| Update May - June 2011 |
| Orchestras & Choirs Serving in God's Love |
| Update # 24 |
| If the sound in the video is choppy...Pause the video and wait for it to load before viewing it. |
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Symphonies of Hope– Choirs of Faith
| But let me reveal to you a wonderful secret. We will not all die, but we will a moment, in the blink of an eye, when the last trumpet is blown. For when the trumpet sounds, those who have died will be raised to live forever. And we who are living will also be transformed. For our dying bodies must be transformed into bodies that will never die; our mortal bodies must be transformed into immortal bodies. Then, when our dying bodies have been transformed into bodies that will never die, this Scripture will be fulfilled: “Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” 1 Corinthians 15:51-55 |
| At the end of April we were still in Mexico preparing to start a new group of young people in Gomez Palacio on violins... but a series of events unfolded which changed everything in our little world. It began with a phone message that Chris's mom had fallen and was in temporary nursing care. We had expected that sooner or later we would bee called to Missouri but it wasn't the first fall she had taken and so it seemed that perhaps it was just another small setback for her that would soon be resolved. Although she had cancer first in 1994 and it had gone into remission and then it had been diagnosed again in 2010, we somehow couldn't imagine that she really would someday be gone. So we went to Missouri expecting to be there for several months with her before she would eventually pass away. In reality we barely had four weeks with her and the end came as a surprise to all of us. We are very thankful for the time we did have and that she was so clear minded through it all. We had many happy moments and were able to visit the zoo together up until the day before she left us. There is a huge hole in our lives that she filled so well...She was ever the encourager, always filled with joy, studying the Bible and the affairs of Israel, smiling, cheering everyone on with enthusiasm....ready with a hug, and waiting for a phone call... a constant in our life of changes. She was always ministering to others at Maranatha where she was living as well. She was our greatest "prayer warrior". She will be dearly missed by all who knew her. This update is dedicated to her memory... She, and her love of beautiful music, is the one who truly inspired us to begin Symphonies of Hope and to continue through whatever trials we have faced over the years. |
| Quick Summary |
| Goodbye Grandma Bev & Mom |
| On to Flint, Michigan... |
| Goodbye Uncle Allan |
| When we drove to Missouri to be with Beverly we thought we might be there for several months. We were uncertain at first what our role really would be. We wanted to bring Mom back home to her apartment and help her to live out the rest of her time as normally as possible... but would she want to go back home?... Would we be able to keep her comfortable?...Would our children be to difficult to keep quiet and calm at all times in her apartment?... Would the doctors allow it?... We had many questions but no way to know the answers. When we arrived she was in good spirits. The doctors had started her on steroids to reduce the swelling of the tumors that were now growing in her brain as well as her lung. These steroids made her face and feet swollen but a good side effect was that she felt good enough to be hungry. She was able to stand and walk a few steps but needed the wheelchair and needed assistance for bathing and getting in and out of bed. The first few days she was somewhat uncertain about returning to her apartment. The doctor had said over and over that she really needed professional caretakers and that family members seldom would do a good job caring for a parent. But soon we made preparations...We were ready to prove him wrong! We got a hospital bed and moved it to her apartment right near a large window that looked out into the edge of the woods. There is a lot of wildlife there... deer, birds, wild turkeys, etc. and we knew she would enjoy this view! The children were very excited and helped rearrange and decorate before the big homecoming day. We hung a privacy curtain in front of her area and put several arm chairs near her bed. We really had no idea when we arrived what a blessing it would be to spend these final weeks with her. Elizabeth and Sarah stayed with her at night and we all took turns by day. The girls enjoyed making special little meals for her and bringing them on a special tray. They gave her a little bell to ring when she needed help. They brought her flowers to keep near her bed. She told us all stories of her life and of her growing up years. We looked at pictures together and sorted some papers together. We built a ramp so we could take her out easily in the van... Then we were able to go to the zoo together (only 5 minutes from her apartment) for an hour every few days or go to a restaurant for lunch together. We were all enjoying the time so much that we really didn't notice that she was weakening. She did fall asleep easily and that happened more often during the last week. But we all still planned to do many things together. On June 9th we were all ready for bed and decided to sing a few songs around her bed before we left for the night. After our songs we began to pray with her and she suddenly said a prayer so strongly for each of us by name that I thought of Biblical accounts of receiving a special blessing at the deathbed of Jacob... The last part of her prayer she asked with tears that God would not let her lose her ability to think clearly before she died. We all said goodnight and went to bed thinking that tomorrow we would go see the elephants take their bath at the zoo in the morning together. The next morning, June 10th, Elizabeth called us. She said Beverly was unusually weak. That she wasn't able to get her back into bed on her own. We quickly got dressed and rushed to the apartment. We lifted her into bed and she laughed about it, saying that she couldn't understand what was the problem. Her knees were hurting and so we put hot water bags on her legs. I thought her color seemed unusual but she was as cheerful as ever. She was looking at her hands and saying..."It is so strange...I woke up this morning and these hands don't seem to be mine!" I asked if they were numb and she said no....They just seem to belong to someone else." She asked if we would put her in the arm chair to help her legs. She said her eyes were blurry and watering... Then she looked straight into my eyes and smiled as we lifted her to the chair. Chris asked her if she was comfortable and she replied" Oh