February 16, 2001

 

 

Good Evening,

 

I just wanted to let you know that we returned to Lost River Retreat Center about 1:30PM today.  Thank you very much for your prayers, cards, and messages of sympathy and support.  The trip to South Dakota, the time with Joel’s family there, and the services celebrating Mom Harmon’s life, faith, and graduation to heaven were wonderful unforgettable experiences.

 

When we received word Friday morning, Feb. 9th that mom had passed on, we made final plans to get on the road.  Time conflicts for some family members made it desirable to have the funeral on Monday morning.  We drove the 6 hours to Joel’s brother Phil’s home in Jewett, Ohio, arriving there about 3 PM.  Phil and Connie loaded in and we headed west.  We were thankful for good roads, except for a couple hours just east of Chicago when the lake effect snow made the roads slippery and the visibility bad.  We did not see any cars slide into the ditch, but saw many that had done so just prior to our passing by.  By mid-nite we were north of Chicago and into a motel for some rest.  The next day we traveled to Camp Timber Lee in southern Wisconsin where we added Phil and Connie’s two daughters to our van load.  This required tying some suitcases and bags onto the roof rack.  We discovered that our tying plan was not perfect an hour or so later when one of the suitcases decided to leave us!  Fortunately, we saw it go, and other that some scratches, it remained in tact!.  The depth of snow and cold temps, both increased as we continued to South Dakota.  The Huron area has received near record amounts of snow this winter, and the temps were hanging around zero when we arrived about 10PM.  Because the travel conditions in the rural areas were not good, the entire Harmon family, 35 strong, was staying at a motel in Huron.  While this was not our first choice, it turned out to be an added blessing, as we spent additional time together.

 

Sunday, the wind was blowing and most of the rural churches canceled service.  We were planning on holding the funeral the next day at Bethel Church north of Yale.  They had no services on Sunday, and the messages we were receiving, indicated that areas that were cleared of snow were drifting in within minutes.  The family met at Huron University where my brother Craig teaches for morning worship.  We enjoyed a great time of singing, sharing, and hearing a message by Rev. Ken Ediger, my sister Rachel’s husband.  Following the worship time, we were able to travel out to the country to Marc and Paula Kleinsasser’s home.  They had prepared a wonderful meal for all of us.  Their hospitality was just one indication among many, of the wonderful “community” that God had allowed us to grow up in.  Sunday late afternoon and evening, the family divided time at the funeral home for a visitation time.  At 8PM we had an evening prayer service.  Joel began this time with the words of Revelation 12:11 and reflected on how mom had overcome, by “the blood of the lamb, by the word of her testimony, and by not loving her life even to the death.”  We opened up the service allowing friends present to share thoughts and memories of mom.  It was a wonderful time of smiles and tears!  Uncle Craig encouraged the grand-kids to share if they wished to, several of them did.  Ken Ediger closed the service with devotional thots and prayer.  Late Sunday the family decided to move the location of Monday’s funeral into Bethesda Church of Huron, so that we could be sure we would be able to get there.

 

Monday dawned clear and sunny!  At 11AM we gathered for a memorable time of celebrating the life and “home going” of Hazel Harmon.  The pastor from Bethel Church opened the service, and did a couple “official” elements.  Beyond that the entire service was led by Harmon family members.  What a joy it was to participate in a funeral service for a great lady of faith, with family members who all fully participate in that faith and a strong assurance of eternal life beyond the grave!  There were many beautiful flowers including an awesome arrangement provided by the Vienna Baptist Church that owns Lost River Retreat Center.  At the close of the service we did a “committal” time in which the entire family gathered near the casket and spoke in unison a Creed of Faith taken for the Apostle Paul’s writings.  We then sang together the chorus “Heaven is a Wonderful Place”  The beautiful day continued, allowing us to gather at the cemetery at the Bethel Church in the country at 2PM that afternoon and lay mom’s body of clay next to dad’s that had been placed there 30 years earlier.

 

The snow in the Huron area is something to see!  In town there are huge rows of snow lining every street, making the intersections treacherous.  Country farms are mountains of snow, and the rural church yard and cemetery were surrounded by mountains of snow 20 feet high.  Tuesday, we worked on closing down our house in Huron, since Adam has taken a job at a motel that makes an apartment available to him.   The double wide mobile home is not well suited to deep winter temps, and with natural gas prices on the rise, utility bills were huge!

 

The family gradually dispersed to their various homes.  In addition to Phil and I from the East, our sister Rachel’s family came from Kansas and Becky’s family from Texas.  Grand kids came from Wisconsin, Omaha and Grand Island, Nebraska, California and Steve and his daughter Grace even came from Dubai, Arabia.  The only damper on the events was the fact the our youngest sister Sally and her family, who are missionaries in Botswana, Africa, had left on an eleven day camping trip the day before mom’s condition worsened.  Despite huge efforts by family members in the states, and the mission they are a part of in Africa, we were unable to get word to Sally.  Finally on Tuesday the 13th we made contact with them.  The family gathered around a speaker phone to again share tears as we shared with Sally and Dave about the events that had taken place.  It seemed obvious that Abba had controlled the timing of their trip, so that Sally would not be torn about wanting to be in the States for the funeral.  Our van left Wednesday morning overnighting at the camp in Wisconsin.  We arrived at Phil's house about 9PM Thursday, where Bobbie and I slept a few hours before driving the final 6 hours to Lost River Retreat Center.

 

We are thankful to our Abba Father for safety, for the beautiful time we enjoyed with family, for assurance of mother’s Eternal Life and we deeply appreciate your prayers for us during this time!

 

In ABBA’s Love

 

Joel & Bobbie Harmon