Rachel passed onto our Heavenly Father yesterday afternoon at home. She was comfortable and surrounded by friends and family. She suffered with illness for 2 years, one with nausea with Eva during her pregnancy, and about 9 months with the cancer treatment. She is now home with Jesus and without pain or suffering.
Thank you for all your prayers over the past nine months. Please continue to pray. More updates to follow.
I will be posting updates to her blog.
- Matt, Husband
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Matt, We continue to pray for you.
ReplyDeletePraise God for the gift of Rachel! Even I, who did not know her very well was extremely touched by her testament. Her faith, honesty, and courage was so moving and inspiring. Matt and family, praise God for you too... It is clear that you nurtured and supported Rachel which allowed her light to shine. You have touched us all with your faithful example. I lift you and your family up, praying for the comfort of God to grant you His peace in this difficult time.
ReplyDelete-Lisa Yau (Bogenschneider)
i am so sorry matt.... a lot of people are praying for you and your family.
ReplyDeletejenny
There are no words. I will continue to pray.
ReplyDeleteLove and prayers to all of your family. She was a very brave and lovely lady. She is in Gods arms, but in all of our hearts.
ReplyDeleteJoan and Ted Warwick
Dear Rachel,
ReplyDeleteI am so grateful to our Father, author of reconciliation, for making a way for us to be with Him for eternity - and not only with Him, but with all those that who believe in Him. I look forward to our reunion, Rachel, and your reunion with Matt and Eva. As a mother, I am longing already for that for you.
You are a woman to be admired, Rachel. Your resolve to believe in God's goodness was not something new, but a beautiful character trait that you've had since I met you in Madison, so long ago. I remember so well our dancing together in CCC. Little did I know that God was using that experience to shape what would become my masters project at seminary years later.
There, I created a project for churches interested in integrating dance into their corporate worship setting, and I remember very clearly being inspired to write a certain section because of you. I was talking about how to logistically organize a group of dancers of varying skill levels. You didn't have the natural talent that some of the other young women had, but it didn't matter because you were RESOLVED to worship God through dance.
In my project/handbook, I wrote that if a dancer finds the choreography challenging because of their dance ability, one of two things will happen:
1. They will self-select out, or
2. They will become one of the most dedicated dancers, working extra hard to learn the dance.
That was you, Rachel! Your resolve was beautiful to behold, as it has been through this journey. I am so grateful for your friendship in college, as well as our connection on the phone when we were both pregnant.
Maranatha, Lord! Come, Lord Jesus! Thank you for Rachel, thank you for reminding us that this world is not our home. But, bring your comfort, Lord, as we wait for reunion.
There are no words to express our sadness for your deep loss. May God bless you and give you strength and peace. Our prayers will continue for you, Eva and you families.
ReplyDeleteRachel,
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing your story and your journey. You've touched my heart and the hearts of more people than you will ever know. I'll definately look you up when I get to heaven.
Matt and Eva,
May God surround you with His love and peace. May you find the strength to move on to be everything Rachel dreamed you would be. May God fill you with His presence when that big empty void is more than you can handle.
With love and prayers,
Patti Duenk
Matt;
ReplyDeleteI grieve for the loss of Rachel. She was a bubbling fountain of joy, and a pleasure to have met during my time in Chicago. I will be thinking of you, Eva, and both of your families with heartfelt compassion during this time. I pray that all the good memories of you two together will, in time, soothe your soul.
One step at a time,
Jani Bowe
I never met Rachel or Matt but heard of Rachel's story and her passing through friends. Her story of strength and faith is reaching far beyond one would ever imagine. Although Rachel ascended into Heaven sooner then anyone would like I hope her family finds peace in knowing her life is an inspiration for all and will be cherished forever.
ReplyDeleteI pray for you and your family-
ReplyDeleteAndrea Hunter (I came across your story through St. Monicas, I am John Haydens sister).
Dear Matt and Eva,
ReplyDeleteI'm so sorry for your loss, and I'm praying for you and your families. I can't understand why Rachel who had so much love to give and a young family to nurture and enjoy, would leave so soon. To know that she is in a better place after so much pain is a relief. I love the photo Rachel posted of you as a family below, and I trust that the good happy memories will be with you forever. Give a kiss from me to Eva, and I'm praying for you all.
Much love
I met your beautiful wife at the Andrew Wommack meeting last June 2010. We prayed together and exchanged emails, and I followed her progress through the fall. She was a very strong inspiring woman. I also have a rare cancer, which is stable at this time. I also continue to stand for my healing... and continue to worship my loving Savior whether on earth or in heaven. I'm sure the angels are enjoying her sweet presence! I thank the Lord for the 10 minutes I got to know her, she was a blessing to me.
ReplyDeleteMatt,
ReplyDeleteI never met you, but I knew Rachel. She spoke SO, SO highly of you. She cherished you and she knew she was cherished by you. My prayers go out to you and your daughter. Rachel was such a lovely person. I count it a blessing to have known her and grieve with you. She was so unique in her ability to demonstrate the spirit of Christ. So much to learn from her example.