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In June of
2002, we attended
the Family Missionary Reunion at Graceland University in Lamoni,
IA. At the closing dedication service, those who attended
received several messages from the Lord. I want to share a part
of a message because it relates to an experience that I had about Angie
Dooley.
“Listen and
give ear O house of
Israel. The Lord your Savior desires to speak to all My church,
that you may carry this message unto them; into their hearts. For
I am your Lord, Jesus Christ to speak unto you and to confirm that I
have inspired My servants to speak these words to you. … “ “Place
yourself on the altar. And if you will dedicate your heart – and
your mind – to do the Father’s will in His Kingdom, great blessings
will be yours, and joy unknown will fill your heart.”
“I
desire to see all of you in My Father’s Kingdom. Will you choose
Me this day and heed? Will your hearts not open up unto the word,
which I speak unto you, that you might know of My great love for you?
That I might extend to you the greatest blessings of heaven, if you
will just open your heart and your mind to Me and My word. And
share it with those who sit in darkness… You are to be their light to
draw them nigh unto Me. Unto Me! To show them the truth
again, that they might established in their hearts My word. That
they might not be the lost sheep of Israel, but that they may be
gathered into one sheepfold, the sheepfold which I have prepared even
from the foundation of this world. I have prepared it. Be ye a
part of it…” Hold steadfast, and be immovable in your works, that
your love may abound and I might abide in you. And My Father will
abide in you….”
In July 2002,
as we traveled to
the Navajo reunion, I was awakened at 4:00 A.M. by the voice of Angie
Dooley singing, “I’ve got the joy, joy, joy down in my heart. “ I
got out of bed and was completely awake but I continued to hear her
singing this song. I have never had an experience like this
before. It was so plain that she could have been sitting right
next to me. (I have tried several times since to imagine her voice
singing and I just cannot hear her.) After Angie finished the
song, she said to me, “ But I DO have joy in my heart, because I KNOW
that Jesus is alive. And I KNOW that He loves me. For a
moment, I was able to feel this great joy in my heart that Angie holds
in her heart.
<>We camped with
Tom and Angie
that evening. I related my experience to them. Tom’s reply
was, “All Angie has been saying this
entire trip, is “I have so
much joy in my heart.” though we have had several trials, she continues
to exclaim that her heart is so full of joy”
“Yes,” says
Angie,
“and do you
know why my heart is so full of joy? Because I know that the Lord
is in this work! And that we are where he wants us to be!”
At reunion,
for Wednesday’s
Junior Church, Lynda and I asked Angie to share with the
children. We sang “I’ve got the joy, joy, joy down in my heart”
and then Angie shared about why her heart was so full of joy. She then
told them, “Jesus is alive and he loves you and you and you…” She
looked at each child and she pointed to each one in turn until they all
giggled. “ … and Jesus loves me too!” It was as if I was
hearing my experience all over again.
I
feel that God has spoken to me through the life of Angie. He is showing
us the joy that can fill our souls if we will dedicate our hearts – and
our minds – to doing the Father’s will. At reunion, I found
myself continuously singing, “I’ve got the joy, joy, joy down in my
heart.” But even more important, Thursday evening as I
walked through camp I heard a young voice singing, “I’ve got the joy,
joy, joy down in my heart.” I turned to see our young Navajo
sister Shelby singing. Shelby had just been baptized that
afternoon. The joy that Angie talks about is contagious. Indeed there
is great joy that the Lord desires to give each of us if we will open
our hearts and do his will.
There
was more to the experience that I had that early morning before reunion
started. After I heard Angie sing and she told me about the great joy
she had in her heart, I was able to feel her joy but only for a moment.
Immediately I became filled with a great sorrow and I wept tears
uncontrollably. The tears were for myself, and for those that love her
so very much. In that moment, I knew that Angie would be leaving
the earth very soon.
As I
watched Angie that week, I held her o so very close to my heart! Many
times I found myself weeping as I watched her. I
cherished the time that she played the accordion and sang as only Angie
could sing. I knew that the singing hurt her broken ribs and yet she
sang with full joy of heart. I cherished every moment that I
visited with her. She shared the stories of her daddy and the gospel
message that he took to Mexico and how she hid as a small child behind
the pot belly stove so that she could hear more of this grown up talk
about how wonderful Jesus is.
I
watched Tom as he looked upon his beloved Angie with concern for her
health. I watched them as they shared together in their surprise
anniversary celebration. I watched Angie struggle to walk around
the dessert sand, and yet she was so full of joy because she was where
she wanted to be. She was sharing the message of Jesus with these
special children of the Navajo.
The
message that was given at the Lamoni reunion tells us “if we will
dedicate our hearts – and our minds – to do the Father’s will in His
Kingdom, great blessings will be ours, and joy unknown will fill our
hearts.” We were told that the Savior desires to see each
of us in His Kingdom. Angie is indeed a part of the Lord’s
sheepfold, which He has prepared from the foundation of this world. Her
heart is indeed open unto His word as was taught to her by her
daddy. In her life, she has expressed the true Love of
Christ. She has dedicated her heart – and her mind – to do the
Father’s will. Surely great blessings are hers even now, and joy
unknown has filled her heart.” And joy has filled my heart
because I have known her."
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September
4, 2002
As I
look back on the experience I had last July, I wonder if Angie was
speaking to my heart for this moment as a message to those she
loves. She said to me, ““ But I DO have joy in my heart,
because I KNOW that Jesus is alive … and I KNOW that He loves me”
On
September 2, I woke myself up early in the morning reciting the 23rd
Psalm. As I woke up I was saying, “ Yea though I walk
through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for
thou art with me…” I woke Pete and told him that I felt someone
was going to die. I was concerned about the fact that Pete would
be leaving that very day to travel to Minnesota. Could it
be that again Angie was speaking a message to those she loves?
I
feel that through these two experiences Angie is telling her loved ones
to carry on. She wants them to know that she has SUCH GREAT JOY
IN HER HEART, SHE KNOWS THAT HER SAVIOUR LIVES BECAUSE SHE HAS MET HIM,
AND SHE KNOWS THAT HE LOVES HER
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