“All praise to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. He is the source of every mercy and the God who comforts us. He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others.
When others are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us.”
(2 Corinthians 1:3-4, NLT).
10 days before Katie went to be with Jesus we had the opportunity to go visit her in Rockford, IL where she was enrolled in the Masters Commission.
She called before we drove up there and requested for us to bring 5 items. They were her pogo stick, electric guitar, amplifier, a childhood banner that read God is Love (which she made when she was 6 years old) and a Picnic Basket.
Katie’s passion and desire was to one day serve the Lord in India and to rescue young girls from a life of prostitution. Katie had written in a Daddy/Daughter Journal we had done together that one thing she wanted me to do was visit her in India.
On Saturday, June 28, I was in Cambodia for a dedication of the first Teen Challenge Center in that country.
Upon Katie's home-going with the Lord the Masters students and leaders so kindly packaged her belongings and returned them back to us. Katie's mom Pat found in her writings a letter she wrote 5 months prior about Heaven and what she thought it would be like. (Please see Katie's Journal category to view and download copy) When she found it and brought it downstairs to me to read needless to say it was quite an emotional time for both of us. It was the last sentence that really had an impact on me. Katie ended this beautiful description of Heaven with "Let's Go For A Picnic."
I looked up and there tucked in the corner along with so many boxes of her belongings staring at me was the Picnic Basket!
It was a couple days later that I knew what the Lord wanted us to do. He told me to take the letter about Heaven and literally have a picnic with family and friends. We are to share this letter with them and let them know what Katie is experiencing, and ask them if they too would like to receive the free gift of eternal life. The picnics we have had so far have borne much fruit and suffice to say friends and relatives of Katie who she had prayed for years have come to know about eternal life at these picnics.
Katie wanted me to see where God had placed her to serve Him. I couldn’t help but feel, amidst the emotion, on the property in Cambodia, that God knew I was to be there. I wept and gave thanks to God for the 19 years He gave Pat, Brian, Laura, and I Katie as a daughter and sister on this earth.
It was dedicated to the Lord and named, “Katie Hall.”
It was dedicated on the exact day 50 years ago that Teen Challenge was birthed. So, as we celebrated God’s work in Cambodia, there was another praise gathering occurring in New York City that same day.
