Dear Praying Friends and Family,
You all have been so very faithful to pray for my loved ones and i wanted to share with you how GOD has been faithful to answer your prayers for my dear friend, mentor, and spiritual mother Betty Eudy. Two weeks ago, i sent out an "urgent" prayer request asking you to pray for Mrs. Eudy who was scheduled to have emergency surgery. Many of you wrote me back and told me you were praying for Mrs. Eudy and how very grateful i am to you. Mrs. Eudy has had numerous health challenges through the years, including being very sensitive to medications and has numerous food allergies. When we were told she was going to have to have surgery, we knew she would be receiving numerous medications, including anesthesia, that could possibly be life threatening to her if she had a bad allergic reaction. GOD heard the prayers of HIS children, and though Mrs. Eudy definitely has had some challenges, she has made it through her surgery remarkably well, and she continues to rehabilitate in one of our local facilities. I praise GOD for answering your cries for her....thank you so much prayer warriors, and thank you, LORD JESUS.
I left our church service tonight after i finished playing and decided to go by and see Mrs. Eudy in the place where she is in rehab. She was lying in her bed watching TV when i got there and had just finished supper. While i was there the sweetest and prettiest young nurse (she reminded me of our dear daughter who is in her last semester of nursing school) came and helped her get ready for bed. Once she got her "PJ's" on, we had the opportunity to have another sweet time of fellowship....one of many we have been able to have since she has been in the hospital and now rehabilitation. We often talk about our children, church, ballgames (Mrs. Eudy is a HUGE sports fan-Alabama, Auburn, and Braves), but always our conversation comes back to the LORD....everything is centered in CHRIST with Mrs. Eudy, because HE is her life.
This past week the LORD helped me to remember the very first time i ever heard of this spiritual giant of a woman who has suffered in the flesh with physical illness over 30 years. Johnny and i were engaged, and he was in a discipleship class at First Baptist. Mrs. Eudy was in the class with Johnny and she gave him a set of tapes by Dr. John MacArthur, www.gty.org on The Family. I was attending the University of Montevallo at the time, and i can remember those cassette tapes sitting on my old dresser down there in my dorm room in Hanson...the oldest dorm on campus. GOD used the teaching on those tapes to changed the direction of our family...even though we were not married yet. I was in college pursuing a degree so i could have a career, and all of the sudden Dr. MacArthur was teaching out of Titus 2 about being a homemaker, and the importance of a godly mother raising her children, and being "at home," to do that. He didn't mean you are bound to the inside of your house all the time, but he meant making your family your "career," instead of working outside the home and trying to juggle a family too. Some women certainly are in a position of not having a choice, but he taught us that GOD's pattern for the family is for the Mother to be a "full time," mom if possible, and invest your life in your family without the stressors of working outside the home. So, that really set me and Johnny to thinking that's what we wanted me to do...to be able to stay home with the children. GOD really blessed that "desire of our hearts," and blessed me with being home with our children. In my sickness, i didn't really have a choice, but, we were able to homeschool them, and because I was sick, it took away outside pressure to work outside the home.
GOD used Mrs. Eudy to introduce us to Dr. John MacArthur's biblical expository preaching, and GOD used his teaching greatly to disciple my husband and influence the way that he preached and taught the WORD of GOD. When Johnny was in seminary, we had the privilege of hearing Dr. MacArthur speak at a Pastor's Conference in Richardson, Tx,. GOD brought another tremendous blessing into our lives through that meeting- Gary and Anne Marie Ezzo, www.gfi.org who were leading a parenting seminar at the Pastor's Conference. Gary was on staff at John MacArthur's church at the time, and little did we know the blessing GOD had in store for us through that one little seminar we went to about parenting. We didn't even have kids at the time, but Johnny bought their cassettes about training infants how to sleep through the night, and feed them on a flexible schedule instead of demand feeding. Later when we got pregnant with John Mac we listened to their teaching and it helped us get him on a schedule and GOD eventually blessed us with more of their teaching for training our children and we were blessed to share that teaching with many young couples in our younger years....all this because Mrs. Betty Eudy shared John MacArthur with my husband in a Sunday night discipleship training class. Amazing isn't it how GOD uses our lives to influence and impact others in ways we can't imagine for good and for bad.
