|
BFT
UPDATE/JUNE-JULY 2008
900 Park
Avenue/Collingswood, New Jersey 08108
E-MAIL:
BibleForToday.org/ WEB PAGE: www.BibleForToday.org
Phones:
856-854-4452, order/phone only: 1-800-John 10:9
~~~~~
PHONE FOR
QUESTIONS DURING SUNDAY AND THURSDAY BIBLE CLASSES
DR. WAITE’S
CELL PHONE: 856-261-9018
FOR QUESTIONS &
DISCUSSION DURING THEOLOGY CLASS
DANIEL WAITE’S
CELL PHONE: 856-816-7839
The Sudden Death of Our Second-Born
Our second-born son, David Waite (age 56), cast off for
Glory on April 15, 2008, in a most unexpected way. (But, no
matter how death comes, it is unexpected.) He suffered excruciating
pain in his body and left leg that morning. Finally. an ambulance
was called. He was awake, conversing to the ambulance workers and
the hospital nurses. Suddenly, while in the emergency room at
Underwood Memorial Hospital in Woodbury, N.J., he stopped breathing.
Emergency life-support-care was administered to him--but in vain. He
slipped from this life to Heaven. As Fanny Crosby, the hymn writer
said of her baby, "The angels came and took my baby to the Throne
of God..." (Luke 16:22) He was gone! He had died before the
doctor called us. The doctors believed that Dave had a blood clot
which went to his lung or heart. When we arrived at the emergency
room, nothing was left of David but his body--his shell. It was a
shock! There was no "goodbye!"
Then I Saw Him
by Yvonne S. Waite
| Then I
saw him, |
Heaven his Home for
the ages, |
| Walking
in beauty and bright, |
Heaven His place in
the sky, |
| Walking
in beauty and splendor, |
Heaven secure and
protected, |
| Walking
in Heavenly Light. |
Heaven protected
and high. |
| Tall,
and dressed in kindness, |
Then I saw him, |
| Dressed
in glory and grace, |
My son, vibrant and
cured, |
| Dressed
overwhelmingly happy, |
Mature and secure
in his manner, |
| Dressed
magnificently faced. |
With Jesus, his
Saviour and Lord. |
We never knew how dear such sympathy could be to us. We
never knew the comfort of words on a page, a spoken word to the ear,
a wreath of flowers by the casket, or a tender hand on the shoulder.
The understanding-balm will be long-remembered! It helped cushion
the shock of David’s death.
No Goodbye
"No goodbye!" How very like David. It was his
practice to phone us often--sometimes several times a day. He had
one request with every phone call. He told us over and over, "Do
not say ‘goodbye.’" His voice would just trail off and the
conversation would end. So for him to leave earth’s shore for his
Heavenly Home without a "goodbye" was typically "David."
His last call to his father was on the Monday before his Tuesday
death. He always showed interest in his father’s Sunday sermons.
They assured each other of their love for one another. Their last
words: "I love you, Dave." / "I love you Dad." Then the
conversation ended.
Many a Hospital Bed
Found Us Watching
Many times, in the past, my husband and I have been called to
David’s bedside. Many a hospital bed found us standing--watching and
wondering--and always praying to our Heavenly Father.
From childhood days to adult wanderings we
watched. His polio attack at eight-and-a-half months, his ear
infections, his minor surgeries, his major surgeries, his often
running away from home, his Atlantic City kidnaping, his lost car
and self in New York City, his many mental-illness confinements, his
severe burns at Crozier Chester Medical Center--all are recorded in
our minds. Recently he was diagnosed with C.O.P.D. He suffered major
arm surgeries brought on by hospitalization injuries, as well as his
apartment fire. (A "friend" set his dry Christmas Tree on fire.)
Recently he had an infection in his right elbow that would not heal.
He had three surgeries on that problem in the last-year and a-half.
The skin graft did not take. He was scheduled for the wound center
on Thursday, but he died on Tuesday.
Hospitals, Illnesses,
& Almost Freezing to Death
Now his wounds are of no importance. He is well in mind
and abiding "in a house not made with hands, eternal in the
heavens" (II Corinthians
5:1-b). He is "absent from the body, and ... present with the
Lord" (II Corinthians 5:8). How many times he fought for
his life’s breath! We cannot number them. The many street attacks
were not always told to me; but one put him in the hospital badly
beaten. Once a police call came from Peru, Indiana, asking, "Are
looking for a son?" His bout with mental hospitals from Vermont,
Maryland, and New Jersey--to say nothing of his Virginia
experiences--were times of horror for him. The month he spent as a
street person in Richmond will never be understood by us. How many
nights he almost froze to death there! The phone calls made to us
from his lost condition were heart wrenching. No one cared. No one
there helped. He was so far from home.
