The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

Ephesians 3:13-16, “Therefore I ask you not to lose heart at my tribulations on your behalf, for they are your glory.

14 For this reason, I bow my knees before the Father,

15 from whom every family in Heaven and on Earth derives its name,

16 that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with

power through His Spirit in the inner man…”

I went to the Walmart pharmacy today with two specifics in mind: one was to make a purchase, but the primary was to inform an employee of Rose Marie’s death and ascension into Heaven. This dear lady always greeted us by name, and she had become such a good and faithful friend that I wanted her to hear the news directly from me. She came from behind the counter and hugged me, while tears flowed from her eyes. She is not a Christian, but she emanates the warmth and love of a Christian. She said several times to me, “She is in a better place.” And that lady is like a member of our family.

Yes, I needed the love that she had to give. And love flowed from others around the world in emails that fill my in-box almost to overflowing. Paul said that we should not lose heart at the tribulations of another because tribulations are glorious. How can that be? In my case, I have been drawn closer to the LORD through my tribulation. The LORD is what it’s all about. It’s not about us. It’s about Him! And all trouble, great or small, draws us closer to Him in prayer.

Paul’s prayer adorns the prayers of all believers, when he says, “…that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power – dunamis, dynamite power– through His Spirit in the inner man.” A lady Chaplain in the hospital said to me, “I don’t know how those without faith can make it.” I don’t either; but I know how those with faith can! It’s all in the power and strength of the LORD.

So when you encounter trouble, difficulties, tribulations, just turn to the LORD Jesus Christ. In the late 1800s, Cyrus Nusbaum wrote:

His pow’r can make you what you ought to be;
His blood can cleanse your heart and make you free;
His love can fill your soul, and you will see
’Twas best for Him to have His way with thee.

I don’t understand all of the LORD’s ways, but the longer I live and trust Him, the more I’m convinced of His love, His strength, and His power. Give Him an opportunity with your life.

Heartily in Christ,

Gene ( Dado III )

P. S. Let me say a sincere “Thank You” to all of you have responded to our family in the Heavenly

Home-Going of our sweet wife, mother, and grandmother, Rose Marie. She is gone from us,

but she is with her LORD and Savior, just as she wanted to be. Farewell, sweet Rose! we’ll see

you soon!

P. S. S. If you receive this particular email more than once, please let me know and correct it. It is

never my intention to “load” your inbox or to send something you don’t want to receive.

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

Springdale, Arkansas 72764

United States of America

“We never know that God is all we need

until He becomes all that we have.”

Dear Grands,

2 Timothy 4:7-8, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith; furthermore, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day; and not only to me, but also to all who have loved His appearing.”

The body in which my beloved Rose Marie lived her 85¼ years, was laid to rest today in a private ceremony in the Fairview Memorial Gardens in Fayetteville, Arkansas.

It is impossible to believe that the words of the Apostle Paul, although originally written to the younger Timothy, lacked in any manner the description of the life of Rose Marie Jeffries. Indeed, she “fought the good fight.” Her life on a downward pathway commenced in 2007 with heart surgery. Twice she had bi-lateral pneumonia and colon surgery. Over the last year, she received 65 blood transfusions. She was simply in a no-win situation.

Despite all of the above (and some things not mentioned), she forged ownward, ever and always sharing her faith in our LORD Jesus Christ, trusting Him to lead her doctors in the discovery of an antedote to her complicated health situation.

Once she said to me, “We may not get out of this situation.” I replied, “Don’t say that! We’re trusting the LORD. You know that!” But, she responded that it just might not be the LORD’s will for her to survive. I knew she was in trouble. I talked to some of her doctors outside of her hearing. Still, I prayed fervently and talked positively in conversatioins with her.

Rose Marie was a clever girl. Her mind remained sharp and she was well aware of her situation. One day, she asked our daughter, Teri, to call Alicia, a close family firend. She would not say why. When Alicia arrived, Rose Marie told her she wanted to transfer to the Circle of Life Hospice, where Alicia’s husband was the chief pharmacist. It was facilitated.

On Thursday, 25 April, at 19:50 (07:50 CDT), she breathed her last on Earth and entered

into the presence of our Beloved Savior and LORD, Jesus Christ. Her witness for Him was

exceptional. And in her death, her wish was fulfilled that we share her faith with attendees at her Celebration of Life. With our LORD’s strength, I shared Christ with all who attended, and gave an invitation for those without Him to receive Him as their LORD, as well.

She had “fought the good fight”; she had “finished (her) course”; she had “kept the faith.”

May we all allow the strength of the LORD to increase our witnessing of His death, burial, and resurrection, until our course is complete and we are called Home.

