Melissa's Faith Lives On

FF Note: Melissa's story inspired the staff of the Fayette Front Page. Her story reminds us all to look to God for all times.

Melissa's family lives in Tyrone and has lovingly shared their thoughts in the hopes that Melissa's faith will inspire us all. Please accept our condolences on your loss.

Dear Friends and Prayer Warriors,

I am writing to let you know that my precious daughter Melissa has been taken home by our Father.

Melissa passed away on Jan 28, 2009 at 7:45pm Central time. She battled to the last drop of life left her body.

Never, through this entire battle did she question God’s love for her and she consistently praised God for all the miracles that gave her comfort, gave her a clear path to walk along her journey and kept the love of her life Ben Hamrick by her side day and night. (Ben slept in a chair beside her bed through this entire ordeal)

Through it all there have been so many obvious miracles and signs of hope.

Megan, deciding not to take her new job in Alaska, leaving the airport, going to Melissa’s house and making her go to the ER (Melissa would have surely died right then)

Ben getting a job with a great company 5 days before Melissa was diagnosed, the company fully insured Ben and Melissa and paid him a salary through the entire 18 month battle.

Melissa getting transferred to MD Anderson without a hitch and getting there in three days, with a diagnosis from NorthSide Cancer Center that she would not survive 3 more days.

The gifts and donations by hundreds of friends and family.

Toward the end, I had some angry prayers with God, because I couldn’t understand why He would set before Ben and Melissa such a clear path and so many miracles to keep them together and comfortable and then take her home to Him. I prayed over and over for an answer, “why all the obvious miracles to an end of death”? Then, yesterday as I was speaking to a Christian friend the answer came to me. Melissa had complete and total faith all along. She never faltered in trusting God. It was her time to go home to the Father and that wasn’t going to change. God gave Melissa the extra 18 months to prepare our hearts, not Melissa’s.

Thank you Lord God Almighty because, if Melissa had passed away the day she was diagnosed, I think I would have not witnessed Melissa and Ben’s faith and not known how to totally and completely trust in God against all odds. Melissa and Ben have prepared my heart and shown me how to be a faithful servant even in the worst of conditions.

Keep up the prayers
Tony Fritz

The proud father of Melissa Hamrick
4/22/82-1/28/09


-----
www.fayettefrontpage.com
Fayette Front Page
Community News You Can Use
Fayetteville, Peachtree City, Tyrone
www.georgiafrontpage.com
Georgia Front Page