By now, I'm sure that word has made its way to you that Muggs walked into the arms of her Savior on Friday morning June 1st, right at 5 AM. I have many things to share with you about our last days together, but will save them for a time when I can think more clearly.
I want to use this posting to communicate the plans we have to celebrate her life. We will receive friends on Monday evening June 4th from 6pm - 9pm at Pine Ridge Winkenhofer Funeral Home on US 41 in Kennesaw Georgia.
A celebration service will be held in the Worship Center of The First Baptist Church of Woodstock at 2PM on Tuesday June 5th. The church is located at the corner of Neese Road and Hwy 92 in Woodstock, Georgia.
We know that many of you read this from afar, and it may not be practical for you to attend. Please be released from feeling any obligation to be here. It is enough that you carry us on your hearts, and that you are lifting us before the Throne of Grace.
We love you ....
Andy
"Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he as stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him" James 1:12
32 comments:
Andy,
I look forward to meeting you in person on Monday evening. We loved Muggs so much, and we love your kids too! Please know we are praying for you all, and we will continue to do so each day.
The Hoenstine family
I don't believe we have ever had the privilege of meeting your family. We have children at the King's Academy, and my husband is a traveling evangelist out of First Baptist Woodstock. Your story has deeply touched me and I am challenged and encouraged by your faith. I have followed your story through other students that are friends of your son. What a testimony you all have and what an amazing legacy your wife has left for your children! I am praying for you and your children by name and look forward to hearing of all the amazing ways that God continues to meet your every need during this unbelievably difficult time. May He continue to uphold each of you with His mighty hand and overwhelm you with His peace that passes all understanding.
I'm so sorry to hear of Miss Muggs passing. I saw her every Tuesday morning and there wasn't a time when she didn't have an encouraging word or a funny comment to make every one happy. She was a real pleasure to know. I will miss her very much. I'm glad that she has met her Lord.
I didn't know your family, but I remember your wife's kind face at Timothy. I am sorry to hear of her passing and will be praying for you and your family. God bless you and keep you.
Andy,
We have been out of town all week and were deeply saddened to hear of Mugg's passing. I want you to know that your faith and that of Muggs and your children has been such a testimony to the grace of God during unbelievably difficult seasons of life. We will miss her. We are praying for you and the kids as you seek direction as a family in the days ahead. Know of our love and willingness to serve you in any way that we can. I pray that God's grace will be more than you can ever imagine...it is sufficient, even now! We look forward to celebrating Mugg's life with you on Tuesday. Her smile was ever present and evidence of her deep love and faith in our Savior.
Gene and Carol
June 3, 2007 7:53 PM
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Blessed is the man whose God is the Lord.
Thank you so very much for so openly and lovingly sharing your hearts and journey with us. Whenever we have tried to serve you all, you all have been the ones to serve us and your walk with the Lord, your faith, your prayer requests, your acts of love for one another and for us have inspired and strengthened us in ways I am only beginning to understand.
In the short time that we have had the priveledge to know you all and be your neighbors we have been so blessed by your family's example of living in the world but not being of the world, blessed by the light that shines from your "house" as a city on a hill - in Muggs' smile and welcome, your children's faces, Andy's words and encouragement - we love you and as we continue to pray for each of you to feel the comfort and love and strength and steadfastness of the Lord we also hope that you will allow us to be the hands and feet of Our Beautiful Saviour in supporting and ministering to you during this most difficult of times. Blessed are those who mourn for they will be comforted.
Lord we pray that you will guide Andy and the children, that you will turn darkness into light before them, and that you will make the rough places smooth as you have promised in Isaiah 42:16
Teresa & Scott Cook
precious Ellise family--
this is a song a friend of mine sent me when my cousin died a couple months back and it was very meaningful to me...it's by Mercy Me it's called Homesick:
You're in a better place, I've heard a thousand times
And at least a thousand times I've rejoiced for you
But the reason why I'm broken, the reason why I cry
Is how long must I wait to be with you
I close my eyes and I see your face
If home's where my heart is then I'm out of place
Lord, won't you give me strength to make it through somehow
I've never been more homesick than now
Help me Lord cause I don't understand your ways
The reason why I wonder if I'll ever know
But, even if you showed me, the hurt would be the same
Cause I'm still here so far away from home
I close my eyes and I see your face
If home's where my heart is then I'm out of place
Lord, won't you give me strength to make it through somehow
I've never been more homesick than now
In Christ, there are no goodbyes
And in Christ, there is no end
So I'll hold onto Jesus with all that I have
To see you again
To see you again
And I close my eyes and I see your face
If home's where my heart is then I'm out of place
Lord, won't you give me strength to make it through somehow
Won't you give me strength to make it through somehow
Won't you give me strength to make it through somehow
you are all in my thoughts and prayers. love.
