Thank you for all your prayers and support. I'm so grateful to be part of the body of Christ and have supportive family members like you
I regret what I said about thinking my prayers were in vain.
God was in every single detail. After speaking with my mother I've found out that some incredible things happened, leading up to my gran's death. What I said filled in gaps for her as she also did for me. Amazing.
On Tuesday night I had a strong urge to speak with my mum and told her she needed to speak to my gran more about God, because we didn't know how long she had left. It was the HS that alerted me on Tuesday night because it was Wednesday that she eventually passed away.
About an hour before she died. I had a strong urge to pray for her. I didn't realize then, but it was at that exact time that she was about to go into cardiac arrest.
She went into cardiac arrest 3 times, each time she stopped breathing and then came back each time. The doctors said they had never met someone so old with so much strength. I believe it was God keeping her the entire time. It was after the third time that she then drifted into what my mum described as a very peaceful sleep where she then stopped breathing. My mum witnessed her soul leave her body very peacefully.
The timing of my parents' arrival was perfect. They live 6 hours away and drove up to see her when they heard she was frail. My aunt had made a bad decision and had they have not got up there when they did she may have died sooner. My mum told her about the importance of getting right with God. She was there in good time because she needed to hear it again.
The timing of the first cardiac arrest happened when my mother and aunt were with her, visiting a social worker, so they were together at the time. Perfect timing again.
I had asked God to give me a sign that things would be ok. I know asking for signs is bad. He sometimes gives me visions and dreams, but I needed a sign from Him this time. I was waiting for one of the two but instead He spoke to me a different way. In the last 2 years God has spoken to me through several ways, one of which has been by using the number 3 a lot. He chastised me three times when I was backsliding and the number 3 has been coming up a lot, to the point where it gets my attention and you always know when it's a message from God. There is a difference between a dream of your own and a dream from God, you can always tell. It's not superstition. My mum told me that my gran went into cardiac arrest/died 3 times before finally slipping away. This is not my imagination as it's definitely tied to how God has been communicating with me. I believe it to be very much related.
God had her die 3 times. Each time they were amazed at her strength, which was God intervening. I really believe she got saved before she died. The fact that we could see God in everything around us, it was like everything was perfectly planned and I could see it was all of God. He took her though 3 deaths. She must've seen the afterlife because each time she was out of it for a while.
Our religious/non believing family got to witness my mum's extreme strength during this difficult time. They could not go into the emergency room because they were afraid, so my mother went in and stayed with her as she passed away. My mother told them it was God that was strengthening her and that she would not be able to do it without Him. They said they were relieved to have her there because they couldn't deal with this situation without her.
My grandmother was ready to celebrate her 90th birthday about a week from now. They booked a function room and everything, one that was special to the family, as they use it for all their functions. Since her passing away they plan on still getting together and using it to remember her. A perfect opportunity for my mum to go there with all her strength (God given) to help the family during this difficult time...share God's word with them.
My aunt's boyfriend is an atheist and since this death he is now curious to know more about God. My dad shared some things with him the other day and he's been asking him to email some of these bible studies and notes that he was talking about. Please pray for him, that God draws him and convicts him of his need for a savior. Alan's a strong man so for him to be humbled in this way is incredible.
About 3 years ago my grandmother was invited to a bible church service where she lived. They were going around visiting all the older people in their homes, inviting them to this service. She was interested so went and got to be around all the loving christians who were in fellowship and very loving towards her in the church even though they didn't know her, something she didn't forget because she kept mentioning it over and over. This was where the seed was planted, we believe, because she couldn't forget it.
Around 2 years ago she wrote a letter to her 3 children and notified my mother about it but none of the others. They found out yesterday that my gran requested to not have a Catholic service/mass at her funeral. This shocked the Catholic side of my family because they saw it as a rejection of the Catholic faith. Her wish was to not have a Catholic funeral. She had told my mother about the letter because she likely knew my aunt would ignore her wish. She was right. My aunt and cousins are going ahead with a Catholic mass regardless, claiming that they are all Catholics and so was she, and they are trying to claim this request was either made a long time ago or when she was dying and not stable. However, my gran told my mother 2 years ago about this letter, so she stood by what she wrote in it in the last 2 years and didn't change her mind otherwise she would've said something.
One of my Catholic cousins is very interfering. My mum actually tried witnessing to her husband last year and she stopped all contact between them. She is good friends with her priest and has been getting him involved with his input as if he is the one with authority in this funeral matter. I wish she would step down because this should be between the siblings and what my gran wants, not her. My mum was asking her about what was going on and she claimed that her priest was not in town, but it turns out that she waited for my parents to return home (6 hours away) so they were out the way, allowing her to get her way on this. She's very controlling. She is standing her ground about a Catholic mass, even though my gran said she did not want it. Very sad. My mum admitted that if my gran wanted this mass she would've respected her wishes, but it's not what she chose.
My mother's been told she cannot stand up at the funeral and say anything. It'll be a strict service and they want the focus to be on the mass and then just squeeze a 3 minute talk in there somewhere. They are suggesting everyone submit something and the priest will check over everything and pick what he chooses, little snippets, and he can reject what he chooses. Very sad
I can tell you that my gran would not like this. She would want everyone to have freedom to speak out at the funeral and she did not want to have a mass anyway. They are superstitious to the point that they don't want the body to decompose before the funeral. It won't be an open casket but it's more that they want a mass while her body is as it is.
I truly believe my gran got saved before she died. I had an overwhelming amount of peace about the situation, as did my mother. Things I shared with her and vica versa were evident to have only come from God. We really believe that God took her through something before she died and was working in this situation. God always finishes what He starts and He had already started something 3 years ago in my gran. I truly believe that she is now in Heaven, because of what I get from God on this situation and all that happened.
Your prayers have meant so much. So many were praying for her and God took notice and really worked in this situation.
Now I just ask that you pray for the rest of my family (my aunt, her boyfriend, my 2 cousins and their families, my 2 uncles) because they will all be gathered soon and my parents and brothers are the only born again christians in the family. I pray that they be shining the light of Jesus so brightly that all may see. I pray that God gives them tremendous strength that opens eyes to what they have, which is much more.
I just hope that this funeral mess can be resolved soon because it may cause division in the family. My cousin is the strong rebellious one that is strict with her Catholicism and she is heavily influencing everyone around her with her strict way and desire to control the family. She isn't helping at all.
Isn't it amazing how God uses situations to bring about good? I see some amazing things about to happen here.
Thank you all so much for your prayers!!
I cried tears of joy today, because God is so good!!!!!!!! Amen. He answered my prayers, worked in this situation and is still working. Amazing. He has strengthened my faith and view of prayer.
I'm sending some christian grief books for my family and also cards. Which scriptures should I include? If you can share some here I'd appreciate it. I want to get the right scriptures and they need to be sent out soonish
