Funeral/Celebration Service

Chip and I attended a funeral today for a 3 week old baby girl. She was the first born of a couple here. Chip met the husband when he was a student at SLU and we just met his wife last summer. (Chip met Eddie in the dorms. He played on Chip's intramural softball team one year and went to one Christmas Conference. It was at this Christmas Conference that Eddie became a Christian one morning while he and Chip were talking about the Lord over breakfast.) We met Amy the week we both found out we were pregnant and we were both actually due on March 9. She ended up having a c-section on Feb 24th and me on the 28th. It was not until her baby was born that they discovered she had a chromosomal abnormality. They knew immediately that she most likely would not make it very long. I haven't heard all the details but I know she was loved hard those 3 weeks.

The couple was so strong today. They wanted it to be a celebration of her life and the time they had with her. The pastor said it was a celebration because she was created perfectly and was now in a perfected state with her creator. The pastor spoke, the daddy spoke, they showed a slide show which included pictures and tons of scripture and then they opened the floor for anyone to share about how they had been touched by Rebekah. Almost everyone spoke about how Amy & Eddie's faith and commitment to the Word is what impacted them the most. This encouraged me that years ago when Eddie became a believer and decided to follow the Lord, God knew what he would have to walk through. I am so thankful that Chip was a part of his life and his faith. I am well aware that God did the work in Eddie's life, he just used Chip (among others). What is neat is that after he became a believer, he and Chip actually lost touch. Chip bumped him a few years ago and asked him where he had been. He said after he became a Christian he had to get away. He got plugged into a local church and had been growing. It is very evident as we have spent time with him this past year. When you think about Baby Nate pray for the family of Amy & Eddie Koch (pronounced Koe) as he and Rebekah were almost the same age.