The Love of my life is with the Lord...

As some of you know, Preston Newby, my beloved husband and best friend went to be with his Savior and Lord on Monday night or early Tuesday evening.  We were driving up to B.C. to see my family.  As we were somewhere in the middle of Washington all the cars in front of us came to a quick stop and began to swerve to the left to go around a giant elk who had just been hit. Just ahead of the moose was the car who hit the moose. Front window smashed and no one was getting out of the car.  So Preston being the amazing man he is said we had to stop and help. He ran across the road and began to call 911 because someone in the car was bleeding when another car who didn't see the elk swerved left instead of right, and hit Preston. It was by God's grace that I had turned my head at the time he got hit. But after I heard the crash I turned around to find my beloved laying on the road. I ran to his side and just held him, he still had a heart beat but was unconscience.  He looked so peaceful. As I held him I sang to him, prayed and cried out to the Lord.  I began to shake so intensely that I lost his heartbeat and I do believe that he passed away in my arms. Because when the paramedics got there they began cpr right away, but it was the Lords will to take him home.  As terrible as this is I have such a peace that this was Preston's time to go home to be with the Lord.  His life motto was, "TO LIVE IS CHRIST, TO DIE IS GAIN" and he is with Jesus, his Lord and Savior!!!! He has escaped this world and I think we're all jealous of him!!! And I have the incredible hope that I will see him again. 

The Lord really prepared me for this, the last few days when I read the Bible I kept opening it to the Psalms. And four times in three days the Lord lead my eyes to verses that spoke of finding your strength in the Lord and that the Lord is my strength. I actually thought it was so unusual that I asked God if he was preparing me for something and then told him, "I hope you're not!!!" But He was and now I am grateful. From the first moment Preston got hit God filled me His absolute and perfect strength.  It was such an intense and very real feeling .  Never have I ever felt closer to our God.

Preston's passion was always to serve the Lord with all his heart.   He did this everyday being a youth pastor and just a Christian in general.  He died serving the Lord and what more perfect way to go? I know the Lord welcomed him into his arms with such Joy. We joked that in Heaven he went straight up to Jonathan Edwards, CS Lewis and Paul and was like, so what did you mean when you wrote this.... although I'm certain just being in the presence of our God he knew far more than he did on this earth!   

Preston was the most incredible person I have ever known. I've said this even before his death.  He touched SO MANY lives, everywhere he went. Everyone who met him just loved him. He had a short life, but a full life. 

One of his goals in life was to write a book and the other night I asked him what he was going to write about.  He said that if he could get one message out it would be that we NEED to have a passion for the Lord, a real and constant daily passion, we need to find our joy in the Lord, in the good times and the bad.  And that in every single moment of our day we do we need to glorify the Lord.  His life was evident of this passion that I hope we all can put into action.  Believe what we believe and live it out LOUD. 

This is the hardest thing I have ever felt, the pain is endless and my life will never be the same, but God is good, he has a plan for our lives, for me, for Jacob and for our unborn baby (I am 10weeks pregnant, due in April) I put my strength and hope in God every second and it has made this far easier than without.  I am reminded of Isaiah 40:28-31

Do you not know, have you not heard?

The Lord is the everlasting God

The Creator of the ends of the earth

He will not grow tired or weary

His understanding no one can fathom

He gives strength to the weary

And increases the power of the weak

Even youths grow tired and weary 

And young men stumble and fall

But those who hope in the Lord

Will renew their strength

They will soar on wings like eagles

they will run and not get weary

They will walk and not be faint.