God is good.

[Gregory Matthews]

Folks:

Here is an inspirational letter that a family friend of our sent to a friend of his. I have removed certain information for privacy purposes.

I think that I will tellhim that I have posted it here. He may want to come here and read it. However, Stan may need to give him free access as his financial situation will not allow him at this time to pay the monthly fee.

"Larry . . .

September 24, 2009

Terry:

Thank-you so much for your prayers. And a thank-you for your Church. It means so much to me to know that people are praying for me...taking me..a nobody...to the throne of Jesus. I am truly honored and blest!!!

I am going to give you some information that you may wish to share with your church.

First, my wife and I could not for the life of us figure out why God was sending us to . . . Oregon of all places. We had wanted to go to Arizona, Colorado and had even thought about California....... [sic.] but Oregon??????? Was that a part of the 50 states of the USA????

However, we truly believed that He was leading. But when I got here my kidneys failed...and would not revive. I spent the first two weeks here in a hospital. Welcome to . . . , OR . What was God thinking? We both chose to believe that God was in control. However, because we had been out of work for 3 months we had no Insurance. Now, on top of kidney failure I had a Hospital and Doctors bills in the neighborhood of $100.000.00! I was at total peace with this. However, for me to say I did now wonder a bit would not be human or truthful. Why God??????? What were You Thinking?? But then the Hospital began working for us (now that’s an oxy-moron!). The short of it, my bills were 100% taken care of. I cannot praise God enough!!

There is more. Since my wife is working for Kaiser Foundation we have now gotten Kaiser Permanente Insurance. We have since found out that Kaiser has one of the best Kidney Programs in the Nation!!! There is more. Since I have had people to offer me a kidney (4 to be exact--One lady contacted me from Baltimore MD and offered a kidney...I do not know this woman...but she heard about me through a friend of a friend of a friend....... [sic.] and said that since someone had given her husband a kidney she was going to give me a kidney. Whether we will be a match still remains to be seen. She emphatically states we will match because God told her to do it!)-------- [sic.] I started the Transplant process.

There is more. Kaiser contracts with . . . , a Hospital here in . . . . It turns out that . . . is the Number 1 Hospital in the Nation for Kidney transplants! It has the Highest kidney success and the Highest Patient success in the nation..(and they are proud of that fact believe you me!). The first transplant was done in Boston MA. The second transplant was done in . . . , OR.

Now how did it happen that I wound up in . . . OR and get the best insurance and am working with the Number 1 Kidney Transplant Hospital in the Nation??????? Hmmmmm----I wonder???

Simply put, it is because of the prayers of yourself, your Church and people all over this nation literally who have so very kindly lifted me up to Jesus! God has and is answering your prayers! My heart literally is overwhelmed with happiness. I am greatly humbled by this whole series of events!

Since I have come to . . . OR, my kidneys have failed, I accumulated a Hospital bill of around $100,000.00, my 26 year old son was killed, I almost lost my home in GA and it rains all the time here in . . . . Gloom and doom....right? DON'T YOU DARE BELIEVE IT! I have the best Insurance, the best Hospital, my Son no longer has to deal with this world (He was definitely a Christian), and my home was saved from foreclosure two weeks ago! GOD is AWESOME! GOD is MERCIFUL! GOD IS NOT LIMITED BY OUR CIRCUMSTANCES!

. . . . Please tell your church my heart is knit to them because of their Intercession on my behalf. Please encourage them to continue to pray for me and my wonderful God-given Wife! No-one can understand the extreme stress she has had to shoulder. Yet, she has never complained a single moment. She is God sent. She is literally my Angel! You know my background and you can appreciate what this means to me.

May God bless you and yours and your Church. If you are so inclined, share this information with them however you should see fit. . . .

In Christ' Name

Your Friend

Larry . . ."

[olger]

Amen.

[Gerr]

Thanks Greg for that most inspiring story!!!

Ah, how often we or I should say, I, question God's leading when things don't go the way we/I thought it should!

What an awesome God we worship.

[Gregory Matthews]

The power of the Internet & Club Adventist:

One of our members read the letter from Larry and identified who Larry was. He and Larry have been in contact. And I thought that I had removed identification?

FYI: Larry is a former ordained SDA pastor. About 20 years ago he found himself single again through no fault of his. He decided that the SDA Church at that time was unlikely to be able to deal with him in his single state, so he resigned from the ministry. He continues to work in ministry in a volunteer relationship while attempting to otherwise earn a living. His currrnt medical condition speaks for itself.

[Stan]

Gregory

Please let him know, only if you think it would be prudent, that he can have a free full membership here.

[Gregory Matthews]

Will do.

[Gregory Matthews]

Larry has been on this website and has read this thread. He tells me that he may take Stan up on his offer of a free membership.

A minor error in a previous statement that I made: One of our members who has read this thread is a member of a church where Larry often preached. However, this person probably was not a member at the time Larry was preaching there. I got the message second hand and it was not accurately communicated to me.

[teresaq]

thank you for that faith-inspiring story!

God is so good to each of us!!

[Gerr]

After prayer meeting last night, our head elder queried me if I had responded to someone name Larry. After a minute or two, it dawned on me that he was talking about the letter you posted from Larry. He said that you are Larry's brother-in-law? He also filled in some details about Larry who was a former pastor of the church here.

Nonetheless, thanks again for that story. My wife has been wondering about God's guidance (sounding somewhat cynical but denies it) and what we're doing in NC, especially since the job that helped lure us to NC is no longer, and that I'm now an itenerant doc (locum tenens).

[Gregory Matthews]

Yes, you are the one that I first thought had been in direct contact with Larry. But, that came to me through someone else who had misunderstood.

At one time, Larry was married to the sister of my wife.

My wife's perceptive on the letter that Larry wrote, and that I posted in a slightly edited version: A great letter. However, it leaves out the majority of the pain that Larry has suffered, to include 2009. He has been very close to death.

God has been good to Larry.

As a close friend of Larry, I can say that he is a good-hearted, red-necked Southener, theologically conservative, but accepting of others and open to new perspectives who is committed to God and the SDA Church--but not excllusive of others. If that all makes sense.

Yes, I know, he will probably come here today and read this. But, I am close enough to him and know him well enough that I can get away with saying what I want to about him.

[Gregory Matthews]

Gerry said:

Quote:

Nonetheless, thanks again for that story. My wife has been wondering about God's guidance (sounding somewhat cynical but denies it) and what we're doing in NC, especially since the job that helped lure us to NC is no longer, and that I'm now an itenerant doc (locum tenens).

Life is tough at times. Any honest person can begin to question God and their faith. Your wife sounds to me like a normal human being. Accept her with her questions and be available to her. Acknowledge your own questions.

I have been there. Time and trust in God, even when one asks: Where is God? can bring resolution.

[Gregory Matthews]

Larry has read the posts made so far today. He appreciates the comments made by you-all.

Yes, he noted that I called him a red-necked Southener. He had a good laugh over that. As he knows, I simply tell it like it is.

[phkrause]

Yes God is good, I'd say he is awesomely good.

pk

[Woody]

Gregory ... I am afraid I just can't say much on this subject at the moment. Suffering is something we all have to do. Some more than others. And the way that God works does not seem fair to me. But then I guess it is not meant to be fair.

The topic of Suffering is just plain to painful for me to think about. But Larry is in my prayers. Not that I understand prayer for those who suffer. But none the less ... I pray.