When someone has a loved one like a grandparent go home to be with the Lord it is a bittersweet time. Tears flow because there is a sense of loss and missing that loved one in the present, yet if that person was a believer there is rejoicing because you know they are with their Lord and Savior and you will see them again.

One of the hardest things for GMI missionaries on the field is to be away from family; not being able to spend the holidays, birthdays, or vacations with the relatives; being away for years at a time; and especially being overseas when grandparents and parents reach the end of their lives here on earth.

GMI missionary Joy Befus’s father, Frank Edwards, passed away just six weeks ago and this past weekend Joy’s mother, Joan Edwards, went home to be with the Lord. Then before they could have Joan’s service in the Chicago area, Chuck’s mother and longtime GMI missionary, Elnora Befus, also passed into the presence of the Lord.

One of Joan’s favorite sayings was, “I’m in the Lord’s hands, and there’s no better place to be.” Here are some things gleaned from the Facebook pages of children and grandchildren of Elnora and Joan:

“Today [Joan] went home to heaven, just 6 weeks after my father-in-law. She had told me earlier in the summer that it was just a question of which one of them would get there first….”

“I thank God for the legacy of love and service to the Lord that my Grandparents have passed on to me.”

“Their godly legacy lives on through their children, grandchildren and great grandchildren.”

“As a child I spent hours making puzzles with [Elnora]. She taught me how to cross-stitch and play the flute.”

Please continue to pray for the Befus family. They have experienced a great amount of loss in the last six weeks.