"Heaven gained a good one today"

Mallory's Dad went Home today after a 9 month battle with cancer.  The way that the Maxwell family has dealt with Joe's sickness and death has amazed me.  They have such a faith in the Lord that has given them a perfect peace.  They rejoiced today that he is now pain free and singing with the angels in Heaven!  Not many people can find joy in the loss of a loved one, but the way that their family has dealt with this is a strong testament to the way that Joe led his family.  He taught his children about their Heavenly Father and now they are running to Him for comfort and peace.  Here is a picture of the family when Mal's mom was recently awarded the much deserved title of Kerr County Chamber of Commerce Woman of the Year.

A theme throughout the entire battle with cancer has been "keep singing".  Kathleen and Joe met while they were singing and it has been a big part of their lives ever since.  They even passed on their skills to Mallory who sings like an angel :) If she wasn't so shy about it I would have had her sing at my wedding!  This past Monday they invited friends and family to join them in singing at their home so everyone could see Joe before he went Home.  About 150 - 200 people showed up to see Joe and to sing to our Lord!  Joe was really weak and appeared to be sleeping, but when everyone started leaving we all shouted goodbye to him and he raised his hand to wave to everyone.  It was such a neat picture to see the sweet Maxwell family sitting together on their deck surrounded by loved ones all singing praises.  I snapped a few pictures while I was there.

There is a visitation this Saturday from 1-3 at Impact Christian Fellowship and then the funeral will be at Impact again on Sunday at 3.  Click Here to view the Caring Bridge site that Kathleen has updated throughout the past 9 months.  He will be missed for sure, but everyone can not wait to see him again one day!