Now you will feel no rain,
for each of you will be shelter for the other.
Now you will feel no cold,
for each of you will be warmth for the other.
Now there will be no loneliness for you.
Now you are two persons,
but there is only one life before you;
Go now to your dwelling place to enter
into the days of your togetherness.
And may your days be good and long together.

His name means "to stay longer" (I like that...:) )
He is kind.
He is fun!
He has the heart of a servant.
He loves the Lord.
He loves my children.(and I love his children!)
He loves me. (And I love him!)
He asked me to marry him.

And I said, "YES!"

YOU ARE INVITED

TO A

GOSPEL SINGING

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 25, 2008



AT 6:00 P.M.



AT

THE GATHERING PLACE

NEW HAVEN TOWNHOMES



SANTANA DRIVE



ATHENS, ALABAMA



PLEASE BRING A FINGER FOOD AND

A DRINK





For more info, call 874-1706 or 318-5524

See you on the flip side!

(And hope to see some of you there!)

It was a Sunday like most of the others we had experienced in Toronto. We only had one service on Sundays which took some getting used to - and it wasn't until 2:00. As our usual practice we dropped by and picked up some of our members on the way to services. We got to our place of worship early so we could set up the room and classroom. All of the children had class in the classroom while the adults stayed in the "auditorium" class. The church there rented this space in a Chinese office building. There were usually crumbs or the smell of food left over from the "church" that met there before us.

Bruce preached a wonderful sermon. I cant remember exactly the topic. I could find it if I took the time, b/c I put it in his Bible. I do remember some of us commenting how good the lesson was. Of course, I thought that almost every lesson he presented was great. I thought he knew everything about everything pretty much.

After services, we went in different directions. Bruce had a class with non-Christians that he taught in their home on Sunday nights. We were especially anxious about this one b/c of what happened the week before: The week before was Father's day so we went along with Bruce to his class and and waited around for him until his class was over. We wanted to go to the NEW KRISPY KREME with him for Father's day. When he came out, it was obvious that he was mad. Hallie still remembers this b/c she had never seen her dad get that mad. There was a man visiting in the class that was pretty much sabatoging the class. Bruce could tell from questions they were asking that someone had been teaching them false doctrine. The man sat there quietly until the end of the lesson, and then he spoke up. "Everything you are teaching them is wrong", he said. Bruce said, "Really, would you like to show me in the Bible where I am wrong?" The man told him "no" that this was not his class. But Bruce insisted, "No, if you are going to speak up in this class and make a statement like that, you are going to back it up with the Bible. Everything I have taught, we have turned to look at in God's word." I don't remember the exact words, but Bruce was shaking when he told the kids and I what had happened. He told the man to come back the next Sunday prepared to back up his statements from scripture. Bruce rarely lost his temper. In fact, as I said, this is the only time Hallie had seen him like that. What a lesson for her to see that THIS was the kind of thing that made her father mad.

While Bruce was attending that class the next Sunday, I had an unpleasant task. Well, not really. The kids and I were to go to a "block party" in a neighborhood where we were about to be moving. One of our member's husband was being transferred to the states and we were going to rent their house for a year while they were gone. Our member wanted us to come so we could meet all the neighbors before we moved in. I had a GRAND entrance. Andrew was asleep so I had carried him from the car. When he awoke, he of course wanted to run around with the other kids. I went on meeting the neighbors until my friend informed me that my top two buttons were unbuttoned from carrying Andrew! I was mortified!

As we left the party, I decided to call Bruce to see how his class went. We had just gotten new cell phones. Bruce had explained to me that I could only call within certain city limits or it would be roaming. I dialed his number and then hung up after a few rings b/c I wasn't sure if I was within range or not. Fortunately, it had rang through and Bruce called back in just a minute.

He told me that he was out riding his bike. I asked about the class. The man had not shown up again. I then told him about my embarrassing experience. We chatted about a few things. Talked about what we were going to do for supper. He said he would cut his ride short and just meet us at the house. As we were winding up the conversation, Bruce said, "Well B.J., you have done something tonight that I wouldn't want to have to do." (referring to having to go to the neighborhood party) I responded jokingly, "What? Show up at a party with your shirt hanging open?!"

