New Tribes Mission - planting tribal churches
.
.

.
.
.
 

 

"Our Love Story" - Chapter 11

Back

 
Previous Chapter

"Our Love Story" Main Page

Next Chapter

  

"Till Death Us Do Part."—Linda

 

"Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints."

Psalm 116:15

 

The evening was uneventful that Tom and Linda had made the decision that Tom was not going to work at the bodega (little store) as part of his language study and that Linda was going to take his place.  Tom was so exhausted from lifting 100 lb bags for the last two days that they retired to bed early.  That night, about four in the morning, Linda awoke to the sound of a "death rattle" coming from her husband.  "Tom." "Tom!  What is the matter?" Tom did not respond to her.  She quickly ran for a neighbor, and together, they got Tom into a car and drove him to the local hospital.  Timmy stayed with a neighbor. Frantically, Linda prayed for Tom.  She did not know what was happening and she pleaded with her Heavenly Father to allow her husband to live.   She was allowed to be in the emergency room during the entire time and she could see how very sick Tom was.  He did not recognize her and he kept thrashing around and had to be restrained.  It was then that Linda prayed, "Lord, not my will, but Thine be done."  He had been taken to another room, but it was right at the moment of that prayer that Tom went Home to be with His Heavenly Father.  Later that day, an autopsy revealed that he had died of an aortic aneurysm and that his ruptured heart had been pumping blood into his chest cavity.  There was nothing that his doctors could have done for him.

 

Later that morning, Linda called her parents from the telephone office.  She was in a quandary as to what to do with Tom's body; whether to bury him there in Venezuela or bring him home to Chicago.  Someone never seen before by Linda came into the telephone office and began a conversation with her.  He said how sorry he was for what had happened, and that he was a missionary in another country, just visiting in Venezuela.  He asked Linda if he could help her in any way.  Linda shared with him that she did not know what to do about Tom's burial. He asked her what she would do if money were no problem.  Without hesitation, Linda told him that she would bring Tom's body back to America.  He told her to take Tom's body back, and that God would supply for her needs.  She now knew the answer to her question.  That was the only time she ever saw that man.  She was not even sure of his name or his mission.  It was as if an "angel" had helped her to make the decision, and she thanked her Heavenly Father for this answer to her prayer.

 

The next day, Linda and Timmy, who was just 23 months old, boarded a plane bound for America.  Timmy kept calling out for his Daddy, as the plane taxied down the runway and soon was heading for America.  Tom's body was flown back to Chicago for burial about a week later.

 

After arriving back in Chicago, Linda began to make funeral arrangements for Tom.  Tom's funeral was held at The North Side Gospel Center, the church where she had grown up.  Tom's uncle, Dr. Dave Breese, officiated at his service, which was held on a Saturday.  Hundreds of Tom and Linda's family members and friends came to the service.  Many tears were shed; as songs of joy and hope were sung and as each person attending his service was reminded of the blessed assurance Christians have, knowing that Tom was now with his Heavenly Father.  Only God knows how many lives Tom touched during his not quite 29 short years on this earth.

 

After Tom's funeral, Linda was often heard to say how thankful she was that they had obeyed the command of their Savior to "Go... and teach all nations...  (Matthew 28:19,20).   All of their missionary training, all of their preparations for the mission field, the heart wrenching moment when they had boarded the airplane for Venezuela, leaving their families and friends behind and then those few short months in language study; it was worth it all to have obeyed the Lord.

 

"Only one life, ‘twill soon be past.

Only what's done for Christ will last."

 

As Tom's casket was slowly lowered into the ground in May 1979, a new direction and challenge awaited Linda and her little boy, Timmy.

 

Continue...

  

Previous Chapter

"Our Love Story" Main Page

Next Chapter

.

 
 
 
. .  . . .
.

Copyright 2017
Web Site Host: The Mountaintop Group
· Web Site Design and Maintenance: David McGhee
Special Thanks to NTM Communications: base template and animated slide show