Written by Katie’s father Paul:

“Katie’s life has been a pleasing aroma to GOD. Her life of nearly 25 years has been lived more fully & has had greater impact for Christ than many of us will in 70 years or more. We don’t know what outcome she’ll have when this is over. I can say these things confidently: there is a GOD who created the heavens & the Earth. He reigns over His creation. He is good & He is wise. When we experience unexplainable tragedy like in Katie’s case – He doesn’t cease to be either wise or good. The ability to grasp the scope of all that happens in the universe is beyond me, but for now I have confidence in Him. Each of us has a certain number of days designated on this earth, and a GOD knows the number of our days. Jesus is the Son of God, he and father are essentially one. Jesus paid the ultimate price for all of our crimes against a perfect God. Jesus is the promised Christ of the bible. We are rebellious again God’s rule in big & small ways from time that we could walk or talk. When wrong is done, somebody’s got to pay the price … that’s just how real justice works. By believing that He took on himself all the punishment that each of us deserves, God accepts Jesus as our substitute. After we reach that point, we need to agree with this Holy GOD that we purpose to turn away from behavior that is contrary to His ways. We accept both good things & things that aren’t as easy to take …. like Kate’s accident. The bottom line is this; if Katie recovers – we’ll rejoice & get to enjoy her awhile, but if not – Katie has had a wonderful life & she’ll leave us to go to be with Him.”

“Each of us has a certain number of days to live & breathe … and the mystery is that none of us knows how many days there are & many of us get frustrated or fearful by not knowing that answer. Another troublesome mystery that we all face is not knowing what happens to us when we die. Except for a handful of incredible after-life stories that have been told, we are left to imagine what happens next. In the process of considering these mysteries, some have concluded that since it seems impossible to solve these puzzles, it is better to live & do whatever makes us feel good & makes us happy. You may have heard the popular expression, You Only Live Once, or YOLO for short, while the statement is true – this philosophy doesn’t address either of the mysteries that are listed.

Katie believed that there is a God who created the heavens & the Earth. He reigns over His creation. He is good & He is wise, and when we experience unexplainable tragedy – He doesn’t cease to be either wise or good. She also believed that Jesus is the Son of God, and that he and his father are essentially one. Jesus paid the ultimate price for all of our crimes against a perfect God. Jesus is the promised Christ of the bible. She came to realize that everybody tends to be rebellious against God’s rule in big & small ways from the time that we could walk or talk. When wrong is done, somebody’s got to pay the price … that’s just how real justice works. By believing that He took on himself all the punishment that each of us deserves, God accepts Jesus as our substitute. After we reach that point, we need to agree with this Holy God that we purpose to turn away from behavior that is contrary to His ways.

Katie has settled the answers to the mysteries, and she has hope that this same God has counted her days & and considers her life as precious, and that He loves her enough to exercise both wisdom & goodness on her behalf. As for the answer to the second mystery? She has a real hope that when the veil is opened that separates life from death – that Jesus will welcome her into something more beautiful & more wonderful than any of us can begin to imagine. I know that you’ve probably thought about the improbability of knowing for certain that this is true, but the catalyst that must be added is faith … It says in the book of Hebrews, “Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.” There must be that point when faith ignites and produces confidence and ultimately results in hope. This hope that we have may seem pointless to some, but Katie believes that her hope won’t disappoint … And so do we.”

I had the privilege of knowing Katie through Camps Farthest Out. We were not at many camps/retreats together but the last one we were at was in Georgia March 2013. She led the youth group and her love for God and living her life for Him was very evident in everything that she did. Her life is such a testimony of faith and having confidence and trust in God. I put words in this post that Katie’s dad had put on Katie’s Prayer page on Facebook. These were sections of posts that caught me as representing who Katie was and the kind of faith and confidence in God that I want to have in my life.