My heart has been troubled lately. So much pain and loss around us right now and personally here at Finding His Purpose we have lost some very special people. Jesus speaking to his disciples tells them to not let their hearts be troubled and gives them comfort about what was to come. We must take comfort too. When we have no answers, we must put our trust in Him for what the future holds. “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me.” John 14:1

I want to honor these special people that made a difference in my life and many others. The first one is my brother, Randy Reed. Even though he was nine years older than me it really never seemed that way. Especially when we got older and had families of our own it wasn’t even a noticeable difference. We always kept in touch through all the changes in our lives. He would come visit us in Florida over Christmas time for about a month. We did lots of fun things with the family and had that old fashioned Christmas that he really enjoyed. He liked going with us to Finding His Purpose when he visited and attending the services at Calvary Chapel Melbourne. We always made a trip to the beach and his favorite spots to eat. One year all the family went on an air boat ride together and that sure is a great memory. Randy was a very positive person and always was just “fine”maybe even when he wasn’t, but I like to think that he got that trait from our mother Joy as she was the same through all her trials. He was always polite, kind, and respectful. He had a great laugh and could talk to you for hours about his past career or things he really enjoyed. He got pretty good at sending a text and we did communicate a lot that way. We spoke on the phone often too. My brother had a gift for sending cards for many occasions and never forgot your birthday! It was another way of keeping in touch in this busy world. I will miss these special things. Randy Reed went to be with the Lord on June 27, 2021 and he will be so missed by his family, friends and his church family in Texas. Thank you Randy for being a great brother.

Another person I want to remember is Gerry Lachapelle. We met Susan and Gerry about eight years ago at Calvary Chapel Melbourne. I met his wife Susan first while serving at the women’s information table. When we met Gerry it became a friendship right away for all of us. We all had a great time together and knew God had plans for our future. We were starting Finding His Purpose in 2014 and talked them into being our first co-leaders. Susan became ill and was in and out of the hospital and rehab for most of the next year. Gerry was always there to help and be her advocate for her care. It was a tough time for them but a good example of their strong love for each other and their love for the Lord. They both took every opportunity to talk with someone about Christ. We all remained friends all these years and through all these seasons. Gerry always had a wonderful sense of humor and a joke to tell. He was a great guy and a good friend especially to John. Always praying for others even while facing trials of their own. He showed great courage during his final battle here on earth and always thinking of his wife Susan through it all. He told John when he first got diagnosed with cancer that “ guess what I get to see Jesus first!” He was always looking on the bright side of situations. Yes Gerry you did win, you got to meet Jesus on July 3, 2021. We miss you. Thank you Gerry for being such a good friend and servant of God.

Yet another person I want to remember is Heide Olseen. Heide was always a kind and giving person. She was constantly praying for others and made a priority to ask how they were doing even when she was fighting her very own health battles. She always would light up the room when she entered and left no doubt that she was filled with the Holy Spirit. She had great concern for people who did not know Christ and was always looking for ways to plant seeds leading to salvation in their lives. Heide was a loving wife to Bruce, who would come with her to Finding His Purpose. We so enjoyed getting to know them. Their love for each other was very evident and only became stronger as her health became worse. Heide loved her family, her son and daughter-in -law and especially her two precious granddaughters. She was a proud grandma and longed to spend as much time with them as possible. Her little dog was her constant companion and gave her comfort. I got to know Heide on a much deeper level during the beginning of the Covid pandemic. We started texting each other and found we had so much in common. We talked about our families and shared prayer requests for all. We shared scripture and sermons that we thought each other would like. She had a positive outlook even when things were very challenging. So many thoughts were sent back and forth between us it took me almost an hour to go through just a portion of them. I will really miss the deep level of friendship we had. Heide went to be with the Lord on August 3, 2021. We will miss you my friend. Thank you for being such a great example of a Christ follower and a true prayer warrior.

We will truly miss these wonderful people who were part of our lives. As Christians we know they are safe in the arms of Jesus and seeing the most incredible things. We will love and care for the loved ones they left behind to the best of our ability. Do not have a troubled heart for Jesus tells us we will have trouble but He has overcome the world. “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” John 16:33

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