Sam’s Homegoing Journey . . August 25, 2007
Dear Friends,
God is good . . . really, really good!! It seems almost impossible to believe that it has been over a week since Sam went home to be with Jesus & Christen. Thank you for reaching out to me over these past eleven days . . . it has been wonderful to experience this love & compassion within the Body of Christ!
There are so many things I want to share with you about Sam’s homegoing and God’s faithfulness . . . I just may have to write that book one of these days!
Through Sam’s cancer journey, we had so many praise reports, prayer requests and testimonies of our precious, TRUSTWORTHY Father. The past weeks & months, as I watched Sam struggle with a lot of pain in his back, right arm & legs, due to the cancer in the bones, I had talked to God and asked Him that when He was taking Sam Home, to please not allow him to suffer and to please have someone with me so that I would not be alone at that time, as I was with Christen. (Of course, since Sam’s home going, I now believe that God allowed that to prepare me for this! His ways are SO MUCH higher than ours.)
Three WEEKS prior to Sam’s homegoing date, August 25th, our dear friends, Dr. Billy Boring, (the doctor that diagnosed Sam’s cancer in that visit to Dallas in April ‘06), and his wife, Michelle purchased plane tickets to come and spend the weekend of August 23rd through the 26th with us. Sam had plans for us the entire weekend . . . he was so excited at the thought of the four of us getting together for just ‘fun’ rather than medical reasons. (We had spent weeks in Dallas with them for medical treatments, and this would be ‘just for fun’!)
Within 10 minutes after arriving home from picking Billy & Michelle at the airport, Sam began having respiratory failure!! There are many things that transpired over that day & the next . . . . MANY actual miracles, and one day I will write about them all . . . but right now, I want to give you a tiny glimpse of what a TRUSTWORTHY God we ALL serve!!
Friday evening, we had a GREAT TIME! We sat around the supper table for almost three hours talking and sharing stories & testimonies. Sam, although tired, was joking, talking and ate more than any of us had seen in a long time! (And, his appetite was great before!).
Around 1 AM I was awakened by Sam moaning in pain, and he said the pain in his leg was ‘something new’ and worse than he had experienced before. He wanted me to get Billy, which I did. Kevin arrived at the house at 1:30 AM, and within 10 minutes, Sam began struggling to breathe.
We had the most incredible two-hours-and-fifteen minutes with Sam until he opened his eyes in the presence of Jesus! Kevin and I were able to communicate with Sam until his last breath. Both of us had the privilege of giving him verbal blessings, thanking him for all that he had done for us, taught us and lived before us. Kevin had special time with his Daddy, and communicated things to him that will forever be a treasure in my heart.
Although Sam and I had already ‘left nothing unsaid’ between us, it was a joy & privilege for me, as his wife of 39 years, to rehearse so many things with him & thank him and then, release him to Jesus. I quietly sang some of his favorite hymns to him, and Kevin and I would talk to him. Although he couldn’t talk well, due to the lack of oxygen, he could say ‘yep’ and ‘nope’, and always responded to Billy’s questions, as he was monitoring his homegoing and guiding Kevin & I the entire time.
Just before he went to Glory, I asked him for a kiss & he ‘puckered up’ like you wouldn’t believe! I got a KISS . . . . and another!!! He would look at us right in the eyes when we talked to him . . . he was definitely ‘with us’ until the end. He looked at me & in a whispered voice said: “I love you” . . . just a few more breaths & he was in the presence of His Lord!!!!
Not only was Kevin there with me . . . but, the DOCTOR WAS IN THE HOUSE!!!! Sam’s brother, Bret & his wife also arrived for the last few minutes. Sam did not suffer long and throughout it all, Billy constantly asked him if he was in pain & he repeated would answer: ‘nope’!!
God’s presence has been so overwhelming in our house . . . we have had a lot of tears . . . however . . . I almost think there has been more ‘laughter’ and rejoicing. As various ones recall their times with Sam, you cannot help but smile. Sam continues to put a smile on everyone’s face . . . just at the mention of his name!! More importantly than that, are the testimonies and stories that continue of how God used Sam in their lives to bring them closer to God . . . what a legacy!
I have sensed a peace that cannot be described. I have been overwhelmed by God’s Grace & Mercy. Although the hole that Sam has left in my life and my heart cannot begin to be described, I know that God NEVER makes any mistakes & HIS Grace is sufficient as I walk through these next weeks & months.
I appreciate your prayers for Kevin and I and we try to adjust to life without Sam’s daily presence and counsel . . . . it isn’t easy. God has placed Godly people around us who are helping us find our way . . . Sam really knew how to pick champions to surround himself with, and now we are reaping the rewards of those friendships!
Thank you for standing with us over these past sixteen months! Your prayers were felt and were always an encouragement to us, just knowing you were standing with us. God used you in our lives more than you can know.
I will continue posting as we walk this ‘new path’. I am finding God at every turn & hopefully, will be able to share some of those experiences with you soon. I wanted to get this out to you now, as so many have asked about Sam’s last moments. It was an incredible experience for us, and another testimony of how Trustworthy our God really is . . . the theme of our lives these past few years!!!
