Valerie Joy's Healing

Don was walking the floor with Valerie in his arms.  Sweat beads laid across his forehead, partially from the over stoked wood furnace and partially from the stress and exhaustion our 2^nd born’s sickness had placed on our family.  We had just returned from the Wednesday evening service where once again I had sat in the nursery with a fussy baby, curling her little legs up in pain.

Valerie would soon be turning a year old and a big part of her life had been spent running back and forth to the doctors.  She suffered from severe asthma attacks and could not hold down her food or milk. A trip to the doctor for a shot would temporarily get her breathing better but dehydration was a constant threat to her life. A hospital stay at Mary Bridges Children’s Hospital, as well as one at The Children’s Hospital in Seattle did not give us any answers.  We were told she was a very sensitive child…..with a sensitive stomach and we needed to go home and get her on a strict schedule.

Don pastored a small church in the foothills of Mt Rainier. Thirty miles lay between our home and a small hospital with our family doctor.  It was a hundred miles to a Children’s hospital and specialty doctors. Don’s ministry had been hindered with our daughter’s condition. Every few weeks, Valerie would wake up before daylight on Sunday morning…….her asthma so bad she was struggling to breathe.  Don would call a young man from the church that was pursuing a ministry education to take over the services while we drove in to the hospital for several hours of treatment for Valerie.

With a quick turn Don walked over and laid Valerie in my arms. “We can’t keep going on like this,” Don commented.  “I’m going to go to the church to seek God.  Don’t worry about me.  Don’t call unless it’s an extreme emergency.  I won’t be home until I have some answers.”

Don fasted and spent time before the Lord for three days and three nights before coming home. ”I’m sure God wants me to continue this pastorate,” he announced. “I won’t be taking off any more Sundays to go to the hospital.”  “What will we do if Valerie has another attack on Sunday?” I questioned. “I’ve given her to the Lord, “my husband answered with tears watering his eyes. “I will be in the pulpit God has called me to….and trusting God to take care of the baby he has entrusted to our care.”

The following Sunday the test came.  Valerie woke up wheezing…..struggling to breathe. Don made her comfortable by propping up the end of her bed, looked at me, and said. “Honey, if you are uncomfortable with this decision and want to take her to the hospital, its ok.  You do whatever you need to do.”  He kissed Valerie, whispered a prayer, and left to go next door to the church.  I trusted my husband’s relationship with his Creator; yet, I needed my own time with the Lord. I went into my room, fell across the bed, and poured out my heart, my frustrations, and my love to God until my tears were exhausted….. and I too had given Valerie back to God. I rose up from my bed and walked slowly into Valerie’s room to check on her. To my gratefulness, she was sleeping peacefully and breathing normally.  From that day forward she never had another asthma attack, was able to keep her food and drink down normally, and became a happy, content child. God had performed a healing miracle in His little one.

The Word says, “When you call on me, when you come and pray to me, I’ll listen. When you come looking for me, you’ll find me. Yes, when you get serious about finding me, and want it more than anything else, I’ll make sure you won’t be disappointed. Jeremiah 29:12-14 (Message)   My husband did not go before the Lord to receive healing for our daughter……he was desperate to know he was following God’s will for his life. In the process of putting God first, we received a “gift” that has brought JOY to our lives for 46 years.  “Seek first His Kingdom, and all His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” Matthew 6:33 (NIV)

Celebrating Darren's 26 Birthday - July 27, 2015

I woke up to the smell of bacon cooking. I could hear the shower running......so I knew Danielle wasn't cooking....am I dreaming?....no.....the yummy smell of bacon was definitely penetrating my bedroom.

The year was 2006.....Danielle was a senior in high school.....and living with me. She loved to go for a run in the early mornings. Since her first date with Darren Laycock on Valentine's Day he had suddenly taken a liking to running in the early morning also.

