I Timothy 4:12 Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity.       
Let no man despise thy youth…
Today, we celebrate the home going of our lovely daughter, Leah. Laura, Bekka, and I would like to give our expression of thankfulness to the Lord for the 18 years that we have had with her. We would also like to give our thanks to you, our friends and family, for your love and support, not just in the past days and weeks, but throughout her life. My brother once told me that Leah was a paradox. All she knew and expressed was either undeniable love or pain. There was nothing in-between with her. When she wasn’t in pain, she was filled with love, and so fully loved all those in her realm.  She especially loved the Lord with all her heart. 
As I think about her at this moment, I see the young girl, who always wanted to be a ballerina, dancing on the streets of glory and singing praises to our Lord Jesus Christ. She is finally able to fully worship as she always tried to on this earth. Her physical body is no longer able to keep her from wholly joining in the music of praise that so filled her heart.
Today, I would like to share a bit of what seems fitting as a memorial to the love that we all saw in Leah. While I will be concentrating on specific elements of our household, I wish it to be very clear that everything is stated with the intention of bringing glory to God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. He is the only element of our lives, of any life, worthy to be expressed from our hearts unto others. He, alone, must be the focus.
	For eighteen years, He has blessed us with the living opportunity to daily seek His face, His strength, His Love, His patience, and His kindness in dealing with, Leah, a most precious gift from His heart to us. He has given our family and others, a slight glimpse into His heart of Love, through our daughter. All children are the wonderful gift of God to their parents. And every child should serve to cause parents and grandparents to seek God’s face and His course of being everything, in every way that God desires, unto each one of these wonderful lives.  
Leah was born with a rare genetic and neurological disorder that manifested itself with increasing severity as she grew older. The doctors at UCLA stated that they knew of only one other girl, back in Massachusetts, with a similar disorder. Throughout her life, no one was able to put a specific name on her malady. All we knew was that her body could not sustain the necessary energy to grow and to develop properly. Her nerve strands were never suitably formed. As she progressed in age, her body lost its ability to fight flu, colds, and infections, while at the same time maintaining other necessary functions. She started going into comas during periods of illnesses, and each coma would leave her physically lacking in some manner. Eventually, on January 20th, her frail body could no longer produce the energy to prolong physical life and she left this world. 
What I would like to share is a bit of what we have learned as God has manifested Himself to us in dealing with Leah. He has shown us that He has all things well in hand, with regard to every aspect of one’s life. Leah was a living testimony to this fact. We are truly amazed at how the Lord sustained and established Himself in and through this frail, yet at the same time vital, young lady. He has done a perfect work, as He always does. There have been so many people who were sorry about Leah’s condition, and offered their heart-felt condolences to us as her parents. They were fully appreciated and absolutely accepted in every expression of love. Yet, when one considers just how much the Lord has accomplished in and through her life, it is readily apparent why she was created in her earthly imperfection, yet with her spiritually-minded aptitude toward God. She has always truly and whole-heartedly loved the Lord. 
I remember that time when the Lord put it upon my heart that I needed to talk to her about Jesus Christ, and how excited she got as she accepted the Lord into her heart. She was of an age and intellectual state when I knew that she understood what she was doing. I pondered how to mention what was on my heart concerning the need to accept the Lord Jesus Christ as her Savior. She wrapped her arms around my neck tightly and gave me a hug and said “Daddy, I love you.” That was the opening I needed, as I began to talk to her about the love of God. She was so open and already so sure of His love. All she wanted was to love Jesus with all her heart, as He loved her. 
From our earliest recollections, we experienced her love for the Lord in song and praise. She always had a desire to be in fellowship, to sing and to pray. Sunday was the Lord’s Day, and it was the one day, in her later life, when she would willingly suffer the painful ride to and from church, in order to be with the Lord’s people in prayer and praise. It was so difficult to move her and for her to sit upright in her stroller, yet she did not want to stay home on Sunday mornings. She delighted in being in fellowship with the beloved ones in Christ. 
In her earlier years, Sundays, with the worship in the morning, and playing her instruments of praise in the evening, and Mondays, with the two youth group meetings and the Men’s Fellowship were her favorite days of the week. She rejoiced in the love of Christ with all; young and old, male and female, it mattered not as long as the Lord was being glorified. 
