Thank You For Giving To The Lord

We buried Alice Lowe yesterday. She was on this earth for 81 years, 6 months, and 22 days and there were seven people at her funeral. Seven people - her daughter, her brother, a sister in law, and the sister in law's neice and two nephews! She had a small family, and all of them were present. Her small family, and no one else...

Alice had been in a nursing home for about five years. I guess a lot of folks had lost touch with her over the years, but I could not help but think how she deserved better.

I had first met Alice about ten years ago, when her older brother, Roy Poole, had passed away. Roy was a dear friend and co-worker of mine for nearly 20 years. Alice was the one who called my office that morning to tell me the shocking news of Roy's unexpected death. After the funeral service, when I learned that Alice had no church home, I invited her to visit with us at Ashland Baptist Church. She took me up on the invitation and in a short time, she became an active member of that congregation. Her health was poor and she was unable to traverse the steps to attend events in the church fellowship hall in the basement, but she was always faithful in every other way.

Alice wasn't one who desired the spotlight. She was quiet and unassuming, yet as friendly a person as I have ever known. Although she had very little material possessions Alice was truly generous. She was always giving of her finances and herself to church ministries and especially to mission projects. One time we were sending shoe box Christmas gifts to the children of our mission church in the Philippines. We still had a good bit of room in the shipping container, and Alice went to the Dollar General Store and purchased a car load of children's clothing to fill the void in the carton. It was a large volume of clothing and I specifically remember a little girl's "Indian Style -buckskin type" dress that was emblazoned with an image of Walt Disney's Pocahontas character on the front. When I was in the Philippines on a short term mission trip the next January, I was happy to see a beautiful little girl named Melchora Kandar, proudly wearing the Pocahontas dress. I knew where that came from! As a side note, on subsequent trips over the next seven years I continued to see the Pocahontas dress worn by Melchora's two younger sisters. I know that was multiplied many times with that large bundle of clothing that Alice had purchased for those kids she would never meet. Truly a gift that keeps on giving!

When it came time for the monthly service we did at the Riverview Nursing Home, Alice was always the first one there. Very few of our members took part in that ministry. It was tough duty to say the least, but Alice (barely able to get around with the aid of her cane) faithfully ministered to the patients at Riverview. She would take little inexpensive gifts to the people there and their eyes would light up when she distributed them. At Christmas she had a new pair of white tube socks for every resident of the home. I thanked her once for what she was doing to help that ministry and she just smiled and said, "It's the least I can do. I may end up in a place like this myself someday."

This past Sunday, Alice passed into the presence of the Lord, from a "place like that" in Piketon, Ohio which is about 50 miles from the modest little home on Dixon Street in the Pollard section of Ashland, where Alice had lived, alone, for many years. Only the facility nurse was with her when she passed, but I know that Angels came to take her to her Eternal Home. Knowing Alice, she wouldn't really care about having a "mansion", but she certainly must be rejoicing in the presence of her Lord.

When I think of Alice in Heaven, I can't escape the words of a song, wrtitten by Ray Boltz. I truly believe it applies to her. It's called, "Thank You For Giving To The Lord". I'm sure she has already heard Jesus say, "Well done"The words are listed below.

"I dreamed I went to Heaven, you were there with me.
We walked upon the streets of gold beside the Crystal Sea.
We heard the angels singing, then someone called your name.
You turned and saw this young man, and he was smiling as he came.

He said, "Friend you may not know me now," and then he said, "But wait -
You used to teach my Sunday School, when I was only eight.
And every week you would say a prayer before the class would start.
And one day when you said that prayer,
I asked Jesus in my heart."

Chorus
Thank you for giving to the Lord,
I am a life that was changed.
Thank you for giving to the Lord,
I am so glad you gave.

Then another man stood before you, he said "Remember the time,
A missionary came to your church, His pictures made you cry.
You didn't have much money but you gave it anyway.
Jesus took that gift you gave
And that's why I'm in Heaven today"

Chorus
Thank you for giving to the Lord,
I am a life that was changed.
Thank you for giving to the Lord,
I am so glad you gave.

One by one they came, far as your eyes could see.
Each life somehow touched by your generosity.
Little things that you had done, sacrifices that you made,
They were unnoticed on this earth
In Heaven now proclaimed.

Chorus
Thank you for giving to the Lord,
I am a life that was changed.
Thank you for giving to the Lord,
I am so glad you gave.

And I know up in Heaven you're not supposed to cry
But I am almost sure there were tears in your eyes
As Jesus took your hand and you stood before the Lord
He said "My child look around you,
Great is your reward."

Chorus
Thank you for giving to the Lord,
I am a life that was changed.
Thank you for giving to the Lord,
I am so glad you gave,
I am so glad you gave."