David Wanted His Own
Place
About two weeks before David died, he expressed a desire
to have his "own place." How he longed to
be back on his own again--independent again. How he longed to have
his "OWN PLACE." This was not possible anymore after the fire
of January 1993. So when David died, I recalled his wanting his
"own place." I remembered Jesus’ words in John 14:2-3
where He told his disciples (and us believers by extension) that He
would go from them (predicting His death); and while gone, He would
be preparing a "place" for them and for us. I was comforted
by the fact that finally Dave had his "own place" with Jesus
in Heaven. I do not know all the details of this "own place"
but rejoice over the fact. Who could ask for a better "own place"
or a better Landlord for one’s son?
"I’m Born-Again &
Saved"
He always said to us, "Do not say at my funeral that I
am not ‘born-again and saved, I am!’" He loved giving his
testimony--how his life was changed (II Corinthians 5:17)
when he received Jesus Christ as his Saviour at the Good Samaritan
Inn Mission in Richmond, Virginia (John 1:12). He declared
his faith in Jesus Christ plainly and unashamedly. Sometimes,
because of his mental state, he experimented in other religious
thought, but his heart was secure in his personal faith.
His Last Phone Call
The Saturday morning before David died, he called with a
poem. "Write this poem down for me, Mom," he requested. And I
did. It made me feel bad. It was about his death. We parted,
declaring our love for each other. That was our last conversation.
In a Second of Time
by David William Waite
(October 17, 1951-April 15, 2008)
(dictated to YSW by phone on April 12, 2008)
~~~
In a second of time
That is all it takes
For me to die,
Some nice memories
And some I wish to forget.
At that second,
I pray
That I will be praying
That He’ll accept my soul
In Heaven with Him.
For all my memories of life and family--
Green Pines Took Him
In
He joined Second Baptist Church right next to the Green
Pines Rest Home in Paulsboro, NJ, where he stayed for about a
year-and a-half. His father and I were grateful to Mr. Green,
the proprietor of that home, who took him in when no one else would.
Green Pines took him in. He met so many people in that Paulsboro
neighborhood--and he had the church fellowship next door, and the
care of Pastor & Mrs. Frazier!
I think that God gives us who survive a special "spiritual
anesthesia" to keep us going during the times immediately following
such news.
"I’m dying!"
We tried to fulfill David’s burial requests. He had
been speaking about death much of late. He told the workers at
Green Pines that he was going to die in April of this year. And
he did! He told us that one of the reasons that he joined Second
Baptist there in Paulsboro was so he could have a church for his
funeral and that Pastor Frazier, his pastor, could preside. He said,
"I want Pastor Frazier to preach the sermon and you can pray,
Dad." He told Daniel, his brother, that he wanted white roses on
his coffin. He had them. He wanted a white hearse to carry his body.
(We couldn’t fulfill that request.) Without question we knew he
wanted to be buried at Harleigh Cemetery across the street from his
last apartment at the edge of Camden and Collingswood. That final
morning, as he was suffering, he said, "I’m dying!" And he
was. Though his vital signs were good in the ambulance and at the
hospital, he soon passed on to Glory. The doctor surmised it was a
deep thrombosis--a blood clot.
Neither One of Us
Wanted Such An Experience
Our son talked so much about dying that I replied,
"David, I would feel very bad if you would die." Then
he declared, "Mom, I would feel very bad if I had to look down on
you in your casket." Neither one of us wanted such an
experience. God, in His wisdom, decided who would have to look at
the face of our dead dear one. It was I--along with his father and
brothers and sister. When I saw him lying there all dead in the
coffin (it was only his body and not my son), he looked thirty years
younger. The embalming fluid has a way of causing the deceased to be
less wrinkled and younger--but very dead.
He Gave Roses To His
Friends
When we went over to Flower World, around the corner
from where David lived, to order the funeral spray for the casket,
Glenn, the flower man, asked if our name was Waite. Come to find
out, he and his employees knew David well. He came there every
morning to visit, and often bought roses to give to friends. I
didn’t know that. Two grieving widows, who worked at Green Pines,
told me later that David gave each of them a rose at different
times. He would bring his father and me a carnation for special
occasions. I had no idea that he did this on a regular basis for his
friends. We learned that day that David had a regular "beat" of
places and people he visited almost daily. Mr. Green, of Green
Pines, said wherever he went after David’s death, people came up to
him sorrowing that our son had died. We didn’t know he knew so many
people.
