Goodbye...But Not Forever

Yesterday was the funeral of one of my very close friends, Stephanie Sykes. It was a time of mourning, but also a time of rejoicing.

Mourning, because she was loved by many, and we will all miss her very much. She was so young, only twenty, and it seems so unfair. She was getting ready to graduate from COTC (Central Ohio Technical College) on June 11 with an associates degree in Forensic Science. She had her whole life ahead of her, and it ended too soon, with no warning.

However, it was a time of rejoicing because we who are saved know that one day we will see her again. As was stated at her funeral yesterday, once we are reunited with Steph in heaven, the time that we'll be together will be so much longer than the time that we were apart. This brings comfort, as we know that this goodbye is not forever.

Since Steph's death, I have looked at so many Scripture passages and songs in a whole new light. For instance, the song Zion's Hill, which the ensemble at Ambassador sang so often, and which was sang at her funeral yesterday. The words are:

There waits for me a glad tomorrow,
Where gates of pearl swing open wide,
And when I've passed this vale of sorrow,
I'll dwell upon the other side.

Some day beyond the reach of mortal ken,
Some day God only knows just where and when
The wheels of mortal life shall all stand still
And I shall go to dwell on Zion's hill.

Some day I'll hear the angels singing,
Beyond the shadows of the tomb;
And all the bells of heaven ringing,
While saints are singing, "Home, sweet home."

Some day my labors will be ended,
And all my wand'rings will be o'er,
And all earth's broken ties be mended,
And I shall sigh and weep no more.

Some day the dark clouds will be rifted,
And all the night of gloom be past;
And all life's burdens will be lifted,
The day of rest shall dawn at last.

Stephanie is experiencing all of that right now!!! It makes all of the words so much more real when I think about that. She's seeing the streets of gold, and the mansions that have been prepared for us, and the pearly gates. Above all else, she's seeing God!! What an amazing thought!!

Not only is she seeing all the things that the Bible talks about, and that we sing about in so many songs, but she also no longer has to deal with the seizures and migraines. She no longer has to worry about taking medicine, having tests run, or any of the other things that came along with the seizures and migraines.

Although it is still hard for us left behind, and we don't understand why God only had her here on earth for such a short time, we will see her again. God has a reason for taking her home. As a friend reminded me last night, God knew before she was born that on May 25, 2010, He would take her home after only twenty years of life on this earth.

While I, along with many other people, am going to miss Stephanie, I know that I will see her again. So, Stephanie, goodbye...but not forever.

Stephanie's Obituary

Obituary for Stephanie Marie Sykes

Stephanie M. Sykes, age 20, of Glenford, died unexpectedly Tuesday May 25, 2010 at her residence. Born October 7, 1989 in Westerville, she was a 2008 graduate of Licking Co. Christian Academy, and was an honors student at C.O.T.C. in Newark, where she would have received her Associates degree in June. She was a member of Maranatha Bible Church in Glenford.
Survived by her parents, Victor & Barbara Sykes; brothers, Victor Sykes, Jr. and Westley Sykes; “little sis”, Megan Sykes, all of Glenford; great-grandmother, Lois McCollum; great-uncle, Roger Davidson, and nieces, Victoria & Nicole Sykes.
Friends may visit 2-4 & 6-8 p.m. Friday at the DWAYNE R. SPENCE FUNERAL HOME, 650 W. Waterloo St., Canal Winchester. Funeral service will be 11 a.m. Saturday at Maranatha Bible Church, 5376 St. Rt. 204, Glenford, with the Pastor Stephen Shaw officiating. Interment will follow at Lithopolis Cemetery. Friends who wish may contribute to a special fund in Stephanie’s name c/o the funeral home.

Sorrow

I find myself sleepless tonight. One of my close friends passed away late last night or early this morning, and I am unable to sleep. It was totally unexpected and I am in shock. I just saw this friend a little over a week ago at Holly's weddings,and we were making plans to get together sometime. Now she is gone. It seems so unbelievable, like it should be part of a dream or a movie or something.

As shocked and sad and hurting as I am right now, I take comfort in knowing that i will one day see Stephanie again. She knew the Lord as her personal Savior, and today she is in heaven with Him. Isn't that a wonderful thought? I am looking forward to the day when I will see her once again.

I would greatly appreciate your prayers for her family, as I can't even imagine what they're going through right now. To lose their daughter must be such a horrible thing for her parents to have to go through. A parent should never have to bury their child.

The verse that I've been dwelling on throughout this is "Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort;" (2 Cor. 1:3) . I know that however great my sorrow and pain, God will be there with me to comfort me and to help sustain my throughout this.

Please be in prayer for the funeral. I don't know yet when it will be, I'm still waiting to hear, but I do know that there will quite likely be several unsaved people there, as well as her older brother, who has strayed away from the Lord. Please pray that God will work mightily through Stephanie's death, and that He will receive all the glory.

Saying Goodbyes...

I am now in my final week of school here at Ambassador Baptist College...while I am excited about finishing, I'm also sad about leaving all of my friends and "family." Today is my last Sunday at Emmanuel, and I am realizing just how much I'm going to miss this church. I've come to love the people at this church, and am having a really hard time leaving.

Tonight is the graduate's fellowship here at church, and I have to get up in front of everyone and tell them what my plans are after graduation. Those of you who know me know that I hate getting up in front of people. I'm praying that it goes well and is over with quickly!!!

Wednesday I have two finals, and then I am done with classes for good!!! Yay!! So exciting!!