Our fellowship is not the only group of people to whom Leah was a testimony of the One, True and Living Christ. As the Lord is my witness, it seems that she has truly done all that a person, in the love of Christ, can be called upon to do on this earth, and at such a young age, and with such physical limitations. Yet, it was directly because of those physical limitations that the Lord has been able to show Himself over and over again. There have been so many people to whom God’s love has been expressed in the heart of Leah. 
The medical profession has been greatly blessed with the opportunity to know just how mighty God is. There was no medical reason that Leah had been alive these past years, except that God deemed it fit for her. The doctors, and nurses, and there are large numbers of them, have been witness to the miracle of God’s love. Leah never hid any of the grace of God. She told all of them about the Lord and, when she was able, she would sing, with all the depth of her soul, of the love of God, in their waiting rooms, in their offices, and in the hospital. She told them of the love that was in her heart. She hugged them, and she prayed for them. 
This was typical of Leah, as there was none to whom she withheld the love of God. And, what was so incredible, they listened and they marveled. She was so honest and sincere in her love; they had no choice but to accept the love of Christ that she so freely expressed. They didn’t necessarily understand, they didn’t always acknowledge it, but they couldn’t help but be touched by Christ, as He loved them through Leah. These are people who have been affected in the medical aspects of Leah’s condition, who may never have been so exposed to the love of God, but for the witness of this young girl in her physical calamity.
There have been many witnesses to the fact that God is Great, and Mighty, and Loving, and Comforting. That He is able to provide for every need in His over abundant grace. 
There are those in the education field who have been witnesses of Christ in having Leah in their lives and in their classrooms, when she was able to go to school. So many teachers and aides have been brought into the presence of the love of Christ in Leah. Leah never ceased to talk about the Lord in their classes and to sing songs of Christ. We were constantly getting questions about the lyrics to the songs that she was singing. We were told numerous times about the way Leah loved to talk about how she went to church on Sundays and praised the Lord. Whenever the subject of favorite things and likes would be brought up, Leah always mentioned the Lord, the Bible studies, the Sunday praises and playing instruments at church on Sunday night. We were frequently being told that everyone in class would know that Leah went to church on Sunday and to the youth groups and the men’s meeting on Mondays to praise the Lord, because she would talk about the Lord with such excitement and determination. 
Others, that have been witness of the Love of Christ in Leah, are the many friends and neighbors whom the Lord has influenced, through her, in His wondrous Grace. When Bekka, our oldest daughter, was playing soccer, we used to take Leah to the practices and to the games. The whole team fell in love with her and made her an official member of the team. If she missed a game or a practice, we would be bombarded by many of them as to her condition. She won the hearts of those players, coaches, and parents with her bright smile, her enthusiasm, and her constant expression of Christ’s love.
	There is a young lady, who has become part of the youth group, through her friendship with Leah. The two of them became friends through their adaptive PE classes in elementary school, and blossomed together in the Lord. 
Our neighbors across the street became enthralled with Leah and went out of their way to make her 16th birthday an extremely memorable one. The children wanted to do something very special for Leah. Why were so many people influenced by the love that was in Leah? It was because that love was so pure in nature; it was the heart of Christ. She lived a life of what my mother calls, unconscious holiness unto God. There was no prejudice in the way Leah dealt with people. It mattered not who anyone was, all were deserving of the love that the Lord had instilled in Leah. She was open and loving and kind to all. She made no distinction of person. Those who came to know her, loved her, loved Christ in her. She had become a magnet of His love unto others. Initially, they may have pitied her circumstances, but as they grew to know her, and the One Who lived His life out from her, they could not help but receive the love that indwelled her. She was a witness of the truest form of God’s unconditional love. It mattered not what the circumstances of the people that came into Leah’s life, they were all worthy of the Love of Christ in her, and she made that truth freely known to all.