Many Friends in Many
Places
After his death and a few days before the funeral
service, Brother Daniel Waite and his wife, Dave’s sister-in-law,
Tamie, traveled to David’s various haunts to tell them that their
friend had died. Unknown to us, he had made scores of friends in
the communities where he lived and roamed (in New Jersey’s Paulsboro
and Glassboro), as well as in Pennsauken where the Wiley Christian
Management Program is located. (He traveled by van there almost
every weekday.)
ON APRIL 21st TAMIE WAITE, DANIEL’S WIFE, WROTE
OUR FAMILY AND FRIENDS THE FOLLOWING:
"Today Daniel, Anna, and I retraced some of David’s steps
in areas he frequented in two different communities where he
lived and worked. How he was known, and loved! Some
neighbors recounted David with smiles and laughter
reflecting on his winsome ways. Others in deeply-born tears
shared how he had touched their lives with his sensitive
heart. A memorial service was given at his group program
today. One man named James recounted how they would sit and
talk about the Bible. Ladies at his favorite hair salon were
shocked.
"The bankers spoke how he would greet each with his
humorous nicknames. One employee and neighbor at a pizza
place spoke how they gleaned so much wisdom from David about
his own family who suffered much, and both assured us they
were planning to attend his funeral. A police officer
welcomed an obituary about David saying many knew him. At
his group program, his counselor recounted that one very
quiet girl spoke up at the Bible study since Dave’s shocking
home going. His roommates at the retirement home have been
stunned and many plan to attend the funeral services on
Wednesday.
"Recently, someone spoke sadly about the potential of
David’s life, implying it was too bad (I supposed) that it
didn’t amount to more. However, God used David profoundly as
a bridge between so many conflicts, and cultures. at much
personal pain. His sensitive spirit and superior intellect
gave him an understanding that made him, as Pastor Frazier
(his pastor ) said of him, ‘a shining light’ of the
gospel of Jesus Christ in his Jerusalem."
David had coffee, told
jokes, sang songs, & gave nick-names
People at the funeral service told me how he stopped
by their houses and had coffee with them. The
nearby diner’s waitresses came and said how he called them by nick-
names and told them a joke, or sang them a song on an almost daily
basis. He stopped at the police station and had friends there. The
city workmen--meter readers and water people--missed him, wondering
what happened to their friend when he suddenly stopped coming by.
"He Changed
My Life," Mrs. Waite
A pizza delivery man told me that David changed his life.
"What did he do?" I asked. Then he told me
how David listened to him and would counsel him. I couldn’t believe
it. I said, "Go tell his brothers and sister!" (They were
seated nearby in the church.) Earl, his driver--the one who drove
Dave from Paulsboro to Pennsauken--cried tears saying Dave was his
friend. He told how Dave helped him and they would discuss the
Scriptures together. Our oldest son, Don, said, "Mom I don’t know
which was a greater shock--Dave dying so suddenly or all the
beautiful things people were saying about him."
"You Must Let God Use
You Where You Are!" I said.
When David would be depressed about his life and what he
thought was the uselessness of it all, I would try to encourage him.
He wanted to be like his brothers and sister with mates and
children, homes, a job, and a place in the church and community. He
wanted a ministry like his father had. I would tell him that we
wished his life could have been different. It wasn’t what any of us
would have chosen for him, but God had permitted this illness. His
illness had changed the direction of the original intent of his
life. He could have been a preacher or teacher; but, God permitted
Satanic illness to get a foothold into his life and turn it in a
different direction--a direction none of us would have chosen. I
would encourage him to BLOOM WHERE HE WAS PLANTED. "David," I would
say, "You must let God use you where you are." I would add, "The
people you are with are your mission field. This is your ministry!"
I had no idea what a "ministry" he had!
They Called Him John
I HAD NO IDEA OUR DAVID HAD MADE SUCH AN IMPACT IN HIS
COMMUNITIES. His father and I did not know he made so many friends.
He shared his life with them. It certainly was a lesson in what is
important in life and how we should be towards others. He had no
church, no pulpit, but he had the coffee cup, the conversation, the
sane talk mixed with the crazy talk, and his papers he would write.