As I headed to the kitchen, I realized it was Saturday and the two D's didn't have to go their separate ways....one to Roger's High School.....the other to Running Start. Darren was standing in my kitchen cooking away....he had even stopped by his home to pick up his favorite electric frying pan......pancakes, bacon and eggs....for his best friend (she hadn't committed to being a girlfriend yet) and her Oma.

Darren was always thinking of ways to surprise, serve, or honor Danielle. After April 9th, when they acknowledged they were boyfriend/girlfriend......he would come up with creative, non-expensive ways to celebrate their monthly anniversaries. I always loved hearing about the picnic in a grassy field, dessert under the stars....or dancing to the music on his i-pod in the rain.

After they both headed to Southwestern College of the A/G in Texas, Darren still made sure his girl was taken care of. I was especially impressed when Danielle told me how he would take her wrinkled clothes to his dorm, iron them, and bring them back in the morning for her to wear. (She didn't seem sad that I had not remembered to get her an iron and ironing board for college)

I've prayed for God's best mates for my grandchildren since they were young....Danielle and I prayed together for who she was to marry.... we kept our eyes open for any "red flags" of problems ....we studied the characteristics of the Ministry gifts and decided what gift was dominate in each of the D's.....we explored what love language made them function best.....and when Darren proposed to Danielle on June 17, 2007 (on her 19th birthday)....I was thrilled....and convinced..... that this was God's will for my granddaughter.

Why am I reminiscing all this? Today is Darren's 26th birthday.....10 years after he first came by to give Danielle a ride to the youth group.

The D's have been married 7 years....they have two beautiful sons....they are both ordained ministers and serving in youth ministry as a team. I thank God for answering our prayer.

Happy Birthday to Darren Laycock, my son-in-love....God's gift to Danielle Laycock.....to Daniel and Drew..... and our whole family.

Singing the Psalms

I do my "reading through the Bible in a year" part of my devotions by audio. As I was getting ready for the day, the reader started reading Psalm 34......immediately the tears were flowing. In my mind's eye, I could see my sweet husband's face as he sang the first four verses of that song: "I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul shall make its boast in the LORD; The humble shall hear of it and be glad. Oh, magnify the LORD with me, And let us exalt His name together. I sought the LORD, and He heard me, And delivered me from all my fear."

Those of you who attended NLCA or Des Moines Assembly probably remembers how we would sing the Psalms. Last Sunday Valerie was leading worship in the Traditions Service.....and again the tears started flowing as soon as her voice rang out, "Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised." (Psalm 48:1-3)......singing these songs not only touch my soul.....but they always remind me of a man who not only loved the Word.....but lived it.

Don did not have an easy time in school.....he went to an English speaking school and came home to a German speaking family. He struggled with reading.....with understanding the teachers who talked too fast....with a dyslexic mind that couldn't sort things out in a limited time slot......but by what I call a miracle..,.....at a young age he would ride his bike to their country church.....come home....(and from what his mom told me)...repeat the preacher's sermon almost word for word for her......and then he would gather all the kittens in the backyard.....and preach the sermon to the wiggly congregation, constantly trying to escape.

It wasn't until Don had children of his own that he learned about dyslexia and the affect it has on its victims......being tested.....and finally understanding why taking speed reading classes....and the many other things he did to try to improve himself didn't work.. .realizing it was the way God made him.....not anything he had/or had not done.....took a big weight off his shoulders.....and freed him to do his ministry and leave the results to the Lord. He learned to laugh and ask for help from his listeners when struggling with a word while teaching.

"I will bless the LORD at all times..His praise shall continually be in my mouth".....these words were straight from Don's Hintz's heart. "I sought the LORD and He heard me, and delivered me from all my fears."......Don understood where his help came from.....that God's power overcame his weaknesses....and all he accomplished was because of God's grace.....singing the Word was a sincere praise to the One he loved and appreciated.

