We just wanted to say thank you to everyone who was able to attend Thatcher's memorial service, everyone who wrote on a card how Thatcher had impacted their lives, everyone who has donated to the Thatcher Caleb Memorial, and everyone who has prayed for Thatcher and continues to pray for us. We appreciate it more than you know, and more than our words can express. Below is the slideshow that was played during the service. (it's about 10 minutes long)
We have found encouragement in the words that were written on the scrap book paper, here are a few of the many that blessed our hearts:
"Thatcher changed the way I pray... All glory to our loving, sweet, faithful Jesus"
"It's so hard to find the right words to express the impact your son, Thatcher Caleb, has had on me and my family. Even through I never had the privilege to meet your precious angel, he has changed the way I think, pray and praise our lord! During the past 3 months I have found that I pray harder and turn to God much more quickly than before. How it it that an infant, an angel of God, has had such a perfect impact? It is because God is perfect and that is what I saw in baby Thatcher... perfection"
"God used His servant, Thatcher, in so many incredible ways.
- to unite a community in prayer and compassion
- to encourage my girls to use their gifts to bless others
- to soften our hearts for the 'least of these'
- to fight diligently for the things of the Lord
- to urge and mommy and daddy to seize every moment
- to hope in the Lord always
- to loosen our grip of earthly things, when the Lord calls us home"
"(from a 6 yr. old) I think Thatcher is sweet. I prayed for him a lot. I love him."
"Thatcher has showed me how precious life truly is. No matter how many days we are here on this human earth, we are capable of impacting millions. We can move mountains. He brought believers in Christ closer to God, and he has brought non-believers to their knees..."
Believe us, the list goes on and on, and don't get us wrong, this is not about what Thatcher did, this is about what God was able to do through our precious son. As the first one here says (and so many others) all glory to our God.
As parents, however, we have certainly found encouragement and hope in your notes as we can tangibly see the impact that God used Thatcher to make on this world. We'd love to hear from those who were not able to be there, it is truly incredible to see how God was able to use Thatcher's life to bring glory to God. We would love to hear specific stories of when God used Thatcher's life in your life. To be able to see exactly how God moved in a situation, or how God orchestrated a situation in which Thatcher's life and his story became a jumping point of talking about God's grace, or God's goodness, that's what we would love to hear about, that's what we as a church need to be observant of. We need to seek God's hand in everything, we need to seek His face, and attribute to Him the praise He deserves for what He is doing among us and in our lives.
With that said, we wanted to let everyone know that we are working on the Thatcher Caleb Memorial, we are trying to understand all the in's and out's that it entails in terms of paperwork and documentation and all that jazz, but more than that we are seeking God's will in terms of what our mission and goal will be, and how we go about achieving that. Please be patient with us as we seek God's will for the Thatcher Caleb Memorial, and please pray for us that we would be good stewards, and that we would be wise, and that we would honor God. And thank you so much to everyone who has donated!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S4xYK_BnLgg
ReplyDeleteThatcher's life completely changed the way I look at mine. I am quicker to pray, quicker to be thankful for the blessings that God has given to us and quicker to acknowledge the presence of the Lord in everyday situations.
Whitney, the song I posted above reminds me so much of you and your courage during this whole ordeal. You and Eric are such perfect examples of God's love for us.
The Lord used Thatcher to change thousands of lives. Thank you for sharing your little boy with the world.
Kristen
I was at the service, which was beautifully done, and know of many from my school that came that are not believers but have been inspired by your faith. I believe the service alone, though I imagine incredibly hard for you, had a huge impact on those that do not believe. You got to share and display the hope and joy that we have in Christ because we can trust in the fact that we will be reunited with HIM and other believers one day and your sweet baby Thatcher!
ReplyDeleteI want you to know that I have shared in your journey through prayer and tears and conversation since before he was even born. I am a HUGE worrier and know that that is a trait that is not of Christ. In the past many months there have been many huge changes in my life that are completely out of my control and I have truly been calm about them because I am intently aware of what you all have gone through as a family. It has put so many things in perspective and allowed me to realize that time is precious and few and these are truly not things I need to fret over because God is in full control. There are so many more people out there that are going through difficult things in life and I would rather be a prayer warrior for them then to waste time worrying about my own issues. This may not seem big to you or even make sense but it has really given me some peace and perspective! Thank you for sharing your lives with us and thank you for allowing my life to be touched by God and your sweet baby! I continue to think of you all every day and pray for peace and joy!
