In Remembrance of Hope 5/24/1994 - 5/12/2009

Many of you have not heard Hope’s story and how she became a “missionary mutt”. Today I’d like to share her story with you. Hope was born for a purpose in this life. In 1994 she was born to a Labrador mother and, although I didn’t know it then, a Great Dane father! She was found by a friend of mine from nursing school who knew I wanted a puppy...it might have had something to do with dragging her to the Humane League every day at lunch break! So, she kept an eye out and found this little pup who was a bit over run by the big litter of pups she was surrounded by. My friend called me and told me about her and, sight unseen, I told my friend to bring her home to me. Full of fleas (even after my friend gave her a flea bath!) and full of love and energy at 8 weeks old we both found a special place in each other’s hearts. Her favorite place, even on the short drive to my house, was wrapped around my neck while I tried to drive!

Well, to understand the rest of Hope’s story, I must interject some of my own story. In July of 1993 I was wed to Darrel. I had one more year of nursing school to go but we decided not to wait a whole year. Little did we both know what lay just 3 months ahead. Darrel died a tragic, unexpected death in November of that same year. As I struggled through that last year of school, with the help of many good friends and a close and loving family I longed for a puppy. So, once school was done I started the search I mentioned above. So, you may begin to see, God had a very special purpose for Hope.

You may wonder where her name came from. I’m sure you’ve guessed by now. One Bible verse that God kept bringing to me in that time of great sorrow after Darrel died was Jeremiah 29:11. “For I know the plans I have for you declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future”. Was there any better way to remind me of the hope the Lord had planned for me than to name this exuberant, soft, unconditionally loving little bundle of joy “Hope”? Her joy often made me smile when there were no smiles in my heart. Her nudge to come under my arm when I cried so many tears was a constant reminder of the love the Lord had for me that never went away, even when I couldn’t seem to feel it. Hope was the reason to get up in the mornings and get something to eat. Hope was the reason to jump in the car, even if I didn’t feel like it and go for long walks in the park beside the water her happiness and joy spreading contagiously to me. You see, God knew I needed hope and He gave me Hope.

In those days and years of struggle Hope and I never knew what the Lord had planned for our future. We just believed that He was true to His word and so whatever it was, it was good! As I worked (and I DO mean worked!) through the next 5 years of grieving and growing in the Refiner’s fire, I reached a point I felt I could move on with life. But, God was not done refining me yet. Five months later my Mother was diagnosed with Leukemia that would take her life in 3 short months. She was my best friend, the one who showed me that God was a personal God. The God I could pray to and who would answer my prayers and care for me, even in the most difficult circumstances. She lived that out in a way that was genuine in her own life and that I could emulate. But, God did not leave me in hopelessness. There was hope and in her big, loving, tangible, furry way Hope reminded me of that every day. God had a purpose for Hope in my life.

By 2001 God had done a lot of work growing me up and had heightened my understanding of Him. My wrestling with God’s sovereignty had settled into a deep understanding and acceptance. God brought very important friends and family into my life in those years to hold me up when I couldn’t stand on my own and all the time, there was Hope reminding me of God’s tender care for me, that there was hope, that God had a plan for me and it was good.

Perhaps you could think that once I had come to a place of acceptance, that God’s work thru Hope was finished. It wasn’t.

In 2001 my good friend Renee met and told me about a fellow named Keith she had met at MMS Aviation while she and Jay were visiting their cousins Herb and Rosie and their two children, Jenna and Jed. Not only did she tell me about him, she gave me a copy of his most recent newsletters. Well, though not much for being “set up”, this fellow was obviously serious about his faith in the Lord, and judging from the back of his newsletters (always written by his dog Napa about she and her companion dog, Toby) he liked dogs and had a good sense of humor! Good things in my mind. But, how does a conservative young woman make the first contact with some guy she’s never met???? Hummm. Hope! Hope could email to Napa. Did you know that Hope and Napa emailed for 3 solid weeks, every day, before Keith and I ever even talked to each other? What a pair of loving dogs caring so well for their masters! And, well, you know the rest of that story.

So, August 25 of 2002 Hope became a “missionary mutt” by marriage. Sight unseen she accepted two new Cocker Spaniels into her life as well as a new master, a new house and a new neighborhood. She adjusted to not sleeping on the bed with me and sometimes spending weeks at home as Keith and I traveled. In her special way she shared her food, shared her bed, shared her master, shared her house and, once again, reminded us of the hope we have in the Lord if we trust Him only and wait on His plan to prosper us. If we wait on Him he will see us through the Refiner’s fire. He gives us hope and a future...and here is how Jeremiah 29:11 continues through verses 12 & 13: “Then you will call on me and come and pray to me and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.”

Last evening we had to say goodbye to my faithful friend of 15 years. Hope has gone on now to whatever God has planned for His special animal creations beyond this earth. She has been God’s tangible touch in my life. God’s special reminder to me that hope never dies when our hope is in the Lord. Thank you Lord for Hope.

I'll miss you Hoper-Dog!

May 10, 2009