Happy Thanksgiving, Betty Lou

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A cascade of red crabapples.

I think I got my first letter from her six or seven years ago. It came in response to my book An Anchor for the Soul. After reading it, she wrote to say thank you. Over the years I have received a number of letters like that. Someone reads a book I wrote, writes to say thank you (these days I almost always hear via email), I write back, and that’s the end of the matter.

But Betty Lou wrote and wrote again and wrote again. Every month or two I would receive a note from her, not an email but an actual handwritten letter. Somewhere along the way I figured out that she lived alone and that she was getting on in years. Usually there would be a sentence or two of greeting followed by several pages of biblical quotations. You could tell that Betty Lou was a true believer and didn’t mind sharing her faith with others. 

When we moved to Tupelo three years ago, I didn’t hear from her for a long time. Then a letter came that was sent to Oak Park and forwarded to me. I wrote to update her on the move and the start of Keep Believing Ministries. She wrote back to say how glad she was to hear that we were following the Lord’s leading. Marlene wrote her several times with news about the boys and other family updates. On several occasions she has sent gifts to KBM. Because she lives on a fixed income, the gifts are not large by monetary standards, but they are large to us (and to God) because they come from a generous heart.

When I got back from Columbus yesterday, there was a letter from Betty Lou with the news that “our beautiful Autumn is turning into (a) silhouette of winter trees. The crabapple still holds red fruit!” She had a nice word for our “people in Elmhurst” who are so good about sending an acknowledgment of what she called “my small support check.” Then there was a word about the personal Bible study she sent–a two-page, handwritten discussion with many Scripture citations. The letter closed this way:

God is so good and Jesus is faithful. Never once has Matthew 6:33 proven false since God put me under the authority of Jesus in January 1972. So now I am thankful for a warm apartment and food and clothes as needed. Alleluia! Amen.

So may God bless you, your family, and all those who are part of Keep Believing Ministries. Amen.

With kind love and respect,

Betty Lou–now 82 and ready to go!!

Her note blessed me so much that I wanted to share it with others. I have no doubt that she is indeed “ready to go” whenever the Lord calls her home.

And so, Betty Lou, thank you for staying in touch all these years, for your love and prayers, and for being part of the Keep Believing family. I hope you have a blessed Thanksgiving.