	This indwelling Love of Christ went beyond those who personally came into contact with her. My fellow workers, Laura’s fellow workers, Bekka’s fellow workers, our friends, have been greatly affected by her love, even though they may never have met her. Hopefully they are aware that there is a quiet confidence that all is well in His Hands in regard to Leah. That we are settled in the fact that she was the way she was because that was God’s greatest expression of love to her. We were blessed beyond measure with Leah and the way in which the Lord made all abundance in her care. That is a testimony that I treasure in my heart, day after day.
	On another level, I marveled at her acceptance of what was going on in her body. I doubt I could handle all the physical losses, of just this past year that she endured, with the same love of the Lord that she exuded. She was fully aware of what was lacking, and yet she did not let that interfere with her heart after Christ. She would be lying in her bed, in pain and agony, with silent tears streaming across her face. She knew that she could no longer swallow, that she could no longer eat solid food, no longer enjoy the taste of her favorite treats. She was being slowly fed through a tube inserted in her tummy. Her right arm and both her legs were no longer functioning, continually cramped, and in constant pain. She was blind and could no longer watch those favorite videos or play her favorite game, Uno. She was confined to her hospital bed, daily fighting acid reflux. She was constantly coughing up mucous from her lungs, trying to breathe through the saliva pooling in her throat, having to be suctioned regularly to keep from drowning in her own fluids. All of these things she faced every day, and yet, mention the Lord, begin singing about Jesus, and it all evaporated as she focused on Him. She was no longer comprehensible, but her heart and her soul sang forth praises unto God that had to touch His heart in the purity of her offering. Her face brightened with joy and His love exuded from her every fiber. Despite all the physical lack, there was a spiritual fullness in that kid that caused us to marvel at the great Love of God which so easily and fully transcends what we think is of value on this earth. Hopefully, that is the message that was received, as we daily focused on the Lord in Leah.
There was another aspect of the love of the Lord in Leah, to which we have been witnesses. She was stubbornly insistent that we include so many people in our prayers each evening. There was no compromise when it came to lifting up others in prayer every night as we ended the day. Loved ones, near and far, teachers, friends, doctors, and so many others had to be mentioned before she would accept the fact that it was time to go to sleep. When she was able, she would lead the prayers at the youth meetings and in our family gatherings. There was such joy in her as we prayed to the Lord. She undoubtedly was heard of the Lord because her heart was so after Him, for His sake. She never asked for anything for herself, but always for others. She squealed with delight in Him.  She cherished the times that we would ask her to pray. In her final months, though her lips no longer could give expression, as they used to, her countenance would brighten and her heart leapt forth in the love and concern that she had for others as we prayed together.  
The Lord proved Himself mighty in this little heart and body of His spiritual love. In her life, we have been given a wonderfully accurate expression of how our lives should be full of the songs of praise unto God for no other reason than that He is Lord. She cared not about the sound of her praises, or the tune that she couldn’t carry, or the words that she couldn’t pronounce. She gave forth with all her heart and being with no self-conscious thoughts of any kind.
As parents, we have learned so much of the gracious and comforting love of God in Christ Jesus through these blessed 18 years with Leah. Her face so lit up at just the name of Jesus Christ. He was the one person Who consistently brought forth a forgetfulness of her earthly circumstances. Just the mention of Jesus, in word or song, manifested an utter willingness to praise Him, no matter what location or what pain she might have been enduring. Her behavioral instincts instantly focused on Him, and her heart cried forth with love for our glorious Lord and Savior. Oh to be so attuned in our hearts in the midst of every trial and situation.
	She loved the Lord with all her heart and soul and being. That was the great lesson that we learned in the time that we had with Leah. She was the purest witness of Christ’s love in our hearts and in our souls. We are so thankful to the Lord for the great Love that He gave us, in Christ, in Leah. He has proven Himself over and over again in so many wonderful ways. 
	
Could we now please sing Leah’s favorite song of praise, He is Exalted?

We would like to share a brief video presentation of Leah’s life, put together patiently and lovingly by Alfred and Alicia Pratt.

Benediction:
	Now our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, and God, even our Father, which hath loved us, and hath given us everlasting consolation and good hope through grace, comfort your hearts, and stablish you in every good word and work.
Amen.    II Thess. 2:16-17

May the Lord Bless each one of you.