I don't mind the fountain of tears which cascades over my spirit...they are very cleansing...they bring me into God's presence....and they remind me: "Great peace have they who love Your law, and nothing can make them stumble." Psalm 119:165

The Gift that Keeps on Giving

 It was the best day of my life......I knew God and I together had said "I do" to a gift which would change my life......but I didn't truly understand how big that gift was....10 years later I began to understand.....20 years...30 years....40 years.... 50 years.....every decade I have seen that gift grow and enhance my life more and more and more....more than words can ever express.

When I said yes ......I was grafted into a family who had its roots in Germany..... had started their family in North Dakota....a family who was no stranger to hard work....a family who operated as a team....a family who navigated across America, taking advantage of new opportunity.... new territory.....turning unused acres into beautiful farm land….with much muscle power and water from the Grand Coulee Dam project.

Over the years I have come to understand the dynamics of the Hintz name……and the integrity of the Hintz members…..the parents…..the siblings….and their engrafted mates.  When Don and I decided to move across the U S to the Northwest we arrived to find a cute little rented home….completely furnished….everything we needed right down to the vacuum cleaner….and a freezer to store all the wonderful produce grown around us….a house ready for us to move into…..as well as a job to provide our living.  My husband’s siblings and their spouses had gone to bat for the youngest member of their family. This was the beginning of realizing what a tremendous GIFT I had been provided.....wrapped in the love of my husband…..tied with the ribbon of God’s approval…..and the inside filled with love and acceptance of an extended family which has grown and become more precious over the years.

Don believed in the importance of keeping the integrity of your name….he often shared this fact with our girls.  The truth of this statement became very clear one day when I was in Safeway in Moses Lake trying to pay with a check. Because we now lived in Western WA, the clerk was not allowed to take my check.  She called for the manager…..he stood looking at the check…..and then said, “So you are a Hintz….are you related to the Hintz’s in this area?”  When I responded, “Yes, my husband is the youngest brother to Helmut, Rudy and Hiller”…….he handed the check to the cashier and said, “This check will be fine.”  This was a visual lesson to Don’s teaching, “A good name is more desirable than great riches.” (Proverbs 22:1). I was never so grateful to have the gift of the Hintz name.

Yesterday, my family and I attended the 25^th anniversary of Don’s brother, Helmut and his sweet wife, Myrtle Isaac Hintz. They both have been married for more than 50 years…..with the combination of their deceased mates and then with each other. I sat there listening to their children from both sides… one by one….sharing how their parent’s union had positively impacted them and their families.  We listened as the nine children and their mates….and then all the grandchildren sang beautiful songs about God’s faithfulness and love. I marveled how all the members of this family had worked together to present a beautiful decorated room…..wonderful food……a touching program……along with videos, pictures and clothing from their wedding. Helmut and Myrt have demonstrated to us how love of God, love for each other, and love for their combined families stays strong…even when health challenges have changed the course of their lives.

Helmut is the last of the Hintz siblings…floods of tears have flowed as we have grieved the death of many family members over the years.  We’ve always pulled together…upholding each other…..putting our love into action.  The family continues to grow… over 160 from the six siblings….and well over 200 with the members of step families……we are so blessed.  We don’t have the opportunity to all get together much anymore…..a few celebrations of milestones along the way……but I’m thankful for Facebook where we keep updated on happenings in each other’s lives.  Most of all I’m thankful for the privilege of prayer…..a way we can all connect….lift each other up…..share in the sweet times and the hard times….be there for each other……even at a distance. And “..I will utter hidden things, things from of old…what we have heard and known, what our fathers have told us.  We will not hide them from their children; we tell the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord, His power and the wonders He has done.” (Psalm 78:2-4 NIV).

 

Yes, when I said “I do” with my precious husband, I gained a gift which has enriched my life over the years…..the Hintz family has helped to increase my understanding that….”The LORD is good, and His love endures forever; His faithfulness continues through all generations.” (Psalm 100:5 NIV)