Bruce didn't laugh which I thought was odd. I said, "Bruce?" But he didn't answer. Then I could faintly hear him making a groaning sound. It was like no sound I had ever heard him make. I started screaming into the phone. I didn't know if a car had hit him or what was happening. Then another person picked up the phone: "Hello? Do you know this man?" "Yes!" I said, "He is my husband" "Does he have some kind of health condition?" "No!" I responded. I can't remember what else the man said, but I told him to call 911. After I hung up with that man I realized that I had no idea where Bruce was. If I had been thinking clearly, I would have just called Bruce's cell phone back, but in my mind that man was needing that phone to call 911 for Bruce. I began calling 911 myself to ask if anyone had called in about a man on a bike that was injured. The operator was rude, that is all I can remember, but I kept calling. Finally, he told me that a call had come in about a man on Tom Edwards street. I was trying to pray and drive. Hallie, at 5years old, said, "Mom, I'll pray. You drive."

When we got to the street, the ambulance was there and there were people crowded all around. I jumped out and an ambulance worker came over to me. He took the keys from my hand as he told me that they were "working on him". That his heart had stopped, but they were "working on him." I told him to go back and help. I started calling everyone I knew to pray for him. The Halls weren't home, so I called one of our elders from Pepper rd. I told him to have everyone pray for Bruce. In my mind, I kept thinking that this would turn out like my brother, David. That he would be okay, we just needed people praying for him.

A lady police officer brought a little stuffed koala bear over for the kids to hug and then she drove us to the hospital in our van. I remember wishing that she would please drive faster. We got to the hopital and one of the ER men came out and asked me again what kind of heart condition Bruce had. (I had told the first ambulance worker earlier) I begged him to please go back in and help Bruce. He said that they were "working on him".

They sat me in a room and asked if I had any family here. I told them that we had moved up here from Alabama. The lady officer said, "oh, she is all alone..." I told them I had some friends I could call. They said to make any calls I wanted - long distance if I wanted. Again, another worker came and asked if I had anyone coming to be with us. I asked her how Bruce was doing. Again, they were "working on him". Finally my friend whose house we were going to rent came. They asked her to walk the kids around for a while. As soon as she did, the doctor came in and told me that Bruce had died. I begged him to go back and keep trying. He said that was not an option. Later, I found out that he had already died before the ambulance had gotten there. The ambulance had gotten there in 4 minutes I was told.

There was a lady chaplain hovering around me saying her trite little phrases, "Time will help" "God knows what is best". I looked at her and probably rudely stated that I didn't need her right now. I wanted to tell her that women chaplains offend me, but fortunately I held my tongue.

After the funeral, Mr Hall took me back to the street where Bruce had died. We knocked on a few doors to see if we could find the person who had helped us. Finally, we rang one doorbell and a man came to the door. Just as I started to speak, he said, "I know who you are!" He told me that his wife and a man that was a good friend of theirs had seen Bruce. I came back later and spoke with his wife. We actually kind of kept in touch for a while. She said that she was getting ready for company and saw Bruce sitting on the curb, with his bike leaned against the tree, talking on the phone. She told me that she saw him fall back and she and the friend had gone over to see if he was okay. Their friend is the one who had picked up the phone and talked to me. She said that she just held Bruce's hand. She said when other neighbors came up, she told them to back away if they didn't know him. (she was kind of feisty like that). She told me that she and her husband both had stated that they knew that they had "lost a brother in Christ" that day. I let them know that he was indeed a godly man and about the work that he was doing for the Lord there.

On another visit, she said to me, "I know that you think I am saying this b/c it is what you would want to hear, but his death was the most peaceful thing I have ever witnessed." I pray that that is true. I'm so thankful that I was able to be talking to him at the moment he died. What a blessing. And what a blessing he was to our lives. Even now in our prayers, we thank God for him and his good example.