11-18-2024
Yesterday, we had another interview with a tv station. WKOW 27 Madison, interviewed us to follow up on the first interview that we had last Wednesday, while at the funeral. It was my idea to meet WISN 12 Milwaukee, at the funeral, thinking that it would help them see our support, our love for God, and also take care of the interview all at the same time. I was short-sighted in this, because I was not aware of the news reporter’s schedule or the vast number of people who would attend, and want to talk to us afterwards. Anyway, the first interview was more about the allergic reaction, and this one yesterday was more focused on the organ donation, It was more of a follow-up on the first. Those two stations are sister stations and share stories. (I believe they are ABC affiliates.) We wanted to shift the story from “Girl dies of peanut allergy” to something like, “One life lost, but four lives saved”. In between these we had an interview with CBS 58. That one covered things more “start to finish.” We appreciate each opportunity that we’ve had to share the story of Hannah’s life, and to share how it was one of loving God, loving others, and intentional living. By intentional living, I mean that, Hannah had goals, she worked for them, and she was always thinking and evaluating her decision making and progress.
We have heard from some in other states of Hannah’s story making it onto their news casts. We’ve seen the story on the People magazine website and also the New York Post website. We have even heard from a missionary in Zimbabwe, who stumbled across Hannah’s page, while his wife’s Facebook page was open. He shared with us some words of consolation and encouragement. This story has been posted and reposted all around the world through a multitude of news agencies and social media.
Relating the story of Hannah’s life, our love for our daughter, and the events of the past two weeks is a difficult one. No matter how many times we attempt this, it always seems inadequate to the “person” Hannah was and to the plan of God in all of this. I guess not everything can be put into a nutshell. A person had to know her and had to be there, to hope to fully understand the things that have taken place. This story will always grab attention, but it will never be completely understood.
We are unsure of where God is taking us in this journey. Obviously, He is giving the story “legs”, so to speak, and it’s traveling on its own. It may just end like this: the sensation of the story will be overtaken in a few days by something else new, tragic, or shiny. If so, then we see where God leads us as we move forward. Or perhaps God has more for us through these events. We will see. Waiting seems to be one of the hardest things for me to do. I hate patience, it takes forever to learn! Perhaps, many of us share the same feeling. If it’s “good” why wait?, and if it’s “bad”, then, “let’s just rip the Band-Aid off and get it over with.” Although waiting is difficult, it is one of the key ways in which God works in us. He takes things all the way to what we would consider the last second, and sometimes even further. He does this, not because He wants us to stress out, but rather to learn that living by faith means that we trust and depend on both Him and His timing. Although we may be hitting the panic button, God is sitting back and saying, “It’s all going according to plan.” I believe that He wants to rule out all human reason or excuse and make it plain to the individual that He is the one orchestrating things, that He is in control, and that He can provide in ways far beyond our limited imaginations. Psalm 24:14 says, “Wait on the LORD, be of good courage, and He shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD.” If you find yourself in the middle of some difficulty and it’s stressing you out, “wait on the LORD”, He’s got you! Often in my life I have seen that God doesn’t answer until there is trust and dependance on Him. As long as you are struggling and fighting things yourself, He will not intervene. But when a person gives control of the situation back to God, and waits on Him, then He will act at the appropriate time. Then the individual will see the “hand of God” in their life.
“Wait, I say, on the Lord” then, as Moses said at the Red Sea in Exodus 14, “Fear not, stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD!”
We are blessed.
Hannah Helps 