Until That Day Dawns
On February 6th 2012, my mother, Betty MacDonald, was lifted to Heaven in the arms of her Saviour. She passed quickly with no fuss and no ado, so typical of my mother, who never wanted to cause anyone any bother. Yet, her whole life was spent serving others as the vast crowd at her funeral stood to testify to. She was a lovely lady and we will all miss her.
She would have rejoiced at her own funeral service, as she loved good hearty singing of hymns and the passage and solo were her favourites. One of Mum”s much-loved hymns was “I stand amazed in the presence of Jesus the Nazarene,” and we know that she was experiencing that amazement as we were singing the hymn. If the church door was open and services were on, mum was there. She left a gap in many ways, yet, if given the choice, she would not change being in the presence of the Lord for returning to this earth. As her favourite Scripture Psalm 27 says, “The Lord is my Light and my Salvation” and she is experiencing that to the full now.
We as a family, benefitted from her example of caring for others. Numerous people told us of the things mum did for them, from feeding them when they were hungry, to rescuing them from a life of alcohol, even to putting them in their place, when it was needed. She had a great gift of hospitality and caring for others and I hope we are able to follow that example a little.
Our father, Neil MacDonald, had, in mum, a faithful, strong woman, who stood by him through thick and thin and without her, he would not have achieved as much as he did in life. As children, each one of us knew we were faithfully prayed for throughout our lives. As missionaries, both Elizabeth”s family and ours have known what it is to have parents who prayed and supported us through many years and many travels. Mum and Dad came out to various countries we were involved with, to help out in mission activities, even though some of the work was difficult.
Our children, learnt much from their grandparents who especially enjoyed spending time with them when it was possible. During periods of deputation they came to where we were living and looked after our children while we travelled to the mainland for services. Their influence on these boys will live on for many years and has already helped them in many facets of their lives.
Many thanks to all who prayed, sent cards or phoned us over this sad time. We appreciate your participation in our grief and are very grateful to be part of the huge family of God!!! It is us, the left behind that feel bereft, even though we know it is only for a short time. How precious to have the knowledge that one day, in the not too distant future, we will meet again and the rejoicing will be a huge celebration. Mum loved celebrations and parties and you cannot imagine the party we will have when that day dawns!!!