Andy - there are no words that I or anyone can give to you to relieve your pain or ease your loss of Muggs. She was a tenacious teen and has grown into a wonderful wife and mother. Her presence here on this earth will be greatly missed by many. I know that my husband Joe welcomed Muggs into heaven. Find peace.
Vicki, Gina & Tom Martuscello
Andy and children,
Our heart goes out to you, our prayers go up for you during this difficult time. Muggs is described by you with such affection, and such a lovely person.May your faith and God's grace carry you through. Blessed be the name of the Lord.
Ken and Sara Livengood (Sheri Garza's sister)
At this time is is going to feel odd and out of place and maybe even a little offensive that the rest of the world goes on as usual while you and your family deal with your grief. I know the Lord is going to take care of you but I hope it also helps to know that I don't know you or you wife but this morning I'm crying for your family.
May God's grace be with you and your children in this very difficult time... "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness."
2 Corinthians 12:9
Ashley
Andy,
My heart is heavy as I read about the news from the weekend. I am sooooo very sorry!!! And I hurt for you. I have been praying for Muggs and I will continue to pray for you and the kids! I know that prayers are very much important. I wish that I could come but I am not sure I will have to see. Andy if you are accepting gifts in honor of please let me know.
Cathy Underwood
You and your children will be in my familys' prayers.
The Arrington family
Andy:
Words cannot express the sorrow we have for you and your children. Muggs was truly a wonderful wife and mother, and she will be missed so much. We are glad to be a part of your extended family and privileged to have known Muggs for her time here on Earth. We love you all! God Bless, Steve and Mollie Tompkins and boys
Praying for you guys!!!!!
The Miracles
Love grew where the blood fell.
I'm so glad, His precious blood
has covered me.
Love lifted me, love lifted me,
when nothing else would help, LOVE lifted me........
The spirit of the Lord will strengthen you for every good work.
Courage is simply having faith in the character of God.
Being brave is simply knowing God loves you and believing that meets your every need.
For every single place that hurts within....For every place in your heart and life there is pain, God
in His time, replaces it with His pleasure......but, He fills it with his peace first. TAKE HEART!
Andy,
As we read through your blog we want to commend you for your excellent testimony in a time of deepest trial. We are thankful for the time we had together with you and Muggs in Charlotte and are extremely saddened to hear of her death. We will pray for supernatural strength, grace and comfort for you and the children. We wish we could be there to celebrate Muggs life with all of her friends and family.
God Bless~Denny and Tammy Kleber
O taste and see that the Lord HE is good, to everyone who calls upon HIS name.
Andy & Children,
I did not have the priveledge of getting to know Muggs as well as my wife and daughter did through the Timothy Ministry, but I did get to meet her a couple of time's and could see that she was absolutley filled with the love of Jesus Christ. Andy, as I read your postings, I was encouraged by your deep and abiding love for her. I praise and thank the Lord for using you in such a way, through this very difficult time,to edify believer's with your faith. You must know that you are such an encouragement to me and my family as you obviously have honored your wife and glorified our Lord during this time.
When Becky, my wife, told me that Muggs was not doing very well, we began to pray not only for her healing (if it were his will)but also that the Lord would give you the strength to be the Godly example that you needed to be for Muggs as well as the children. I saw the answer to those prayers in your postings. What a great testimony.
May the Lord bless you and keep you all.
Tim,Becky and Hannah Wardell
June 4, 2007
Andy and family,
My prayers and thoughts are with you at this time and in the days to come. We will miss Muggs. Love you, Lex
Andy -
My heart is completely preoccupied with prayers for you all -- and memories of times with Muggs. As much as we would love to celebrate with you today, we will not be there. Please know how much we love each one of you, and how very thankful we are for our years together in Richmond. Andy, we are amazed at God's grace in your life through this trial -- thanks for loving and caring for Muggs in such a tender, caring way. She was richly blessed to be your wife ...