Love,
Ann
What an amazing account of the reliability and faithfulness of our God! I’m in tears as I write this. Thank you, Father, for removing the permanent sting of death for your children. I can’t wait till we’re all safely Home!
I love you, Mrs. Conway; and I am praying to Him for you!
Ann,
I am crying as I just read the account of Sam’s Homegoing. But yet, even though sad, I am so happy to see how the Lord worked, in His timing, to have Dr. Boring there with you, Kevin in the area where he could get there fast, and that he wasn’t suffering the pain and could talk to you up to the end.
Sam was such a delight to be around. I will never forget the Saturday that you were leaving, I had to work in Finance for awhile and I looked up and there was Sam at the Finance door. He had seen Ed and Ed told him I was working. Sam told me he had come all the way up here to say good-by. I cried when he left as I knew coming up those steps had caused much pain, but he cared enough for this white-haired lady, to come and tell her good-by. We had many laughs and kidding each other about who could talk the most, but his love for the Lord, was so evident.
Isn’t it great to have the knowledge that we will see each other in Heaven? What a reunion we will have.
We love you Ann, and are praying for you and Kevin.
Thank you for sharing this! Your testimony of God’s faithfulness is a blessing. I will continue to pray for you and Kevin. Love you!
Thank you so much for sharing this! He IS trustworthy. Thank you for proving His faithfulness to everyone around you. You’re in my prayers. May Father hold you tightly in His arms and fill you with His comfort love that never fails.
Isaiah 54:10 — praying this for you. :)
I’m crying right now as I read this… thank you so much for sharing your life and heart, and for your incredible testimony of our faithful and trustworthy God. I miss Mr. Conway… he always brightened our day every time he walked through the door of the Finance office. May God comfort and keep you through each new day as He continues to show Himself faithful. I love you!
Thank you so much, Ann, for sharing the details of Sam’s Homegoing and God’s precious answer to your prayer that He would send the Borings to be there with you. We are praying for you.
blessings, Helen Martin and family :-)
Hello Ann, I don’t think you and I know each other, but, Sam knew my husband, John, from working IBLP Seminars.
We just got an email telling us about Sam’s homegoing, realizing that we can do nothing without the grace and strength of our loving Savior, Jesus Christ.
We too, understand and know your heart ache, as it will soon be 7 years that God chose to take our youngest daughter to be with him, this sunday we will “witness” her two sons being baptized on the anniversary of her homegoing, Praise God for the way HE works out “his” agenda for our lives!! May our Lord continue to give you sweet peace!
Joan…for John, too!
Ann,
Billy and Michelle are dear friends of ours. We have prayed for Sam and your family so many times.
God is so good and the comfort of the Holy Spirit is amazing. God’s timing is everything and to know that God had everything planned weeks in advance for Billy and Michelle to be with you!
Tell Kevin I watched him Saturday nite…our son races at a local track and we love auto racing.
Blessings to you all.
Denice Webb in McKinney, Texas
Ann,
Sam was one of the best persons to decern when and when not to speak. He always encouraged me a lot, at the right time. Heaven is blessed to have him bet he has joined people like Benny McWha and others and I suspect by now he is getting a lot of his questions answered. I know you are missing him and we will be praying for you. Please keep writing and letting us know how things are going. Blessings to you my sister.
Dear Ann,
I will never forget the prayer that you, Sam, and I shared in the airport. Sam prayed for God to bless me with a baby, and I prayed for Sam’s healing. I am about to enter my third trimester, and Sam is completely whole now with our Heavenly Father. I don’t know why it took me almost ten years to conceive, and I don’t know why Sam is gone from this earth, but I do know that God’s timing and His will are perfect and amazing. I am so sorry for your loss, Ann, but I am so comforted by your testimony. Please keep aharing now as you did when your daughter passed away. So many people will be blessed.
In His love,
Susan
Dear Ann,
God has blessed you with the ability to communicate in such a way that our Lord is glorified in all things. Your trials have been great, but your LORD has been faithful. Thank you so much for sharing your heart as you ushered your Sam to his Jesus. I know he was comforted to have you and Kevin by his side as he stood on the threshold. We rejoice in his completed journey. I pray that you will be comforted with the companionship of your Lord, for HE will never leave you nor forsake you.
God’s richest blessings on you and Kevin.
Jocelyn Pleus
Ann,
News travels slowly around here in Russia and we just heard of Sam’s homegoing. We were so glad that we stopped in to see you both in July on our way down south. It was a blessing to see Sam’s complete trust in his heavenly father for the future. We were encouraged by your testimony,too, of God’s trustworthiness. We listened to your tape on the way down to Florida. What a blessing to know that God does watch over and care for us.
We will be praying for you and Kevin. We are always encouraged by the fact that God is too wise to make any mistakes. There was no mistake concerning Sam’s life or his illness.
God bless,
Tom and Marty Parker