As we mentioned in our last post, my (Mike’s) grandpa, Jack Billeter, wasn’t doing very well health-wise. Although we prayed for healing as his condition worsened, it seemed the Lord was ready to take him from us, and my grandpa passed away on Sunday, August 11th.

As sad as we were to hear the news, we were also concerned about whether or not we’d be able to attend the funeral. My grandparents (and most of the rest of my family) live in a smaller city in Illinois called Byron. Byron was about 7 ½ hours away from our location at that time; we didn’t have a vehicle (obviously), and walking there in time would have been tough/impossible.

Thankfully, God had things worked out for us. Mary, who we had stayed with back in Springfield for a few days, was willing to not only come pick us up wherever we were on the road, but she and her husband, Mike, were willing to let us borrow one of their two vehicles so that we could take it to Byron as long as we needed it.

We couldn’t believe how blessed we felt to know that was an option. And sure enough, as promised, Mary and Mark let us borrow a vehicle so we could travel up to Illinois. It’s amazing how God has all of the details figured out before we even know what’s going to happen.

We made it up to Byron the day before the visitation. Although it was a sad time, we were thankful that we could be surrounded by my incredible family—both my mom’s side and my dad’s side live in Byron—and that so many great people could come together to celebrate my grandpa’s life.

Trying to talk through thoughts and emotions in a blog post wouldn’t do it justice, but we were overwhelmed by the outpouring of love and support we received from friends and family during our time in Byron. We feel blessed to have such a loving family in our lives, and we’re thankful that my grandpa had so many people who cared about him and loved him.

Even though it’s hard, we know my grandpa is in a better place. We’re just so thankful that God gave us a way to be able to come to Illinois and say a final goodbye. Even in sadness, God is good.

We have another “on the trail” update coming up almost immediately (probably tomorrow), but we wanted to post this for those who may have been wondering what happened with my grandpa based on the information in the last post.

Thanks to everyone for your prayers and support. They are appreciated beyond words.

God bless.

-Mike (and Lindsie)