I love each of you and pray for you daily,

Dado III

( Gene )

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

Springdale, Arkansas 72764

United States of America

“We never know that God is all we need

until He becomes all that we have.”

Dear Grands,

2 Timothy 4:6b-8, “…the time of my departure has come.

7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith;

8 in the future there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day; and not only to me, but also to all who have loved His appearing.”

Much like the Apostle Paul, Rose Marie knew that her time on Earth was short. One day in the ICU at Regional, she said to me, “We may not get out of this,” meaning she might not survive. I tried to talk her down on that issue, but she knew her time was shortening.

When the LORD’s time came to call her Home, He let her know. She had a B-Pac on to force oxygen into her nose and lungs, and she said to Teri, “Call Alicia and have her come.” Alicia one of our closest friends. She arrived at the hospital in a matter of minutes. Rose Marie then wrote what she desired: “Circle of Life Hospice.” She wanted to go there.

She was at Circle of Life for less than a week, when she yielded to the LORD’s beckoning to leave this Earth for a Heavenly home. She was surrounded by family when she breathed her last. It was exactly what she wanted because she obeyed the LORD to the letter. It was His will and she was compliant.

She had ‘fought the good fight.” Saved at age 16 (the first in her family), she was instrumental in leading her sister, Lou, and her mother, Gladys, to faith in Christ. I have always believed that the LORD answered her prayer for her father’s salvation. Whether that is true is something that she alone now knows.

Her departure from this Earth was indeed the LORD’s timing. She had indeed “fought the good fight”; and her “course” had been faithfully run. She had “kept the faith.” That which our LORD had for her to do was finished. It was time for her to rest, and now she is at rest.

My sweet and lovely wife was a beautiful lady inside and out. Her love for the LORD allowed her to love me and me to love her. She was possessed of a delightful humor that was sometimes revealed through a mischievous wink. We lived a happy and joyous life together for 64 years! In a similar manner, what was said of President Lincoln, can now be said of her: “Now she belongs to the ages.”

Dado III

( Gene )

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

Springdale, Arkansas 72764

United States of America

“We never know that God is all we need

until He becomes all that we have.”

Dear Grands,

2 Corinthians 5:8, “…absent from the body … at home with the Lord.”

At 85 years of age and with multiple physical complications, her frail body had had its toll.

She was a vibrant witness of the LORD Jesus Christ right to the end. Every nurse, every doctor, every therapist that attended her learned of the LORD Jesus Christ.

“I know the LORD Jesus Christ as my Savior, and I know where I’m going,” she said.

Surrounded by family and a few, close friends, she drew her last laboring breath and awoke in the presence of the Savior.

Funeral service preparations are underway, where once again the message of the LORD will be hearlded. May those who have ears to hear come to the Cross for His Salvation.

Your prayers for me and my family (Richard, Teri, and Robert and their families) will be most lovingly appreciated.

Dado III

(Gene)

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

Springdale, Arkansas 72764

United States of America

“We never know that God is all we need

until He becomes all that we have.”

Dear Grands,

Ephesians 5:16-17, “Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men, but as wise,

16 making the most of your time, because the days are evil.

17 So then do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.”

In earlier verses, the Apostle Paul denounced evil, pagan practices. It’s important to remember that only one rotten apple will spoil an entire barrel of apples; but one good

apple can never redeem a barrel of rotten ones.

So, be careful how you walk, how you live. Be wise, not foolish, thinking that somehow you will overcome evil if you just associate with it only a little. That never works! It’s the devil’s trick. And why is this alarm from the apostle so important? It’s because the days are evil.

Listen, when I was a boy (granted that was quite some time ago), the biggest evil known in our neighborhood was that the woman who lived across the street smoked cigarettes! That’s not what’s going on today!!! Don’t kid yourself! Be wise!

What’s wise? Understanding the will of the LORD is wise. But how do I know what His will is? How can I discover it for my own life? READ THE BIBLE DAILY! Spend tiem in PRAYER! If you don’t understand what you read, ask someone you trust to help you. But,

For the most part, the Holy Spirit will reveal the meaning of the Bible to you.

Go for it! Believe! March humbly, but proudly for the way of King Jesus!

We love you and continue to pray for you,

Nana & Dado III

(Rose Marie & Gene)

P. S. Rose Marie is comatose. She cannot (as far as we know) utter the smallest prayer.

Yet, I know her habits. She would be praying for you and she would be urging you

to act exactly as described above. I miss her already. Please pray for me.

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

Springdale, Arkansas 72764

United States of America

“We never know that God is all we need

until He becomes all that we have.”