of Nolan's
illness and raise the funds needed to seek treatment for him. Oasis staff, thank you for donating your valuable time
and talents for our cause!
Jasper family (and Texas friends), thank you for all you did for Nolan and me while we were
in Houston; and most especially for the tremendous prayer support and deepest love you continuously wrap us in.
Robin, Lola, and Chelsea, there are no words to thank you for the amazing
support and friendship you have provided us. You were the ones who stepped in each and every time a need arose and it
was your support that kept me going. Lola, you personify the loving servant's heart of Christ!
Mom and sisters, thank you for being my precious family. We have
been through so much together and our family ties are continuously strenghtened as a result. Bob, thank you for being
such a great "Opa Bob" to our children!
To all the many dear souls, (including those we haven't yet met in
person) who have signed Nolan's guestbook, stopped by to visit, prayed and given gifts and cheered Nolan on...it would
take hours to express my overwhelming gratitude. You have stepped in and reached out and loved and prayed and CARED!
What a tremendous blessing you have been. I am deeply humbled.
And finally, to our Lord Jesus Christ: thank You for the gift of
life, for the mercy, grace, and strength to be able to walk through the valley of the shadow, for removing the sting of death,
for the hope and promise of heaven, and for Your unfailing, never-ending Love.
May God bless you richly,
~Lorraine
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Although we sometimes refer to Nolan as our "angel boy," we
do not believe that he has literally sprouted angel wings now that he is in heaven. The Bible tells us that these
heavenly creatures we call angels were created by God and are commanded by Jesus. Angels come for a believer in their
moment of death and are carried by them into heaven.
Angels will always be angels and people will always be people.
Humans are eternally human. Death involves relocation to a different place and transformation into better humans (Rom. 8:23),
not into nonhumans.
In
heaven, we will know each other, including those we knew on earth. Here is some evidence:
1. Heaven will not
reduce our mental capacities, but sharpen them (1 Cor. 13:12). We will not be dumber in heaven, but smarter. Scripture gives
no indication of a memory wipe that will cause us not to recognize our loved ones and others weve known. If we wouldn't know
our loved ones, the consolation of afterlife reunion in 1 Thes. 4:14-18 would be nonexistent.
2. After his resurrection,
Jesus was not recognized at first on a few occasions (John 20:15; Luke 24:15-16), suggesting some change in appearance. After
being with him awhile, his disciples suddenly recognized him (John 20:16; Luke 24:31). This suggests that despite any outer
appearance change, the inner identity of the person may shine through, especially to eyes enlightened by heaven.
3. In Matt.17:1-4,
at the transfiguration, Moses and Elijah were recognized by the disciples, even though they weren't told who they were, and
they couldnt have previously known what they looked like. This may suggest we could recognize instantly people we know of but have not previously met, perhaps
as a result of individual personality emanating through their physical appearance.
4. Even apart from
the direct indications of Scripture cited above and below, it would logically follow that we would know our loved ones in
heaven. The nature of love itself is abiding in a way that transcends death (1 Cor. 13:13). While we will no doubt lose interest
in and choose not to recall many things that attracted us on earth, the shared experience of loving relationships forges a
camaraderie parallel to that of soldiers who have served together in the trenches, and who never forget what they experienced
together in that foreign land.