Also, Wednesday will be my last service ehre at EBC, at least, my last one as a college student. I will definitely be coming back to visit everyone here when i visit Holly & Andrew.

Well, I'd better get going for now. I'll try to post more later, but no promises...

God Is Near

God is always near to His children, even we stray away from Him. This is very convicting to me, for I have not always been close to God, and have strayed away from Him many times, yet always, He takes em back and forgives me. We serve an awesome God!

Friends may lead me astray,
But God is always near.
Others may cause me to turn away,
But, always, God is near.

Though I may stray far away,
Still He watches over me.
Though I choose to go my own way,
Still, He watches over me.

When I return and plead,
“Lord forgive me!
You’re all I need.
Please, Lord, remember me!”

Lovingly, my Father said,
“Child, you wandered far away;
From me you fled,
But I was with you all the way.”

It was then that I cried.
I don’t deserve His love.
But still, He was by my side,
My loving Father above.

Child, Rest In Me

Something that I've always had trouble with is resting in and depending on God. I'm a very stubborn and independent person, which I will be the first to admit are two of my greatest weaknesses. Through my (almost) two years here at college, I've had to let go of a lot of my independence due to struggling with my asthma and other physical problems, and I've had to let go of my stubbornness enough to admit that I need help. I was thinking about all this today when I wrote this poem:

“Child, rest in Me,”
My Father gently says.
“Child, rest in Me.”

Stubborn though am I,
I pull away
“I can do it!” I cry.

“Child, rest in Me,”
He says once again.
“Child, rest in Me.”

Still I resist
I want my way
“I can do it!” I insist

“Child, rest in Me,”
Is all that he says.
“Child, rest in Me.”

Suddenly, I stumble and fall!
“Lord, help me!
I need you!” I call.

“Child, rest in Me.”
No chiding, simply,
“Child, rest in Me.”

“Father, I need you,
I need Your help
With all that I do.”

“Child, rest in Me.
I will help you,
Only rest in Me.”

Update Once Again

Yes, it really is me, and I really am updating once again!! I'm on a roll here!! lol :D

It's been very busy here ever since Spring Break. Right after Spring Break was Spring Bible Conference. It was super busy, but it was totally worth it! All the messages were fabulous. There were way too many good messages to pick a favorite.

This past Saturday was Medieval Mayhem at college. This is a competition between all four leagues (Patriots, which is my league, Conquerors, Knights & Maidens, and Watchmen). We play various games such as Jump the Creek, American Eagle, relays, etc. It was a lot of fun, although by the end of the day I was completely and totally exhausted. Thankfully, my asthma pretty much stayed under control and I was able to participate in most of the games.

After Medieval Mayhem, Christy and Nate asked me to take pictures for them, so we went over to the caboose in Lattimore and I had a blast taking pictures for them. They are so cute together!!! I love photography, and it's always fun to take pictures of couples.

Sunday kicked off the Spring Revival at Emmanuel Baptist Church, my local church when I'm down here at school in NC. Evangelist Paul Crow is preaching, and all the messages have been wonderful!! I think each message has spoken to my heart. Although it's going to be super busy, it's going to be a great week. I'm helping in the Welcome Center every night except Thursday, and I'm in the nursery that night. Add to that schoolwork, and classes, as well as trying to recover from Saturday still, and it equals exhaustion, but I don't mind.

As of right now it is 23 days until graduation!! I cannot wait!! Although in some ways (okay, okay, a lot of ways) I'm going to miss being down here, at the same time I am very ready to be done with school.

Coming up right on the heels of graduation is Holly & Andrew's wedding. I'm so excited!! It's going to be a crazy week at our house, though. Nicole gets in on Sunday (She's riding back from NC with Holly). Andrew's family, as well as Christy & Caleb are getting in on Wednesday afternoon, and Jenn is coming in sometime that day as well. On Thursday, we decorate the church, and that evening Mandy will get in. Friday the Risingers get in, and, of course, the rehearsal and rehearsal dinner are that night. Saturday is the wedding, of course, so that will be a crazy day. after the wedding we're having a bunch of people over to our house for a cookout. The next morning everyone who has not yet left is leaving, and Holly and Andrew will be flying out for their honeymoon. That night, the mixed quartet from Ambassador will be at my home church (New Lexington Bible Church) and Laura and Christina who are traveling with the quartet, are staying at our house that night. John and Esther Uit de Flesch, who are also traveling with the quartet may also be staying at our house, depending on if anyone else in our church volunteers to keep them. Then, Laura and Christina will be back at our house on Wednesday and Thursday nights while they're at other churches in the area.

On top of that, one of our dogs is going to have puppies any day now, so we will have our hands full keeping track and taking care of the puppies.

It's going to be a busy few weeks, but hopefully after all that is over I'll have a chance to rest and catch up on my sleep.

As far as a job, I'm leaving that in the Lord's hands. I have submitted my resume to my dad's work, and it will be submitted to another place sometime next week by a friend who knows of a job opening. Once I graduate and the wedding is done with, I will start sending it out to more places, but right now I'm just too busy to start looking for jobs.

When I go home, I will be teaching the children's Sunday School class at my church for the summer, as well as teaching a teen girl's class one Wednesday a month. I will also be doing some secretarial work for the church to help my pastor out. He has needed a secretary for awhile, but because we're such a small church, we do not have the money to pay one. This is the thing that I' looking forward to the most, as I would love to work as a church secretary.

Well, that's about all for now. I will try to update again before the wedding sometime, but don't get your hopes up! I have a lot of projects to finish up before finals, and after finals is graduation, then the wedding, so I don't know if i will have time to update at all.