I am going to attempt to summarize June’s mission and honor Ms. Emily Diehm, Ken Diehm’s mother. Oh, but where do I begin? On June 21st, Ty and I set out for a mission trip that would be a state-side road trip to ultimately visit cousins in Florida. Ty next year, God willing, will be traveling with me on an out of country mission trip, and I wanted to impart a valuable lesson, I think a fundamental necessity for all believers, and that is: When the scripture states, 2 Corinthians 5:17 (NIV) “[t]herefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” This means that we are one creature created to serve and be a vessel of Christ in all we do, no matter where we go and what we are doing. Thus, this road trip, by definition was leading to a vacation, but we were not going to stop serving Christ because we were embarking on a vacation, rather we were going to be the vessel Christ created for us to be all along the way and even when we reached our final destination. Now, I know my husband, the professor, would interject here and say our final destination is heaven, and we will get there, but for the sake of a teenager, a vacation was all the “life-lesson” that would be needed.
We stopped in Alabama for the weekends to be the bookends of the trip, and we left bracelets, fed some hungry folks we encountered, and prayed for some individuals. I wanted to detour once we reached Florida to pray at the Capitol building and for the city. We stopped at a park close by and left bracelets on the benches and the statutes (I am not sure if this was a crime; I pray not). Tallahassee has a “D+” for crime rating, and a crime occurs every “one hour and two minutes on average” (Tallahassee, FL Violent Crime Rates and Maps. (n.d.). I am not judging this, I just wanted Tyler and I to be able to pray for the city and go into a city where Jesus already is to pray that He meets the needs of those in the city and the state.
When we reached Florida and our cousins, we still continued devotionals at night, and we had the joy of going to St. Augustine, Florida, two days in a row. If you have never been, it is a must see town! If anyone knows me, I love to shop, and that we did, but what struck me the most, were those on the streets seeking to have money given or a meal provided to them. Some wore veteran hats, some held signs supporting their political candidate, and one man who I spent the most time speaking with, was in a wheelchair by the old Catholic Cathedral. The first day we visited, he wore a bowtie and had a balloon; it was his birthday. I wished him a happy birthday, and he had the biggest smile on his face, and I did give him money.
Ken Diehm taught me, when you see a need you can provide, you provide for that need. What someone does with what you give is between them and God. What you do with your blessings is between you and God. That has stuck with me since I was twenty, and I never pass up an opportunity to bless someone in response to all that God has given us as a family. This is not to boast, but only to bring glory to my Father in heaven. The man in the wheelchair was there in the same spot when we went back the next day, this time with a wooden cross around his neck. I wish I could have spent more time with him to know his story. My heart ached for those waiting for someone to see them, to be noticed, to be helped. I was also struck by the churches that remain in the “oldest continuously occupied settlement of European and African-American origin in the United States” founded in 1565 (Our history. (n.d.). Additionally, "forty-two years before the English colonized Jamestown and fifty-five years before the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock, the Spanish established at St. Augustine this nation's first enduring settlement” (Our history. (n.d.). While in St. Augustine, I could not help but notice people’s eyes. Sure, we notice them from time to time, but there on the streets, so many stories were held captive in the eyes of those waiting for someone to notice them and help each one. Tyler and I clearly could not provide enough for each of them, but we tried, and I cannot wait for the day to return to that city.
On June 29th, we were back in Alabama. I woke up early in the morning to walk the beach with Ty, and then he came back to nap. I went outside on our balcony to see a rainbow. The shells I collected that morning and that afternoon seemed to be weathered shells into hearts, and then I would learn at 3:28 pm that Emily Diehm had transitioned to heaven. It was about 2:00pm that I went out for another afternoon walk on the beach and found another heart, the final heart shell I would find on the trip. I believe God sends messages in the little things, just as much as He can in the big miracles of healings and the gift of a new life.
I started Mission Haven Rediemed as a volunteer project for just my children and myself to give back after all that had been given to me. It started out at the women’s shelter in Arlington, where I was a resident for a bit, until Ken and Kenda Diehm took me in, and told me, “you don’t have to go back there; you have a home with us.” Wow! That can change a person’s life forever. It did change mine and Allissa’s life, and I would argue continues to change lives today. It was special to go back with Ms. Emily to the Haven. We went over Christmas one year, and she baked over 100 cupcakes so that the women and children could decorate them. Another time, she came and read books to the children. She was a teacher and school counselor after all, and she always knew how to relate to any age, but I loved watching her with children because it helped me raise mine.
Ms. Emily always greeted me with “I am proud of you.” She would go on to say, “I am so proud of you.” Her husband Dr. Floyd would do the same before his passing, and as I am older now, and I have children of my own, I am reminded of how much words matter. I am also reminded of how much seeing the potential of a person matters, especially when all they might see is the ugly mess they sit in or have created for themselves.
I don’t know where I would be if not for the love and grace of the Diehm family; hence the naming of the Foundation after them. But moreover, they led me to the love and grace of Jesus Christ, and there is no price for that. It is no secret that I have been redeemed by Christ in so many ways, and I have a dark spaces in my life’s tapestry; yet, it is a beautiful workmanship of Christ, with light and bright beautiful pieces as well, because of the grace of Jesus Christ.
The lesson I take most from Dr. Floyd and Ms. Emily is to notice people. Find the good in people, even when it is so hard to find. But most of all, show them that Christ is really the summation of our lives and Christians, and all should see His reflection in our words, actions and deeds. Tonight as I write this post, the empty sad space of her passing along with Dr. Floyd and Ken going on before us to the other side of eternity reminds me of the hope we have as Christians, that according to 1 Corinthians 15:55-57 (NIV) “Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting? The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Don’t get me wrong, I am so far from perfection, but if you do not know Christ, I pray you invite Him to be LORD of your life. To know how loved you are and the grace He offers. Please reach out to us so we can connect you with a church and pray with you, but most of all to connect you to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
We are one unit, here to serve the world, we do not take vacations from our Faith, but bring Christ on our vacations and pray to impact the lives of those around us, one encounter at a time.
Only By His Grace,
Abi and my Crew.
References
https://www.citystaug.com/693/OurHistory#:~:text=Founded%20in%201565%2C%20St.%20Augustine%20is%20the%20oldest,at%20St.%20Augustine%20this%20nation%27s%20first%20enduring%20settlement.
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