His friends accepted him for who he was and how he was. They called
him "John." This mother-heart will be forever grateful.
Flowers Came
From Far & Near
People sent flowers from far and near. I didn’t think David would
have any flowers. Who would care enough about him? The flower shop
owner, himself, sent a beautiful purple wreath with orchids, typing
three stanzas of David’s favorite songs. I cried and cried each time
I looked at those words. "Foxy Ladies," where Dave had his hair cut,
sent two huge flower baskets. Second Baptist and the pastor sent a
plant. Relatives from afar sent flowers. Churches we didn’t know
sent baskets of blooms--to say nothing of the flowers and plant that
came to our house. And Pastors came to the church to comfort us.
HOW DOES THE MEMORY OF THE FLOWERS SPEAK TO ME?
They comforted me. They eased the stark look of "death"
on David’s face. My dear son. That which he dreaded, came!
That which he feared engulfed him! That which he expected,
arrived on time! He kept his heart right with God at the
end. He was ready! I, his mother, am grateful. He who
shuffled in walking, whose thoughts poured out in words, has
been silenced. The hush of death is deafening. What is it
like for David in Heaven? I am glad that Dave can praise in
Glory--away from those who thought him a fool. I miss my
precious "Baby Boy!" I will always love him. (from my diary,
May 1, 2008)
Men & Women
Stood To Their Feet In Reflection
People from Paulsboro, Pennsauken, Glassboro,
Collingswood, and other New Jersey areas, as well as Pennsylvania,
Maryland, & Florida, came to pay their respects. The service itself
was a shining tribute to David’s life and a comfort to his family.
Men and women from all walks of life stood up and told what an
influence Dave had in their lives. It was a remarkable revelation!
The actual service glorified the Lord. David’s siblings took part.
Brothers Dick and Dan Waite read the Scriptures. Don, Jr. read the
obituary. Sister Dianne sang one of her brother’s favorites, Only
One Life To Offer. Niece Anna Waite played Nearer my God to Thee on
her trumpet. His father, Dr. D.A. Waite (my eighty-year-old
husband--we are married for a few months short of sixty years)
prayed as Dave had requested. How he loved his family!
Pastor Frazier
Comforted with Psalm 23
In His Own Recorded Words, David Gave His Testimony
"AMAZING GRACE, HOW SWEET THE SOUND THAT SAVED A WRETCH LIKE ME"
Pastor Frazier preached on the Twenty-Third Psalm,
comforting our hearts and thanking God that David Waite had passed
through his church for a year-and a-half. He told how they loved him
and that many burst out in tears when they learned of his death.
Mrs. Frazier blessed and comforted our hearts with her words and the
church soloist melted our souls as she sang Amazing Grace. Our own
church pianist, Dick Carroll, played an organ prelude to some of
David’s favorite hymns and gospel songs.
788 Pictures of
David’s Life Flashed Before Our Eyes
All throughout the service, seven hundred-eighty-eight
power-point pictures of David and his family were flashed before the
congregation on the sanctuary walls. His brother, Don (and Dan,
too), put them together as their tribute to their brother. One of
the most moving times in the service was when David spoke himself.
From a recent recorded conversation with David, his father compiled
and recorded David’s personal salvation testimony on tape. It was
played for our ears that day. We all heard these moving words
together. Many people said they had never been to such a service. I
knew I had not! I knew, as we all sang When We All Get To Heaven,
that God would be glorified. And through our tears and fears, He
was.
Words From A Close
Friend
"Under That Unkempt Body Was a Gentleman!"
In closing I want to send you some words that were sent to
us by someone very close to David. I think that they help to explain
him to us and the outside world.
"I want you to know that I will miss him very much. . .
.David had many fine points. He truly loved both of you. . .
.When you, Dr. Waite, were in the hospital, he actually
cried for you to get better. . . he was a minister in his
own way. He wanted to belong, but due to his illness could
not go about it like his family. . . .I believe David will
be in heaven and will meet you there. He will no longer have
his illness and will be whole and healed. Thank you for
allowing me to be a part of David’s life for the last few
years. . . . I want to say one more thing about David. Under
that unkempt body was a gentleman. You just knew he came
from a family who taught him well. He was a people person,
and with the illness that he had, that was remarkable.
Please accept my prayers. . .I feel I know the best of your
family as told by David. He was truly one of God’s
children."
The "Absent" Part Is
Difficult!
