Losing a Friend

It was definitely the Lord but I woke up last Monday morning with just a heaviness for Justin and Misty.  I came downstairs from working out and Logan and I were just talking and laughing about Justin.  We told a few stories about him and then I picked up my phone to see texts from several Boerne friends saying that he was really bad and not going to make it through the day.  Oh so hard.  Logan was able to type a long message that was read to him before he passed away.  This man fought and fought hard.  I kept praying and hoping that all of a sudden he would just get better.....that God would just miraculously heal him.....that all the doctors would just all of a sudden find a cure for him!  But it just wasn't God's plan for Justin.  He saw the best of the best doctors and tried basically everything he could do but his body was just very sick.  He had more diseases than I can even remember or name.  But what a life he lived and in his later years was all lived for the Lord.  Logan was able to walk alongside him in Boerne when he was really searching and trying to figure out what God was all about.  They would meet up for breakfast or lunch and sit and talk about the Bible.  He would ask lots and lots of questions to Logan.  He was searching and trying to figure it all out.  He was never afraid to ask anything....there was no fear of embarrassment or dumb questions.   He just legitimately wanted to know truth.  He finally came to a point and put his trust in Christ.  Awhile later he was actually baptized by our pastor in the river.  It was an amazing and joyful day.  So Logan literally got a front row seat to see his friend and buddy change his life and start living for the Lord.  He began having such a boldness in his walk.  He wasn't afraid to tell you EXACTLY how he felt about something and how it was going to be.  It was so refreshing to be around someone that honest and open.  So after several months of us getting to know their family he was diagnosed with all the diseases.  At first it didn't even seem real but as time went on he started seeing more evidences of all of it in his body.  We moved from Boerne about 2 years into his sickness.  For Logan, I know leaving Justin was one of the hardest things he had to do.  When you walk with friends through hard times it is gut wrenching to have to walk away from that.   It has been neat to watch how the Lord has brought just the right people alongside their family though to care and love on them in a unique way.  And I will say as hard as it has been to keep up with people long distance Logan and Justin were able to do it.  They would do Voxer a lot and just send texts back and forth.  Justin encouraged Logan in ways that no one else could.  It's that honesty of his again.....he would just straight tell Logan like it was and not hide anything back.  Over the last year it began to be very hard to read them because he was just in so much pain and weary.   We know he is healed and in the presence of the Lord now.  We are so grateful he isn't hurting but just ache that he is gone from us here.  We traveled down to Boerne last Thursday morning for his funeral and to be with Misty.  Thanks to my parents we were able to leave all the kids here.  It was so good to be there and be in Boerne.  It was fun to talk about Justin and just remember his life.  His wife Misty is a rock.  You can't even imagine what all she has faced this last few years.  I can't and don't want to even know.  The Lord has given her strength upon strength to walk through it all.  They have 3 boys....Bryce, Brody and Braxton.  They are what pushes her heart to go on and get through the hard times.  She is gifted at writing and she shares it all on her blog www.keepingupwiththemcelhannons.blogspot.com if you want to read it.   So if you think about it please keep praying for their family.  The Lord is and will be carrying them through but it's just hard to not have a daddy and husband.