After my brother was born, doctors told my mother that she would never ever have anymore children. Ten years later, God proved them wrong by letting me be born. Several times I asked the Lord what mission HE would have me carry out, so very early in my life I learned from God what my mission in life was to be. It was to introduce JESUS to my brother, Ed. Many times, I said to the Lord, “But what if I fail to reach him for You?
One time, I prayed all the way across the country, that I would be able to talk to Ed about his soul. When Margaret and I got to his house, Ed and I talked some, but not enough.
A few months before he passed away, I went with him to a University of Alabama at Birmingham football game. He had received two tickets for it. We had a great time. He said I wore him out because we walked so far from the car to the stadium! I think it was that evening that I had a chance to go through the Scriptures, word-by-word, on how to be saved, so the seed was planted! It was all in God's Hands! I was more-than-thankful that I had spent the most valuable time with Ed, ever!
Two and a half months later, the Lord spoke to my heart and said, “Jerry, write Ed a letter just like the type of letters you send out when you work at Head Start.”
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This letter was written as quoted in the following:
Dear Ed, October 4, 2003
Thank you for calling me and letting me know
about your visit to the doctor. One thing that
people tell me when I go to the hospital
is “you're always looking up when you're lying
in a hospital bed. UP refers to where GOD and
JESUS live. In other words, you have more time
to stop, look, listen, and pray to the FATHER
THROUGH JESUS! In addition to looking up,
you'll get a rest that you probably need anyway.
But the most important thing you can do before
such a drastic shock to your body is to have all
things right (knowing for sure that JESUS is in
your heart) before you go under the knife,
for it is GOD who controls how long you live,
not the doctors and nurses.
If I knew that there was a chance that I might die
either during surgery, or even a few days after
surgery, due to complications,
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I would ask JESUS to come into my heart
and forgive me of all my sins, past, present, and
future so I wouldn't have to burn forever in darkness
with no one to speak to and no one to speak to me,
forever, 24 hours a day. I wouldn't look forward to
thousands of lifetimes of PAIN and TORMENT,
where there's “...weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
Also, no man can invite JESUS
into his heart while he's in a coma. The most
thing a person does in this life is accept JESUS,
and JESUS does miracle-after-miracle every day
in changing both good and horrible people into
caring, loving people that love JESUS more than
anything else in this world. They are either in the
Beautiful Garden of Heaven or on their way.
I promise you that you will
never forget what I have written, for the Holy Spirit
will always keep this in your memory, and it's not
too late right now.
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I wish I could make this decision for you,
but GOD created you to make your own choice,
but I can PRAY and PRAY.
Here are your choices:
Mom will be so excited if you mark this blank
and do it.
_________Check this blank if you are inviting JESUS
into your heart.
_________Don't check this blank (You have made your
choice by doing nothing, and this data is
recorded in the books that GOD keeps.)
I love you so much, for you have been more than a brother to me. You have been a friend. You've always been generous to me. My mind goes back to my childhood and teen years, and I see you giving and giving, and giving some more. Even when you wanted to be with your friends, you minded Mom and took care of me. You gave me your time. We went on a lot of fun-filled ski trips...Sorry about cracking the windshield on your car and losing your keys!
In addition you gave me your love, and you gave me your wisdom. When I went on my first date, you loaned me your brand-new 1957 Mercury, which was only a week old.
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As a bonus, I learned from your tough experiences in life. They helped me learn how to make good decisions so I wouldn't fall into the same hardships that you fell into. I can't begin to thank you enough for all you've done for me. If I have wronged you in any way, please forgive me.
I value you, my dear brother, so highly that I don't want anything negative to happen to you. It is my prayer that my life will be taken before yours so that everything I've ever said to you about JESUS, HIS truth, and the joy of being in HIS Family will be written in indelible ink in your mind, for, to me, “To live is CHRIST, and to die is gain.” I want you to know that with tears I'm writing this from the bottom of my heart, for your fellowship is precious to me. I love you; I love YOU. You're my very, very special only brother!!!Love,
Jerry
Sunday night, after services, Margaret told the leadership of our church that my brother was having trouble with his heart, so they gathered together for both of Ed's hearts, his spiritual and physical hearts.
Two days after the letter above was written, Margaret and I drove to Dr. Edward Ferguson's house. Edward is my nephew and my brother was about to be admitted to the hospital because something suspicious had turned up during his heart test I had made a copy of the letter I had written Ed and handed it to him in the car. He read the letter but didn't say anything. Later, he asked for a piece of paper to fill out his will.
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The next morning we found out that Ed just needed a pacemaker, so we knew that the prayers back home that were offered Sunday night had worked!
Two and a half weeks later, I receive a message on the answering machine from Ed junior saying, “Dad has taken a turn for the worst.” When I call back he says “Dad is gone.” I say “That can't be; we prayed for his heart, and it was made well.” Ed says, “Oh no, it wasn't his heart that took him; it was his diabetes.” Then I say, “Did he give his heart to JESUS?” He says “in his own way.” This is not what I wanted to hear.
We head for Alabaster in Alabama. The devil keeps hounding me in my mind with “I have him, I have him,” and I say, over and over again, “Satan, you're a liar!” When we get to Alabaster, I run upstairs; no letter. I run downstairs to the kitchen, and there's no letter on my right. Then, on my left I seer the envelope and know that the letter is inside it. I open it slowly. That's not the checked blank on the first page. That's not the checked blank on the second page, nor the third page. Then I come to the fourth page. There on the blank, in blue ink, it says, “I am accepting JESUS into my heart. This is the priceless check mark that I have been looking for!! Thank you JESUS for two miracles, the miracle of saving the heart inside Ed's body and the miracle of saving his soul which just left for Heaven!! I scream as loud as I can, HE DID IT; HE DID IT!!! He accepted JESUS into his heart. JESUS is officially glorified, and my mission in life is now completed. Remember, JESUS said, “It is finished,” after his mission was completed (John 19:3). Was my mission completed? Read God Is Taking Over Nicaragua to find out.
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