At the end of last week some of our dear friends from Jinja, Uganda, David and Johan Gladstone, were driving home from the village. They stopped to drop off a pastor and apparently while stopped David looked at his lovely wife for the last time, he went to be with the Lord.

These sweet friends were career missionaries with Africa Inland Mission(AIM) and retired with them some years ago (AIM mandates retirement at 70 years of age), then changed to Global Missions Fellowship so they could continue ministry in Africa where their heart and lives had been so very long.

I cannot imagine the loss Johan is undergoing with losing David after a life spent together and so abruptly as well. She has her future to consider and needs prayer to make those hard decisions. They spent their life on the mission field and it will feel so empty and strange to go back to her mother culture-Scotland. I ask continued prayer for our sister Johan Gladstone.

This news hit us hard-for we have had so many deaths since January 2007. As I was in deep sadness and prayer for Johan, my mind carried me to her husband David and what he must be beholding, heaven filled with all its glory. My mind continued until Talitha was before me. Yes, once again Talitha was greeting one of our beloved friends. Her job is not finished, for now she has the joy of greeting all the new comers into the celestial city until one day we will meet alas and never, never, never be separated again. This picture gave me such joy and peace to consider her presence continually with Daddy, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit and sustained in the true depth of fellowship with some of her favorite people that she actually knew. This will only continue for her until the day we are all caught up in His glory. I know this must sound strange, but somehow the fellowship with the new comers seems to be a way Talitha can be embraced by someone that was with us since her death, maybe almost an embrace by Mommy. I don’t know if I really understand my own thoughts truthfully. Maybe it is also that I feel that I can be a little nearer to our sweet daughter through the new comers, even if only for a moment.