GOD used Mrs. Eudy to introduce us to Dr. John MacArthur's biblical expository preaching, and GOD used his teaching greatly to disciple my husband and influence the way that he preached and taught the WORD of GOD. When Johnny was in seminary, we had the privilege of hearing Dr. MacArthur speak at a Pastor's Conference in Richardson, Tx,. GOD brought another tremendous blessing into our lives through that meeting- Gary and Anne Marie Ezzo, www.gfi.org who were leading a parenting seminar at the Pastor's Conference. Gary was on staff at John MacArthur's church at the time, and little did we know the blessing GOD had in store for us through that one little seminar we went to about parenting. We didn't even have kids at the time, but Johnny bought their cassettes about training infants how to sleep through the night, and feed them on a flexible schedule instead of demand feeding. Later when we got pregnant with John Mac we listened to their teaching and it helped us get him on a schedule and GOD eventually blessed us with more of their teaching for training our children and we were blessed to share that teaching with many young couples in our younger years....all this because Mrs. Betty Eudy shared John MacArthur with my husband in a Sunday night discipleship training class. Amazing isn't it how GOD uses our lives to influence and impact others in ways we can't imagine for good and for bad.
Mrs. Eudy introduced me to Elisabeth Elliot, www.elisabethelliot.org...who also became a huge spiritual mentor and mother to me. I remember her telling me that Elisabeth Elliot was going to be speaking at the Tennessee Valley Women's Conference and i signed up to go. I and a friend of mine followed Elisabeth Elliot around like a shadow soaking in everything we could at that conference. Funny, Elisabeth Elliot was very intimidating to me and not the easiest person to talk to one on one. But when she spoke from the podium she was anointed with the Holy Spirit and the words of life GOD gave her fed our thirsty souls. At that conference, this young wide eyed twenty something year old was sitting on the front row listening to Elisabeth Elliot. When Elisabeth got through speaking she came down and sat right beside me in the empty seat. The conference leader asked us to turn to our right and massage the person's neck on our right...Elisabeth Elliot was on my right! I was afraid to touch her and barely massaged her neck. Then she said turn to your left and massage the person on your left...Elisabeth Elliot was massaging my neck now! She had the firmest hands and gave me a great neck massage...later i read in one of her books that Jim Elliot's mom was a chiropractor and she had learned some things from her. Funny, as i reflect on this...we named our son, John MacArthur, after Pastor John MacArthur, and we named our daughter, after Elisabeth Elliot...both spiritual mentor's that Mrs. Eudy introduced us too.
Mrs. Eudy was a career woman herself when she got sick in her early 40's. She had a bustling household with three children and she and her husband Eugene were in the midst of a busy life raising their children, working, ministering through their church, and taking care of their elderly parents. Mrs. Eudy was Alabama's Young Woman of the Year, at one point. She used to get up at 3:30 a.m. so she could have her quiet time and get everything done for her family before going to work as a professor at our local college. She was beginning to work on her doctorate when GOD had another plan. Mrs. Eudy was bitten by a tick, and she got very, very sick. Through numerous doctors, she finally received a diagnosis, and was stabilized. She was no longer able to teach and had to give up her career. Her life now was mostly at home, and when she was able she attended church. Her husband and family cared for her now, instead of her being able to care for everyone as she once had.
When i got sick, in my late 20's, Mrs. Eudy was there for me. I remember calling her early in my sickness, bewildered by what GOD was doing to me. She was always there for me, and she set a great example to me of how you can suffer and have a cheerful spirit. She and her family always found a way to laugh at difficult circumstances and she is the epitome of the verse, "a cheerful heart is good medicine."