Love,
Colleen
Dear Whitney, I watched Thatcher’s slide show and I’m overwhelmed. I’m so sorry I couldn’t make it to the memorial. I want you to know that even though I was in Africa, my heart was with you.
ReplyDeleteI wanted you to know how much Thatcher has changed how I pray. I honestly don’t know if I’ve ever prayed for anything more strongly in my life than I did for God to heal him. About the same time I first heard of Thatcher’s complications I had been studying the gospels, when Jesus was out teaching and there were 5,000 men there with them along with the disciples. I remember the disciples went to Jesus and told him the people needed to be fed but there was no way for them to do it, so they told JESUS (the guy they’ve watched do miracle after miracle) that he just needed to send them home because they couldn’t feed them.
I remember reading that and thinking, wow, these guys have seen THE miracle maker, first-hand, do miracle after miracle and even now their faith is so small. I thought, they turned around and had a conversation with Jesus about what they couldn’t do instead of just asking for the miracle. I decided right then that I wouldn’t be the person that just talked about things and didn’t have faith enough to ask God for the big, giant things. I wondered how often He is probably begging me to ask Him to do great and mighty things. I want my faith to be big!
Just as I was asking God to help my faith be big I heard about Thatcher and a couple other situations that I needed to ask God miracles for. So I began asking the miracle-maker for those miracles. God almost immediately worked out some things in other situations and I was astounded. Thatcher was a long journey of prayer and begging for me. I don’t know why God’s plans for Thatcher were to not stay with you, but I know I trust Gods plan even when I don’t understand.
I know part of Thatcher’s journey was to teach me to ask God to be fully who He is, a God of miracles; and also a journey of faith and trust even when I don’t understand.
Thank you for letting me be a part of the journey with you (from a distance) by sharing your story.
Love & Prayers,
Sherry Naron
Whitney,
ReplyDeleteYou probably don't even remember me, as we were just college acquaintances, but I followed your story and your blog for the last few months and your faith and walk in this journey has really changed my life. I prayed for Thatcher and for you all many, many days.
I'm pregnant and your story has helped me to hold everything in light of eternity.
Your journey has caused me to press into God in new ways, and paved the way for me to have deep encounters with Him and revelation of His character that I did not have before.
Your journey and Thatcher's life have taught me things about life and God that I would not have otherwise sought out in this season.
Thank you for sharing your journey with us.
-Jackie Blankenship (Braun)
Just watched Thatcher's Memorial Video with my kids. Thank you for sharing this. I cried while they asked questions about Thatcher:) We will continue to pray for you both and your whole family, as I can't even begin to imagine what you're all going through. We love you both, even though we don't know you, we know we are brothers and sisters in Christ. God has, and will continue to use Thatcher's life and your story, i know it.
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautiful slide show of your precious Thatcher. I'm a friend of Cheryl Merrill in Canyon, TX, and I have prayed for your family from the beginning. Your faith, courage, and love is such a witness to others. Thatcher Caleb touched thousands and you may never know how many came to faith in our Lord because of your story, and that will affect generations to come. It is truly a never ending story of love and faith. May the Lord bless you and keep you,
ReplyDeleteI do not know you except through this blog, but I felt like I needed to let you know that Thatcher Caleb touched my life as did you, Whitney and Erik. Your faith never failed to amaze me. I cannot imagine what you must be going through at this time but please know that my family and myself fell in love with your beautiful baby boy and I can't wait to meet him one day!
ReplyDeleteWhitney n eric I didn't know I lost your numberand email.....sorry for your lost he was loved .....y'all will always be in my prayer ....this is jasmine wardby the way
ReplyDeleteJust thinking about you all today.
ReplyDeleteSimple, but true, through Thatcher God has taught me the laundry and mopping can wait. It is much more important to hold close those you cherish. Daniel and I have prayed and continue to pray for you all.
ReplyDeleteEric & Whitney,
ReplyDeleteI am still praying for you daily. I would love for you to update your blog and let us know how your journey continues and how we can pray for & support you