With love, tears, and prayers,
Carol, for the Whites
I know NOT why God's wondrous love to ME, HE hath made known. Nor why??
unworthy Christ in LOVE redeemed ME for His OWN, BUT, I know whom I have believed and I am convinced that HE is able to KEEP ME until that day...Cindy
For the christian, there are no deadends, only new beginnings.
Andy,
What you wrote on the blog is beautiful, and pales only in comparison to the wonderful memories Muggs' old friends will carry. Her legacy is one of smiles, despite the pain and suffering she may have experienced in her last days on earth. We were all blessed to be a part of her life.
Andy,
Today, at the funeral, I witnessed an amazing thing. The praise and worship group from your church was such a blessing. We worshipped today. There was no doubt when you left there who was being honored. There was so many things that insprired me to walk closer to Jesus Christ today, but perhaps the most, was when I looked a few rows ahead where you and your children were standing and as the praise team lead us, you and your son were worshipping the Lord. What an incredible testimony. Only God can provide that type of strength. Only He can put that type of praise in you.
One of the speakers was a good friend of Muggs and she recalled a conversation that she either had with Chandler or overheard where he said "if only 1 person came to know Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior today, it would be worth it all". I accepted Jesus Christ many years ago, but please know that today, I am closer to him because I saw him today. I heard him through the music and testimonies. There was no doubt that the Spirit of the Holy one came down today and was in the midst of us.
Today, the words that King Solomon spoke, " It is better to be in the house of morning....." took on a whole new meaning for me. It was good for us all to have been there. We all had a divine appointment today and the Lord moved in a wonderful way. I was taken back to a heart of worship.
Thank you Andy and thank your beautiful children for inspiring me to walk closer, to grasp tighter the hands of Jesus Christ. Thank you for setting aside your grief and, as you said today Andy, "pushing through the pain" and demonstrating so wonderfully, the power and strength of those whose hope is in Him.
What an incredible testimony you all are.
God be with you and may he continue to show his strength and His love through you.
Tim, Becky and Hannah Wardell
Andy,
We pray for you and the children at this time...Our Heavenly Father who has healed Muggs completely will be a source of peace to you.
Love,
the Gillette's of Charlotte
We learn to count 1,2,3 when we are little....and it is such a monumental things when we finally realize there is an order...Only to discover one day that life is not usually as easy at 1,2,3.....
But, with Christ as a believer...
your life does become filled with three gifts, The Father, The Son, and THE Holy Spirit...SO, with these three on your side, you have got the answer to every problem, the answer to every need.....it just requires, patience.
Andy,
We have prayed for you much over the past few days. Specifically, we are praying that "the tested genuiness of your faith - more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire - may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ." (1 Pet.1:7)
God is already being glorified in your life through this trial and we are praying that you will continually know a "Well Done" from the Lord.
Tim and Gail Emerson
Andy, our thoughts are so full of you and the kids, and Muggs too, since your phone call last week. I have so much to say, yet I am at a loss for words. Mostly I have been thinking about the good seed that Muggs sowed into my life. Our time spent together was very short in the big scheme of things, but our brief encounter had a lasting effect on my life. A part of what is best in me as a wife, mother and friend is a result of her influence in my life.
Sue N. in Fort Mill
We do not have to say good bye to those we love, for they are always in our hearts and we will see them again. We just have to say good-bye to the life we shared with them on the earth. God is merciful. He helps us in all our afflictions, and He alone can give us the strength to say good-bye, for now. He did that when he ascended into Heaven, but He is in our hearts. But, we will see Him again...So, it is with those we love while here. It was hard for Him to ascend into Heaven and leave His own alone on the earth and the life he shared with them....and the ones to come...but, He is in our hearts and He will see us again and us Him where we will be forever, together with the Lord. That gives us the strength to say good-bye to our life with them for now. We never have to let go of them and we never have to let go of our love for them or their love for us. But, we do have to find a way to let go of the life we shared on the earth with them. We can let go of someone's earthly life without ever letting go of them. We justlet go of what we had with them for now.
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