The Vision (Part Two)

When my father passed away I was shocked. To me he was a spiritual giant, a great man of faith. I didn't think he could be touched by an early death. For weeks I felt as though I was in a fog or living a nightmare. It seemed unreal. The best description would be to say that I felt like the rapture had taken place and I was left behind. I couldn't make sense of it and felt completely out of sorts.

It was a time of doubt and choice. Everyone who had sat under my Dad's teaching had to decide if they believed what he taught because he believed it or because they saw it to be true in the word of God. My Dad taught that God is a healer, a miracle worker, a comforter, and that he never used satan's tactics to teach his children.  He was bold in his faith in a good God.  Did my Dad’s death mean that faith did not work – that what he taught was not truth?

As I confronted my own questions about my father's death, I had to make a conscious choice to believe God's word was still true.  Not because my Dad taught it, but because it was God's word, and He is faithful and just and can be trusted.  I had to choose to not look at the circumstances and my questions and trust God anyway. During that time the scripture that became my motto was "Be still and know that I am God" (Psalms 46:10).

It was in the midst of this grief that I felt the Lord speak to my heart to move back to my home state of West Virginia and build the museum that my Dad had often spoke of.  I sat with this notion for a while, but the Lord's prodding never left.

One day I emptied my heart to my husband and told him that I felt we had to move back and that I had to build this museum, but I didn’t know how to do it, but that I had to do it. I’m sure my husband didn’t understand what I was telling him at that moment. I found myself wondering what would happen. Would we actually pack up the moving truck? Would my husband go with me? But, somehow all those details got worked out.

When we arrived in West Virginia I waited to see if the desire to build this museum would go away. I thought that if it wasn’t of the Lord it would fade. But, it didn’t. In fact, it remained on my mind all the time. Then I made the announcement that I was starting this project.

The concept of the museum has grown and it hasn’t been easy to get started. I don’t know how it’s going to happen. But, I have to continue in blind faith. I choose to be blind to limited resources … blind to the rising cost of land … blind to those who laugh. I am “fully persuaded that, what He had promised, He [is] able also to perform” (Romans 4:21).