Dear Friends,

What can we say except “Thank You All”. You all are great. Joy and I can not even begin to describe how honored we are to be prayed for and loved on as much as you all have shown to us for the last few years. These last weeks have been tough. But I am so thankful my strength is not dependant on how strong I am, but how strong my Lord is in me. I do not deserve His grace that He has filled me with over the last 2 and a half weeks. It is hard to believe that Eliana passed so quickly after all that she had been through. Eliana sat independently at the dinner table on the fateful Saturday evening. Never in our wildest dreams could we imagine that Eliana would be stepping into glory in 2 hours later. Joy put Eliana to bed after dinner. Over the next hour or so Eliana developed some diarrhea. Being cautious, Joy and I called Children’s Hospital to let them know about Eliana’s situation. We all decided to be cautious and to bring her to the ER for some routine blood work. Joy and I packed the bags and loaded them into the car. Joy drove Eliana in the car and I followed in mine. (This was customary since I would be leaving for church in the morning or home later that night. Joy doesn’t like being stranded at the hospital.) Joy sang to Eliana and held her leg all the way to the hospital. She asked her repeatedly if she was ok. She would moan or fuss a little every time. Joy kept the light on in the back so that she could see her. We live about 12-15 minutes from the hospital. As Joy exited the highway Eliana didn’t answer her Mom anymore. Eliana slipped into eternity a few blocks from the hospital. Joy flew into the ER lot flung open the doors, grabbed Eliana out of the car and ran to the back of the ER that we had been residents of for the last 2 years. Four weeks and a day before this night, Eliana had stopped breathing and her heart had stopped during her stay in the ER. For eight minutes they resuscitated Eliana, and God restored her life. The same resuscitation room that we had been in countless times before is where Joy ran with her daughter that night. God choose to save her from this cursed world and carry her home to paradise. Eliana was resurrected in the car with her Mom blocks from Children’s Hospital. No more suffering, pricks, prods, needles, scans, surgeries, pain, tears, agony, brain damage, blindness, weakness, tragedy, therapy, resuscitation, electrical shocks, ventilators, oxygen, formula, medicine, narcotics, wheel chairs, or anything else. Jesus was so merciful to give her a new body fashioned in His very own likeness, created especially for her. The last words she heard on this world were from her mother that loved her more than anyone: the one who had sacrificed everything for her. She heard her Mom singing to her and telling her that she loved her so very much. The next words she heard was Jesus saying “welcome home Eliana, you were such a good and faithful servant, I am sure proud of you!”  The last hand she held here was her Mom’s. The next hand she was holding was her Lord’s. I believe Eliana’s life has impacted more people than all of ours. For the last year and a half Eliana did not speak, but Jesus spoke through her and touched us all. She did nothing, but she was everything. I wonder if I will ever learn that Christ doesn’t want me to anything else except sacrificially, love Him. Then all the other commands in the Bible will start to take hold on me. My works and doings will follow my being. When I think of all Christ has done for me, there is nothing that I wouldn’t do for Him. It truly isn’t a sacrifice; it is a labor of love. I am thrilled to tell you that Eliana is not suffering any more. She truly was a suffering servant. I was always amazed at how sweet and precious she always was in the midst of so much hurt and pain. I miss her. It hurts so much. She was my little princess. She was Cinderella on Halloween. My little girl. Boy, it hurts. Through tears and agony this letter has been written, I could not bring myself to write it sooner. From the bottom of our hearts, we saw “Thanks”. We have experienced the Lord greatly through you all the last few weeks. We love ya. Stay the course. Be not mistaken God makes no mistakes. I will praise Him in this storm. The Lord gives and He takes away, but blessed be the name of the Lord. I will praise Him if He gives me good or bad. He is still God, and I am not. Two trusted Christ at Eliana’s memorial service: a perfect testimony to Eliana- “The Lord has heard my prayer”.

 

God Bless,

Brian and Joy Densmore your missionaries wherever He may lead