Continue to lift up Ashlee Holst, her husband Ryan,
and the family. Brain scans revealed that Ashlee has
had new strokes and that more are forming on the
other side of her brain. When we pray to God,
sometimes he answers with a “yes,” sometimes with,
“wait,” and other times, he answers with “no.” It
seems that the answer to Ryan’s and our prayers for
Ashlee’s healing is, “no.” And while we can be sure
that God is on His throne and in control of this
situation, it is a hard providence for her family
to endure.
In accordance with Ashlee’s wishes, she is being removed from any life support measures and moved into hospice where she is expected to pass on to glory in a week or so.
The prayers we have been asked to make now are that her transition to glory be as peaceful and painless as possible, and, of course, for her husband and family as they bear that which God has given to them.
This is also a reminder to us of that which we profess on Ash Wednesday, “remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return.” But, though it may be coming sooner than we would have expected for Ashlee, Jesus himself had these words of comfort for Martha in the face of her brother Lazarus’ death: “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?” As Ryan and his family face this anguish, we pray that they will live in the comfort of this truth.