Sunday, November 7, 2010

A Hero of the Faith


On Thursday of this week my wife called me in tears. Grammy had been taken to the hospital and was unconscious. It didn't look good. Now Grammy is an old woman of 80 something years and very frail. She has been in a declining mental state for a number of years even if her physical health has been pretty good. Nonetheless, I knew that this would probably mean the beginning of the end of her time with us here on earth.


I had recently been through something very similar with my own mother when she was diagnosed with advanced lung cancer in Oct of 2008. It was very hard on me at the time so even though I didn't have the same immediate tears that my wife was experiencing I remember the flood of emotion that comes when facing the potential loss of someone that you've known your entire life. Someone that you've come to take for granted as just part of your life…part of your paradigm…part of who you are. My wife has no exposure to her maternal grandparents so this is the first time she's experienced this. Its gut wrenching at best. I liken it to being punched in the stomach emotionally and you suddenly can't breathe. It's a terrible feeling and I wish very much I could take it from her so she wouldn't have to experience it. But alas, it is as much a part of life as losing baby teeth, first loves, or having children. We are ultimately made up of the sum of our experiences and this is one she has to experience to become.
As I was reflecting upon all of this from 1500 miles away in Madison, WI. I began to think of the person that Grammy was. And I was left with these thoughts...she was amazing and she is a Hero of mine.


Elva Hand Inzer experienced so much in this life. You won't find her in the Guinness book of records. There is probably not an article on her in Wikipedia. And CNN won't ever have her on their list of unsung heroes. But her story should be told. She was a wonderful combination of the American dream and God's plan for us. She married young to Lavern Inzer after his time serving our nation in the U.S. Navy during WWII in the pacific theater. They went to seminary together and then moved to northern Nevada to be Baptist missionaries and church planters. Together they preached and planted most of the Baptist churches in the region and were active there for almost 50 years. Our family all loves the stories of Lavern driving to 3+ different churches that were sometimes 100 miles apart on a single Sunday to preach. I especially like the stories of him riding on the trail with the cowboys and preaching to them as they drove the cattle. These are all great and inspiring. But what doesn't often get told is of the support system that it took to make that possible. That support system was Elva. She raised four children and took care of Lavern as well as the other duties that a preacher's wife had. If you know Baptist churches you can just imagine…Sunday school teaching, pot luck organizing, prayer group leading, choir singing, VBS planning, and the list goes on and on. Hers was a role that was behind the scenes and away from the accolades that many of us crave. She was constant and steady. What is that ole' saying? "Behind every good man there's a great woman". In this case it certainly was true.


I only really got to know Grammy over the last decade since her and Gramps (Lavern) finally retired and moved to Dallas. I fondly remember her smile and laugh and getting hugs from her every time we'd all be together. She liked spicy foods and ice cream. She loved life and her children and her grand children and her great grandchildren. And I love the fact that my two girls got to know their great grandmother. That is rare in this day and age. I just hope that they will someday appreciate the legacy of faith and faithfulness that she passed on to them. I certainly have come to understand it appreciate it.















Today on the way home from church we got the news that she had passed and gone on to be with the Lord. I was reminded of that scripture in psalms that talks about how God is touched by our passing from this life. "Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints." Psalm 116:15
She will be missed but we know she is now at peace and is starting to be introduced to her reward for all that she did during this life. I imagine that there are few in heaven that will be rewarded as much as her. She is certainly rich. Congratulations Grammy…you finished the race…you won the fight. I know that you'll be cheering the rest of us on.



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