Lisa… She was an encourager and prayer warrior from the first time we met three+ years ago. She was so excited that I was going to start a Good News Day Camp in Lincoln City and she wanted to be a part of helping with it. Not only did Lisa help by teaching the Bible lessons at both Lincoln City and Newport Day Camps, but she also encouraged and prayed with me about and for Day Camp. When I first moved to the coast, I started looking for a discipleship/accountability group and guess who was leading one… Yep Lisa. Lisa pushed each of us in the group to have goals and to work on our relationships with God, family and friends. You could always count on Lisa to pray with and for you, to point you to God's word and to say the hard thing. Oh, and if you ever needed a natural remedy for something… she was your go to person. After my car accident last June not only did she let me borrow the “truck” suburban, but she also shared her CBD oil and a pain relief rub that her and Emerson made. Lisa loved children, she loved playing, teaching and just being with children. She started a Moms In Prayer group that I joined in on and it was the highlight of my week to go and pray with her for her own children, children in church, Good News Club and other mom's children. That's not the only time Lisa and I would get together and pray… we prayed over the church, VBS, Day Camp, family and friends; especially those that needed Jesus. That was Lisa's heart that people would know and follow Jesus and it was evident in her life. She loved working with Safe Families and encouraged others to get involved. That's how I ended up hosting for safe families, because of Lisa. I remember taking on my first case and asking Lisa for prayer. She walked with me through the experience and was a great support and encouragement to me.
At the beginning of 2023, God gave Lisa this verse and
vision of restoration in Joel 2:25 “Then I will make up to you for the years
that the swarming locust have eaten,” God did restore some relationships that
Lisa wasn't sure would ever be restored and she continued to pray for other
relationships to be restored that we are still waiting for God to do… my
grandpa being one of those.
2 Chronicles 20:12 says, “O our God, will you not judge them?
For we are powerless before this great multitude who are coming against us; nor
do we know what to do, but our eyes are on you.” Lisa's eyes were on Jesus
through the good and hard times, and she would remind me to do the same. We
would text each other throughout the week what God showed us in His Word and if
I needed prayer, I knew that Lisa would pray. My favorite memory with Lisa is
from this last October. When her and I went on a prayer retreat and spent the
weekend praying, fasting, reading God's word (Lisa always said we needed to
read God's word every day), and encouraging one another with what God was
teaching us. It happened to be right after I got back from a Biblical Counseling
Conference, and I got to share with her different things I had learned and just
the reminder of how powerful God's Word is and that it has everything we need
for life and godliness in it. During that weekend we spent over 2 hours walking
in the surf while we prayed. It was a beautiful time.
Lisa and I both went through a season of lamenting to God. Lamentations
3 is a great chapter to base your lament off of. Lamentations 3:21-23 says, “This
I recall to my mind, therefore I have hope. The Lord's lovingkindnesses indeed
never cease, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; Great
is Your faithfulness.” Lisa was good at remembering to give thanks to God even
when she would lament. Sometimes she would drive out to her “place” and cry out
to God for all the things happening in her life, but she would come back to His
faithfulness in her life. Psalm 27 is one I encourage each of you to read and
see if it reminds you of Lisa. It was one that Lisa and I talked about and how
she could have been the one to write it.
I have never had a friend that I prayed so much with and I
miss that about our friendship, but I'm so thankful for the time God gave me
with Lisa.
I miss you Lisa... But I'm so thankful that you are free of pain and suffering and that you are with our Savoir!