A Journey We Were All Waiting For

We had the privilege of ringing in the New Year on a journey that we all had been waiting for. We hosted the first person, Carol Ann, to receive end-of-care in the The Upper Room. What a beautiful and trailblazing experience it was for all of us!

Our journey with Carol began when she and her children, Andrea, Brad and Steve, came to visit The Upper Room in October. Carol was enrolled in hospice at that time, but was well enough to be actively involved in planning her end-of-life care. From the moment I met Carol, I admired her honesty, her joy and her faith. I remember feeling nervous about her and her family visiting The Upper Room, preparing myself that it may not be the place she chose to spend her last days. 

Well, I had nothing to be nervous about. Carol fell in love with The Upper Room. As a matter of fact, she told me and Haley quite bluntly that she wanted to be the first person to stay in The Upper Room for end-of-life care. With my hospice experience, I remember looking at her and saying “I hope you are too, Carol,” yet thinking “Lord, this is all you!” Because I knew that that was a difficult promise for me to make and keep! 

After this initial visit, I had the privilege of staying in close contact with Carol and Andrea. I look back and I truly treasure the visits with them while Carol was living with Rich and Andrea. We had many conversations around how Carol was feeling, we laughed at many moments the two of them were sharing with one another, and we spent time in prayer together almost every visit. What stood out to me, again, was Carol’s honesty, Carol’s joy and Carol’s faith. She often talked openly about how she was ready to be with Jesus and was frustrated with how long it was taking. She didn’t understand why she was still here, yet she knew that God had a plan and a purpose. She wasn’t always happy about it, but it seemed like her frustrations were always followed with a smile. And, it was with a beautiful smile that we were greeted on New Years Eve when Carol made it from Rich and Andrea’s home to The Upper Room. 

I don’t think we will ever forget this day. For years, The Upper Room team had been building in preparation for this day and praying in anticipation of this day. And, now it was happening. Not only did Carol receive her request and was officially the first person to stay in The Upper Room, but God heard our prayers as well. You see, we had been praying that our first family would be someone that we knew personally. A family that we could walk through this journey with, who would trust us, and that would be honest with us. Only God knew that it would be our best friend’s grandma! This made the journey even more special and memorable.  

When Haley received the phone call on New Year’s Eve that Carol was going to be making her way to the Upper Room, she heard the Lord say “Prepare the Room”. This brought her to a scripture, John 14:2 that says: “My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you?”. Little did she know the significance of this prompting until later during Carol’s visit. 

It is our heart, as The Upper Room team, for everyone we encounter to experience Heaven on Earth. What better way to do that than to declare His words in the physical space. Haley took some time that day in a specific corner of the room, and was led to various verses in Scripture. One that stood out that the Lord led her to was Joshua 4.

Quick context of what is happening in the beginning of Joshua…. The Lord says to Joshua - the time has come for you to lead these people, the Israelites, across the Jordan River into the Promised Land. This meant they needed to carry the Ark of the Covenant across the Jordan River. The Ark was sacred - it was where God’s presence dwelt among His people. (Praise God for Jesus Christ, for now through Him, the Holy Spirit dwells in us!). As the Ark of the Covenant was carried through the Jordan River, the Lord parted the waters. The waters remained parted until the entire nation of Israel crossed the Jordan. Chapter 4 is about how the Israelites established a memorial, by taking stones from the river, to commemorate this event. The memorial was to remind the Israelites of God's love and miraculous assistance. It was also intended to teach future generations about God's faithfulness and actions. The memorial was meant to help people trust God for greater works in the future.

SO, as Carol was making her way, across Jordan, MN - Haley declared that specific corner in the Upper Room to be a memorial - a cornerstone if you will. The first stone to be laid by Carol Ann. 

When Carol arrived that evening, she did so with a heart ready to receive! It’s like she knew she had the gift of The Upper Room waiting for her, and she was so excited to experience it! She boasted about the space and how beautiful it was to the paramedics that had brought her there. And, even though her physical body was weak, her mind and her spirit sure was strong! Just as The Upper Room was a gift to HER, it was honestly A TRUE GIFT TO US watching Carol arrive and settle in with such gladness to be there;  and, so full of hope and joy! 

