Joyful Mourning: A True Love Story
Posted: Friday, March 27, 2009
by Charles Pedley
Cpedley.com
Is it possible to be joyful when mourning the loss of someone close to you?
May I give you my story? Or rather, my daughter, Rebecca's story? But it is my story too since we lived it with her.
A True Love Story
Charles G. Pedley
My daughter, Rebecca, was married in 1994 to a young man by the name of Tedd Woodworth, whom she had met in Bible College. Unfortunately, only 4 months later, the doctors determined that he had advanced stage Hodgkins disease, a form of cancer.
The only hope after standard treatment had failed was a bone marrow transplant. It was a long, hard, and dangerous procedure, but in the spring of 1996, Tedd received the transplant and survived! He did so well that he tied the record for the earliest discharge ever from the University of Michigan Medical Center in Ann Arbour. Once again it looked as though the treatment had succeeded.
He grew stronger and stronger throughout the rest of that year, as he recovered from the bone marrow procedure, but in the summer of 1996, Tedd had already found some small lumps in his body again. Since he was still gaining strength and was symptom-free, they were confident that the lumps were just scar tissue under the skin.
He applied for an associate pastor's job in rural Cumberland Virginia. (The nearest McDonald's was about 1/2 an hour away. Now that is rural!) Despite his medical history, and uncertain future, he was hired. Tedd and his young wife they built up the youth group from 5 or 6 teens to over 30 in less than six months..The mild Virginia weather and some natural food supplements had helped to keep Pastor Tedd healthy - so healthy that he did not need to see a doctor for all of 1997!
But in the spring of 1998, again the cancer returned. There was nothing left to do for him but pray. Hundreds if not thousands of people in many churches prayed, but Pastor Tedd died peacefully on July 20, 1998. And there was Rebecca ... a widow at 26 years old!
My daughter, Rebecca could not leave the youth, who had just lost their youth pastor, her husband, so she decided to stay in Virginia until others could take over the ministry there.
In the pile of sympathy cards that she received was an envelope from another young pastor from Arcade, New York, about 500 miles north. Realizing that she needed time to grieve the loss of her husband she did not write back.
Though it was Rebecca's desire to marry, by the spring of 1999, she still had not word from the Lord that she would be married again. She was committed to not demand a husband, even if it meant being alone the rest of her life. One sunny afternoon, she felt God calling her to take a drive, and thought she heard Him telling her that he had a surprise for her., if only she would obey.
She got in her car and drove the winding Virginia roads until she ended up on the steps of a pretty, white church. As she rested there, gazing across the field, she heard the Lord say, "He's there waiting. Her eyes filled with tears, as she realized what this meant. God indeed had someone for her! She even thought she saw a glimpse of her future husband! She saw a young man, sitting on the steps of a big house, playing the guitar. She felt that he would be older than her, and ready to take care of all of her needs. She felt he would be in the ministry also, and that she would be able to come alongside of him and help him. And she felt he would have a love and gift for music, as she did.
In the summer of 1999, she visited her sister, Ann and husband Jon. When Jon discovered that Scott Laird had written her a letter, he strongly encouraged her to write back to him. Anticipation grew in her heart as she discovered that this friend of the family matched the description of the man she felt the Lord had promised her!
So in August of 1999, Rebecca went back home to Virginia determined to write back to Scott and she did.
At about the same time Pastor Scott, who was now 34, had set apart three days to fast and pray. Three days later, he received the letter from Rebecca. This timing felt significant, especially since he had asked the Lord about his single status earlier in the year and had been surprised to clearly hear the answer, "I am doing a quick work. You will be amazed." With these words, Scott had felt God impress on his heart that He did have someone for him and that he would meet her in the fall of that year..
Scott remembered that he had met Rebecca at her sister, Ann's wedding ten years before, but he could not remember what she looked like. But as they began a correspondence by mail, it quickly became clear that they were meant for each other. I think the U.S. postal service had to put on extra trucks to carry the volume of letters that started to flow north and south between Arcade NY and Cartersville, Virginia. Eventually the phone lines started to heat up as minutes, then hours were spent on the phone getting to know each other.
In October of 1999, Rebecca was coming home to spend Canadian Thanksgiving with us and Scott wrote immediately asking if he could see her since she was coming north. Her mother, asked her, "What if you don't like the way he looks?" She said, "I already love him!" God had placed this love in her heart all those months before.
Pastor Scott picked her up at the airport and brought her to our home in beautiful Fonthill. Within 2 days, they felt like they had known each other for years.
The plan proceeded, engagement and then wedding plans were made and in August 2000, just one year after her first letter was sent, Rebecca Woodworth married Pastor Scott Charles Laird. They are happily married and living about 1.5 h south of here in ski country, near Arcade New York. Their first-born son Ian James was born on my 58th birthday - November 18th. To top it all off, this day in 2001 was also Great Grandmother Noake's 80th birthday, and Ian came just in time so that we could meet him and still drive back to Canada for her party!
Now if you still think that God can't put you together with your future mate and you have to do it all, look under every rock and search in every hollow tree for someone to spend the rest of your life with, THINK AGAIN!
YOU HAVE JUST HEARD a MIRACLE OF GOD PUTTING a COUPLE TOGETHER. GOD CAN AND WILL DO THE SAME FOR YOU IF YOU TRUST HIM AND PUT HIM FIRST IN YOUR LIFE.
Oh and by the way, Pastor Scott does indeed play the guitar and writes music as well. He helped my daughter record her first CD.
CD, Broken Clay, by Rebecca Woodworth Laird, has been released!
Produced by Laird Studios, Arcade New York
Charles Pedley
From Joyful Mourning - My point of view
For my daughter's point of view
Charles is or was:
-co-ordinator & teacher of Crown Financial courses at Faith Tabernacle, Welland.
-began life at a very early age
-a teacher for 30+ years,
-husband to wife, Ellen
-father to two beautiful daughters, Ann and Rebecca
-grandfather to 5 grandsons
-amateur writer, photographer, blogger, web creator, online entrepreneur.
-a churchgoer since birth and before
-known for his interesting thoughts as his pastor says.
-originator of the phrase, "Christianity began in a stable and it has been stable ever since."
-has two degrees, both above zero.
-has NEVER been given the third degree 
-loves people, except the ones that bother him 
.
-has been told on Facebook that he is an encourager by a fellow high-school classmate. That is one of the nicest compliments anyone has ever paid him.
-More at http://www.charlespedley.com
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