She became the greatest prayer warrior for our family praying for us so diligently through the years. Who can know what our family and countless others, owe to her diligent and faithful prayers for us and our loves ones through the years. Mrs. Eudy may have been limited physically in her ability to go and do like others, but GOD used her prayers to reach and move lives, including our family far, far beyond her four walls for all eternity.
She became the greatest prayer warrior for our family praying for us so diligently through the years. Who can know what our family and countless others, owe to her diligent and faithful prayers for us and our loves ones through the years. Mrs. Eudy may have been limited physically in her ability to go and do like others, but GOD used her prayers to reach and move lives, including our family far, far beyond her four walls for all eternity.
When Mrs. Eudy gets out of rehab hopefully by the end of this week, she will be moving to Kentucky. Her daughter has picked out a beautiful apartment for her in a CHRISTian facility, and she will be living close to her daughter now where her daughter and family can help her easier. In this time of transition, Mrs. Eudy has taught me more lessons...that of acceptance and trusting in the LORD. It was difficult for her when she first learned she would be giving up her home, her church family, her bridge clubs, her beauty shop, and all that is familier to Mrs. Eudy to go and live in another place. She called me when they first made the decision and it wasn't easy. The origianl "plan" was to move her a couple of weeks ago, when GOD had a little detour planned, that of her emergency surgery. During that time, her kids all came home and got their Mom's house ready to sell, and they have an offer on it possibly. GOD has blessed us with Mrs. Eudy being in the hospital and rehab-because we have had time to go and spend with her before she moves on to the next place GOD has for her to love HIM and serve HIM. GOD has also used this time to help Mrs. Eudy accept and trust HIM to do what is best for her life. I have seen that transformation in her, and she has told me she has made a choice to be thankful and trust GOD. I know those aren't just words...i can sense the acceptance and peace in her heart. Tonight as i was tucking her in bed, and pulling the covers up over her shoulders, she looked at me and said, "I'm going to miss you, Mitzi." With tears in my eyes, I kissed her on the forehead and told her i am going to miss her too. Then to lighten the moment i said," i am only a phone call away." She laughed and said "yes, i'll be on Susan's plan now, and i can talk unlimited minutes" and we both laughed...she said, "Susan doesn't know how much i can talk on the phone!":).
I am so thankful i have another week to spend with this spiritual "giant," who has meant so much to me and my family and countless others, before the LORD moves her to minister to others, and to be ministered to by her family. Please continue to remember Mrs. Eudy in your prayers as she waits on the LORD to renew her strength day by day, and as she leaves her home in Athens, for her home in Kentucky, on her way to her permanent home in heaven with CHRIST whom she has loved and served so very faithfully in sickness and in health.
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| Mrs. Eudy with her son Michael on their annual family vacation last year. The whole family gathers for a weekend of fun and fellowship over Memorial Day weekend at beautiful Joe Wheeler State Park...they've had this family tradition for years. |
Today at church, we sang this beautiful song called "All I Once Held Dear," by Robin Mark http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oxpPIa-BskY. It reminds me of Mrs. Eudy...and the TREASURE that she holds so dear in her frail body...the TREASURE of knowing JESUS CHRIST. Her relationship with HIM has come at the loss of things she once held dear, but she will be the first to tell you, that HE is worth it all. I hope you will take time to prayerfully listen to these words. May the LORD use this song to draw each one of closer to HIM through the losses that each one of us goes through in this temporary life. May our prayer truly be to "count all things loss for the sake of knowing CHRIST JESUS our LORD." If you don't know JESUS as your LORD and SAVIOR, you can ask HIM to forgive you for your sins today and invite HIM to come and live inside of you. GOD loves you so much, HE sent JESUS to die for your sins and mine, that we might enjoy HIM now and forever. He wants to have an intimate relationship with each one of us....HE loves us so much.
Thank you, dear prayer warriors for your continued prayers for Mrs. Eudy during her rehab and time of transition to her new home in Kentucky. I love you and appreciate you so much.
With all HIS love,
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