May 2008
Liz's
Benefit
The 23rd day of April was a wonderful
day for me. First off, my husband celebrated his birthday
that day! That was great. We didn’t celebrate the
usual way of enjoying a restaurant dinner or even a fabulous
cake, though. You see, we have this friend who has cancer.
She’s in her thirties, married, and has two small
daughters. Liz believes that there is an amazing God who
is going to heal her, is constantly being prayed for,
and she is undergoing treatment for this nasty cancer
right now. As most everyone can imagine, it isn’t
cheap seeing a bunch of doctors and specialists. Her husband
wants to be off work to care for her, obviously. Plus,
she has taken some time off her job to deal with all this.
So, on the twenty-third day of April, my family went to
the sheriff’s department and ate hot dogs and hamburgers.
Wait. What? Yes, we went there. Liz’s
husband is a deputy for the sheriff’s department.
When the department found out what was happening to this
lovely lady, they sprang into action. They organized a
benefit, which was held on the department grounds, and
arranged for all the proceeds to go to the family in need.
There were bounce houses for the kids, food for everyone,
and a raffle. The sheriff’s department also did
this incredibly cool demonstration with the K-9 units
“attacking” two “criminals” and
the dogs sniffing their car for drugs. The SWAT team did
this wild walking down the side of a building thing. Then
a helicopter came in and landed right in front of the
crowd. It was exhilarating!
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People came from all over. Her family,
his family, our church, and so many cops (and I say that
affectionately!) were all there, donating their money and
their time. There were even cadets and some men from the
fire department supporting Liz. The pastor of the church
I attend (where I met Liz and Mat) canceled regular Wednesday
night services and encouraged everyone to go to the benefit
instead. There were so many people there. I don’t
know what the end count was for money, but I’m sure
it was a lot! Some people donated much, much more than the
requested price for the raffle tickets.
Do you know why I’m blown away? The
sheriff’s department rallied behind this family in
such a big way. Thank you, all of you at the sheriff’s
department, for your wonderful show of support for Liz.
Her husband, Mat, is a respected part of your community,
and I am grateful I got to see that. The cool demonstrations
were great, but they paled in comparison to seeing the respect
that was showed to my friends by the sheriff’s department.
I have never been more proud to live in Turlock than I was
that day. What a humbling experience. Thanks to all who
participated in honoring Liz, as she continues her fight
against cancer. Mat quoted Scripture in the letter he wrote
that was read that evening. Faith, hope, and love remain;
but the greatest of these is love. This event was love in
a tangible form.
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