yes! I am really comfortable now. She looked at each of us and smiled. Then she closed her eyes and appeared to fall asleep. We sat at her bedside in turns all night and the next day hoping she would wake up again, but she never regained consciousness and passed away the following day at 3pm. Later as we were looking through papers we found the death certificate of her husband who had died in 1994... The date was June 10th and the hour was at 10:45 am... the exact time that she fell asleep. She remained unresponsive until the following day when she quietly passed away at 3:00PM... June 11 was her mother's birthday. I know that dates were special to her... I think she would have been pleased. Though we were sad that she was gone and that our time together had been so short, we were thankful that she had gone so peacefully and that she had received the request she had asked the night before. She will be missed by all of us... she was a very remarkable woman...living her faith out in a very tangible way and providing an incredible example for us all. She always had a kind word of encouragement for anyone who crossed her path and was loved and appreciated by many people. |
| It was a struggle for us to pack up and leave Missouri only 2 days after the funeral, but Beverly's twin sister Barbie in Flint, Michigan was facing the imminent death of her husband as well. They had just been in Missouri 4 weeks earlier and had returned to Flint when Allan had felt ill. Upon their return they were shocked to discover that he had a very fast moving pancreatic cancer and was only expected to live less than a month. They have no children so we felt we should come and do our best to help her through her transition to living alone. We arrived in Flint about a week before he passed away. At that time he was no longer able to talk. Just days before he had been up and walking around. While we were there we sang at his bedside. It appeared he knew we were there but couldn't speak to us. On the day after their 60th wedding anniversary 2 pastors from their church came and read the Lord's prayer and the 23rd Psalm at his bedside. As they finished he passed away. We decided to stay in Michigan for a few more weeks to provide comfort and support to Chris's Aunt and to make the necessary repairs to our camper before we start our next trek south. Uncle Allan was greatly respected by many in the community and will certainly be missed. |
| Symphonies of Hope Chris & Coleen Anderson P.O. Box 1061, Pharr, TX 78577 In the U.S. : 608 - 313 - HOPE Message phone in U.S. : 956-781-5133 Email: chriscoleen@symphoniesofhope.org Email: chriscoleen@choirsoffaith.org |
| SymphoniesOfHope.Org ChoirsOfFaith.Org SinfoniasDeEsperanza.Org CorosDeFe.Org |
| All Together For a Few Days |
| Noah had planned to come join us in Missouri when we were staying with Mom. She looked forward to his arrival and we all had made plans to play our instruments together for her. Unfortunately he arrived 2 days too late and she was already gone. He was able to be there for the funeral and for the two weeks after. The only day the chapel could have the service was only a day away. We only had Monday to prepare everything...the arrangements at the funeral home, the music for us to play, the programs to give the people who attended, flowers, the poem Beverly had written and wanted us to give to the people... and none of us had more than a few hours of sleep in the past 2 days. Dwight had sent Elizabeth by airplane to Flint to bring Beverly's twin sister to the funeral...but in the end she couldn't come because her husband was also dying. Elizabeth arrived in St louis 10 minutes after her connecting flight had departed... So in order to get her back in time for the funeral Dwight had to drive 3 hours to St Louis and 3 hours back (arriving one hour before the funeral began). Joseph, Pattijane, and Hannah drove up to Springfield from McAllen Texas to be at the funeral, arriving late the night before the service. We were all numb and weary when the service began but it was a beautiful service... one of the most special parts to me was hearing different people tell how she had impacted their lives. Our family along with Chris's brother Dwight and his wife Theresa played our violins and cellos... Jonathan played As the Deer, a song he had been working on during the time we cared for Mom. Sarah played Kum-ba-ya on the piano...a song her Grandmother had worked on with her in the past few weeks. Although it was a sad time for all of us it was nice to have the family together again, if only for a few days. It was a special remembrance of her life and of how she inspired all of us to do the things we do now... and I could imagine her there alongside us playing her violin. |
| Noah Heads Back to Columbia |
| Noah was able to be with us through the time of Beverly's funeral and for the time of Allan's funeral. We changed his ticket so he could leave from Detroit. The time went all too quickly and soon it was time to go again. He took a few small violins back with him for the group of students that he started at the school where he works. He now has two small groups of about 6-7 each. His school wants to order 5 more violins for his classes. Those will soon be sent to Baranquilla. He seems to be doing well in Columbia. As sponsorship coordinator, he has a lot of paperwork to fill out each month and many letters from children to their sponsors to translate. It sounds like they keep him pretty busy! |
| This month has been very challenging to us. We hope to get back on the road soon. Every four years we need to change the cover of our camper as travelling can be hard on the insulation inside and it begins to degrade after a while so we will be here a few weeks longer. We plan to visit the group in Pharr and the groups in Monterrey before heading south into Guatemala. As always we love to hear from you so please drop us a line if you can! Blessings to All! With Love, Chris, Coleen, Elizabeth, Sarah, Jonathan, and Samuel |
| Conclusion |
| It is the same way with the resurrection of the dead. Our earthly bodies are planted in the live forever. Our bodies are buried in brokenness, but they will be raised in glory. They are buried in weakness, but they will be It is the same way with the resurrection of the raised in strength. They are buried as natural dead. Our earthly bodies are planted in the human bodies, but they will be raised as ground when we die, but they will be raised to spiritual bodies. For just as there are natural bodies, there are also spiritual bodies. 1 Corinthians 15:42-44 |
| Earlier this year with the she played with at Maranatha |
| Our children so much enjoyed the time they had with their Grandmother before she passed away. |
| Beverly Jean Anderson Sept. 10, 1928 - June 11, 2011 |