I will always be grateful for those who came to the
service and to those who have ministered to me by cards, calls,
flowers, personal presence, or prayers. I never
lost a child before. It is not easy. Even though I know that
"willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with
the Lord" (I Corinthians 5:8) is true, the
"absent" part is difficult for us who miss him.
"Please, God, Take
Care Of My Little Boy!"
Immediately at his sudden death, I thought of my mother’s
loss with the death of my sister, Audrey. Then, names of my friends
who have walked through this Valley came to me. Suddenly I
understood what they had gone through. I wanted to talk with them. I
knew they would understand. As I view in my home the same
power-point pictures that were shown to the church that afternoon,
tears come to my eyes. There he is in picture-form as a baby, a
toddler, a mischievous boy, a teenager, and a man! So many thoughts
pour into my mind concerning our son, Dave. And as I cry, I call out
to God, "Please God, take care of my little boy!"
Love Personified!
I must say that our family was truly impressed with the
love of Jesus shown us by the Second Baptist Church there in
Paulsboro, New Jersey. Our daughter said that afternoon she saw I
Corinthians 13:13 in action: "Now abideth faith, hope, charity,
these three; but the greatest of these is charity." She said, "Today
I saw ‘CHARITY’ in action."
"He Will Be Our Guide"
Before I say goodbye, I want to give you a verse a
dear friend gave me immediately after David passed. It is found
in Psalm 48:14. It comforted me.
For this God is our God
For ever and ever:
He will be our guide
Even unto death.
In God’s care--even
unto death,
Yvonne S. Waite, for David’s father,
too. (I Peter 5:6-11)
"For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be
clothed upon with our house which is from Heaven: If so be
that being clothed we shall not be found naked. For we that
are in this tabernacle do groan, being burdened: not for
that we would be unclothed, but clothed upon, that mortality
might be swallowed up of life. . . Therefore we are always
confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body,
we are absent from the Lord. . .We are confident, I say, and
willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present
with the Lord. (The Apostle Paul writing in II Corinthians
5: 2-6)
HERE ARE
SOME BIBLE FOR TODAY OFFERS
WHY NOT ORDER TODAY?
ORDER: the DVD of DAVID WAITE’S FUNERAL SERVICE videoed by
the Paulsboro, NJ, church and also includes 788 family pictures, and
a 45-minute testimony of David made in February ‘08. FREE
ORDER: MRS. WAITE’S FIVE RADIO PROGRAMS telling of David Waite’s
sudden death. Also hear DANIEL WAITE’S (his brother) radio comments.
(CD--$5.00+$1 S&H / audio tape--$4.00+$1 S&H)
ORDER: MRS. WAITE’S FOUR RADIO PROGRAMS with daughter Dianne on
Friends, Friendship, Eating Disorders, & Hot Flashes. (CD--gift of
$5.00+ $1.00 S&H / audio tape--$4.00 +$1.00 S&H)
ORDER: NEW!! DR. WAITE’S NEW BOOK, A CRITICAL ANSWER TO
MICHAEL SPROUL’S BOOK God’s Word Preserved. It contains 272 of
Sproul’s statements analyzed carefully for errors,
misrepresentations, and serious falsehoods. (186 pgs. Soft back)
Gift of $11.00+S&H $4,00.
Sproul’s first serious error is that he deceives the
readers into believing that they actually believe that God’s
"WORDS" have been preserved from the time of their writing
to the present time. He redefines "WORD" to mean only the
IDEAS, THOUGHTS, CONCEPTS, MESSAGE, TRUTH or TEACHINGS, but
not "WORDS." THIS IS UNCALLED FOR AND DECEPTIVE.
ORDER: A NEW SHIPMENT OF DEFINED KING JAMES BIBLE ARRIVED
APRIL 30TH! ALL BACK ORDERS HAVE BEEN FILLED! CALL 1-800-JOHN 10:9
WITH YOUR ORDER. Some have sent money in memory of David. This was
never asked for BUT APPRECIATED. It was used for the Bible Fund.
Thank-you!
ORDER: "GNOSTICISM & Heresies in BIBLE VERSIONS" (recently
given by DR. WAITE to about 200 Chinese believers in Pennsylvania.)
AUDIO TAPE: Gift of $4.00+$1.00 S&H/ CD: Gift of $6.00+$1 S&H
DID YOU DOWNLOAD BFT MESSAGES FROM SERMON
AUDIO LAST MONTH?
IF SO, YOU ARE ONE OF THE 20,470 WHO DID!
WWW.BibleForToday.org
|