Joy was definitely something that was experienced in our journey with Carol in The Upper Room. There is a scripture from Nehemiah 8:10 that reads, “The joy of the Lord is your strength.” So often, we think of joy and we inaccurately attach it to a feeling of happiness or a state of wealth or good fortune. Yet, joy is actually a strength that we can have no matter what we are going through, when we receive Jesus! Carol had that very strength. From what we learned about her, she had many unfortunate situations in her lifetime, many related to her physical health. And yet, so many of the memories people have shared with us, and the memories that we have in our short time with her, involve laughter. It’s like she knew that laughter was the best medicine, and despite what she was going through physically, her witty personality often allowed for a good laugh.

We shared a lot of laughter, along with food, worship, and fellowship. And, we can’t help but think that is exactly how God intended it to be. So often, we think of this time in our lives as a time of mourning, yet God intends for it to feel more like a celebration! A time of gathering where we are all unified and gathered around one purpose. A time to experience heaven on earth. 

And, in this case, I do believe we experienced just that. We were all there to treasure, love, and support Carol Ann and one another as she labored from this life into the next. And as her physical body became weak, her mind and spirit remained strong. Why? Because she had the joy of the Lord! Which always was and always will be her strength. 

Carol ended up staying with us in The Upper Room for five nights. And, on that fifth night, I think it is safe to say that everyone involved was amazed by her. Amazed that her physical body was still functioning, amazed by the capability of her mind, and often surprised by her responsiveness when it was least expected! I also think it is safe to say that we were all wondering why she was still with us and why the Lord was not bringing her home. We wanted her to be relieved of any suffering and we knew that her heart’s desire was to experience heaven! What we didn’t realize became VERY CLEAR to us on that last night as we prayed over her. 

A precious memory that we will have is a revelation that the Lord gave us as we took time to say good-bye to Carol that night. We got to thank her for entrusting us with her and her family, and for being so eager to be the first resident in The Upper Room. And, then it dawned on us. God foresaw this moment LONG before we ever did! HE KNEW that Carol was going to be the first one to be ushered from The Upper Room into heaven. HE KNEW that heaven was going to come down to that very room, through Carol. He also knew, how close to heaven everyone would feel throughout this process. Carol was put on this earth to be a living, breathing sacrifice for the Lord. Her body on this side of heaven may have been broken, frail, and failing, but it was through her body and HIS PRESENCE IN HER, that she hosted heaven for all of US to experience! 

Carol made it to her eternal home early the next morning. When we walked into The Upper Room shortly after she had passed away, there was so much peace! You could feel the presence of the Holy Spirit. It was intoxicating, and you couldn’t help but get emotional. Heaven had come down to The Upper Room that morning and you could tangibly FEEL it in that space.

Carol had paved the way and laid the cornerstone for others to experience the peace of Jesus. On earth as it is in heaven. 

The same words that we encouraged Carol Ann’s family with are the same words that I want to encourage every one of you that is reading this with. Whether you have already suffered the loss of a loved one, are preparing to lose a loved one, or have a fear of losing a loved one; this experience and these final words are meant to encourage you.

We know that you are hurting and that you are going to miss your loved one. Our prayer for you is that you would find hope and healing through God’s promises. One of his promises tells us that the loved one that you all knew and loved….is not gone. Instead, their body, or tent, that he or she lived in here on earth….THAT is what is gone.

Carol Ann, is now in her heavenly home that she KNEW was waiting for her, and that home will last forever!

So, join us in clinging to this promise that she actually hand picked from 2 Corinthians 5:1. And it says,  

“We know that our body- the tent we live in here on earth- will be destroyed. But when that happens, God will have a house for us. It will not be a house made by human hands;  instead, it will be a home in heaven that will last forever.”