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Hold on, sniff, sniff. As soon as I wipe the
tears from my eyes, I'm gonna tell you that this story was just plain
AWESOME!!!
In His Grip,
DJ
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Wednesday, March 13, 2002 12:25
PM
Subject: [RR] Fwd: Happy Easter
Story
In a message dated
3/13/02 12:15:08 PM Central Standard Time, Westplainsmen
writes:
Subject: Happy Easter
A very HAPPY EASTER TO ALL
OF YOU. What joy to know that we are forgiven and assured of our salvation
because of this season....
Edith Burns was a wonderful Christian who
lived in San Antonio, Texas. She was the patient of a doctor by the name of
Will Phillips. Dr. Phillips was a gentle doctor who saw patients as people.
His favorite patient was Edith Burns.
One morning he went to his
office with a heavy heart and it was because of Edith Burns. When he walked
into that waiting room, there sat Edith with her big black Bible in her lap
earnestly talking to a young mother sitting beside her.
Edith Burns
had a habit of introducing herself in this way: "Hello, my name is Edith
Burns. Do you believe in Easter?" Then she would explain the meaning of
Easter, and many times people would be saved.
Dr. Phillips walked
into that office and there he saw the head nurse, Beverly. Beverly had first
met Edith when she was taking her blood pressure. Edith began by saying, "My
name is Edith Burns. Do you believe in Easter?" Beverly said, "Why yes I
do." Edith said, "Well, what do you believe about Easter?" Beverly said,
"Well, it's all about egg hunts, going to church, and dressing up." Edith
kept pressing her about the real meaning of Easter, and finally led her to a
saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.
Dr. Phillips said, "Beverly, don't
call Edith into the office quite yet. I believe there is another delivery
taking place in the waiting room.
After being called back in the
doctor's office, Edith sat down and when she took a look at the doctor she
said, "Dr. Will, why are you so sad? Are you reading your Bible? Are you
praying?"
Dr. Phillips said gently, "Edith, I'm the doctor and you're
the patient." With a heavy heart he said, "Your lab report came back and it
says you have cancer, and Edith, you're not going to live very
long."
Edith said, "Why Will Phillips, shame on you. Why are you so
sad? Do you think God makes mistakes? You have just told me I'm going to see
my precious Lord Jesus, my husband, and my friends. You have just told me
that I am going to celebrate Easter Forever, and here you are having
difficulty giving me my ticket!"
Dr. Phillips thought to himself,
"What a magnificent woman this Edith Burns is!" Edith continued coming to
Dr. Phillips. Christmas came and the office was closed through January 3rd.
On the day the office opened, Edith did not show up. Later that afternoon,
Edith called Dr. Phillips and said she would have to be moving her story to
the hospital and said, "Will, I'm very near home, so would you make sure
that they put women in here next to me in my room who need to know about
Easter."
Well, they did just that and women began to come in and
share that room with Edith. Many women were saved. Everybody on that floor
from staff to patients were so excited about Edith, that they started
calling her Edith Easter; that is everyone except Phyllis Cross, the head
nurse.
Phyllis made it plain that she wanted nothing to do with Edith
because she was a "religious nut". She had been a nurse in an army hospital.
She had seen it all and heard it all. She was the original G.I. Jane. She
had been married three times, she was hard, cold, and did everything by the
book.
One morning the two nurses who were to attend to Edith were
sick. Edith had the flu and Phyllis Cross had to go in and give her a shot.
When she walked in, Edith had a big smile on her face and said, "Phyllis,
God loves you and I love you, and I have been praying for you." Phyllis
Cross said, "Well, you can quit praying for me, it won't work. I'm not
interested." Edith said, "Well, I will pray and I have asked God not to let
me go home until you come into the family." Phyllis Cross said, "Then you
will never die because that will never happen," and curtly walked out of the
room.
Every day Phyllis Cross would walk into the room and Edith
would say, "God loves you Phyllis and I love you, and I'm praying for
you."
One day Phyllis Cross said she was literally drawn to Edith's
room like a magnet would draw iron. She sat down on the bed and Edith said,
"I'm so glad you have come, because God told me that today is your special
day." Phyllis Cross said, "Edith, you have asked everybody here the
question, 'Do you believe in Easter?' but you have never asked me." Edith
said, "Phyllis, I wanted to many times, but God told me to wait until you
asked, and now that you have asked.."
Edith Burns took her Bible and
shared with Phyllis Cross the Easter Story of the death, burial and
resurrection of Jesus Christ. Edith said, "Phyllis, do you believe in
Easter? Do you believe that Jesus Christ is alive and that He wants to live
in your heart?" Phyllis Cross said, "Oh I want to believe that with all of
my heart, and I do want Jesus in my life." Right there, Phyllis Cross prayed
and invited Jesus Christ into her heart. For the first time Phyllis Cross
did not walk out of a hospital room, she was carried out on the wings of
angels.
Two days later, Phyllis Cross came in and Edith said, "Do you
know what day it is?" Phyllis Cross said, "Why Edith, it's Good Friday."
Edith said, "Oh, no, for you every day is Easter. Happy Easter
Phyllis!"
Two days later, on Easter Sunday, Phyllis Cross came into
work, did some of her duties and then went down to the flower shop and got
some Easter lilies because she wanted to go up to see Edith and give her
some Easter lilies and wish her a Happy Easter.
When she walked into
Edith's room, Edith was in bed. That big black Bible was on her lap. Her
hands were in that Bible. There was a sweet smile on her face. When Phyllis
Cross went to pick up Edith's hand, she realized Edith was dead. Her left
hand was on John 14: "In my Father's house are many mansions. I go to
prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that
where I am, there you may be also." Her right hand was on Revelation 21:4, "
And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes, there shall be no more
death nor sorrow, nor crying; and there shall be no more pain, for the
former things have passed away."
Phyllis Cross took one look at that
dead body, and then lifted her face toward heaven, and with tears streaming
down her cheeks, said, "Happy Easter, Edith - Happy Easter!"
Phyllis
Cross left Edith's body, walked out of the room, and over to a table where
two student nurses were sitting. She said, "My name is Phyllis Cross. Do you
believe in Easter?"
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