I remember Joyce. I never say her with many friends. It's to bad we didn't no then what we have learned now,to be nice and respect each other. I wonder when she passed and where? Roiann Bruno
A member of our 4H club since elementary school. A sweet soul who courageously lived with diabetes in an era when serious childhood illnesses were hidden away. Seeds of compassion were sown in me by knowing Joyce. Peace. Holly
On March 6, 1995, my dearest girlfriend left our presence to live forever in the presence of God. Joyce loved the Lord Jesus with all her heart, all her mind, and all her being. Though she was naturally very shy, her shyness disappeared when she spoke of things eternal. I remember sitting on the edge her bed next to her as she carefully laid out the plan of salvation with a knowledge beyond any expectation of a 6th grader. She read this verses to me from her Bible:
"For by grace you have been saved through faith, and not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast."
Ephesians 2:8-9 {NKJV}
I kept insisting that a person had to try not to sin to please God. Joyce said that was true, but not the first step toward a forever home in Heaven and having God as a constant, loving companion and guide. She was very patient as she explained that if being "good" was all that was needed for salvation from hell, I would be saving myself and not need God at all. That all-too-common notion goes totally against God's teaching in the Bible. Joyce explained that "grace" in means "God giving us what we don't deserve," and that because of our natural desire to sin, no one could ever "deserve" to go to Heaven. Jesus Christ's purpose in being born from a human woman was to do the Will of the Father and die for sinful man. Jesus is the only one qualified to do that because He was the ONLY person that ever lived a completely sinless life. His death was ALL that I or anyone else ever needed. My own futile attempts at piling up good "works" [actions and thoughts] to secure my place in Heaven was of no use. Jesus willingly accepted all my sins (and the sins of everyone who ever lived or would ever live) upon Himself. All anyone needs to do is to accept what He has already done, and repent (turn away from their sin and leave it). God will do the rest.
After I truly repented and accepted Jesus Christ as my very own Savior, I was filled with an indescribable joy! Joyce and her mom invited me to start going to church with them. That church, (now called Northridge Church, at 2052 North Ridge Road) had and still has an amazing teaching ministry. The program for children was fantastic because it was overseen by people who thoroughly knew their Bibles and obviously loved the children. I immediately felt at home and loved everyone and everything I learned there. I was especially happy with the preaching where I learned that there was nothing I or anyone or anything, (not even Satan) could do to take my salvation away. I am still a sinner, but a sinner saved by grace. Though I am still capable of sin and of disgracing myself and God who loves me, nothing can ever take away the gift God gave me through Jesus Christ. There is a lot of scripture that supports that salvation is eternal; that when anyone accepts Jesus Christ as their Savior, God's forgiveness is instantaneous and permanent. Jesus Himself said:
"For God son loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have everlasting life." John 3:16 {NKJV}
This verse doesn't say, "...but only after several sacraments, promises, and flogging so," does it? Salvation is instantaneous and permanent, praise God!
This excerpt is from Acts7-11.com explains salvation very well, and tells you an interesting story too.
Numbers 21:8-9 (NIV) The Lord said to Moses, "Make a snake and put it up on a pole; anyone who is bitten can look at it and live." ...Then when anyone was bitten by a snake and looked at the bronze snake, he lived.
Let's imagine ourselves in this situation. Poisonous snakes have bitten everyone, and while we are not dead yet, the prospects do not look good. Suddenly a voice yells out: "We must do something. We must save ourselves!" But how? Various ideas surface such as: "If you run around in frantic activity it will work out the poison!" A few people try this, and die trying. Others, by staring at their bites, go totally berserk into a frenzy of panic. Alternately, some try to convince themselves that they are not bitten, or that the snakes were not poisonous, and form little groups to delude each other while dying. And here's a person selling "snake oil" which purports to be an antitoxin, but makes people even worse.
Enter Moses who says, "If you look at the bronze snake that has been lifted up on this pole, you will live. If you do not, no matter what else you do, you will die." Now let's really picture how we might react, having been given this revelation. "He must be kidding," we would think. "Do nothing? Just look? How insulting a solution! What part do we play in it?" Moses responds, "Cease your activities. Just look, and live!" Really now, if you had been there, would you have believed it? Do you believe God's solution today?
John 3:14 (NIV) [Jesus:] "Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up."
We all have been bitten, and sin is coursing through our veins. It will most certainly lead to death. There is only one solution, but it is an offense to our ability to save ourselves.
John 6:40a (NIV) "For my father's will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life."
John 6:29 (NIV) Jesus answered, "The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent."
"All that the Father gives Me will come to me, and the one who comes to Me, I will by no means cast out. For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent me. This is the will of the Father who sent me,...that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day." John 6:37-40 {NKJV}
JOYCE's MEDICAL PROBLEMS:
Joyce had diabetis since she was 2 or 3 years old. In addition, before she was born, her Rh positive blood was incompatible with her mother's Rh negative blood. For some reason beyond my comprehension, on the morning after her birth, the obstetrician said she "looked fine" and decided not to transfuse her, which was the accepted treatment for Rh incompatibility at that time. Joyce was her mother's third pregnancy, so the doctor must have been aware, but still decided not to act for some reason that only he and God knew. Perhaps she didn't display the usual symptoms of jaundice, lethargy, and low muscle tone that moment. Medicine has advanced so that now, the simple treatment is a second trimester injection of RhoGAM given to Rh negative mothers whose husband is Rh positive. That prevents the development of antibodies against Rh positive blood. The doctor's foolish error caused a tremendous shock to her nervous system which precipitated a number of medical problems. You may recall that some of her movements were a little unusual.
Another problem that Joyce had was ignored by her Optometrist; Joyce was legally blind, and that wasn't known until she finished at IHS. That doctor used to say, "I think she sees better than she's letting on." If he knew Joyce at all, he would have known that she was "painfully" honest -- she would admit to things that most people would just keep quiet about. Being the most Type B personality I ever knew, she would never object when something was said about her that most of us would immediately howl about, including me! Joyce's sweet mother said, had she known, she would have raised Joyce as a blind child.
All this was not outside of God's knowledge or His Will. Without these struggles, Joyce would likely have been somewhat different than the wonderful young woman that she was. I might not have been drawn to her as I was, and that would have been a tremendous loss. Right now, Joyce resides in a mansion in Heaven that was prepared for her by Jesus Christ, and she will be forever. All her handicaps are gone, and she is listening to the angelic choir, looking at the face of God, and talking to Jesus. If you desire this and would like to see the inside of Heaven as a forever resident, you know what to do now. Repent, turn away from your sins -- God will help you. Accept what Jesus did for you -- He died on that horrible, beautiful cross, taking the punishment for your sins. Pray -- ask God to forgive you and come into your heart and life to stay. That's it. And it's forever. You'll not get a better offer anywhere.
I'm very happy to answer any questions you may have -- simply contact me through this website.
Roiann Bruno
I remember Joyce. I never say her with many friends. It's to bad we didn't no then what we have learned now,to be nice and respect each other. I wonder when she passed and where? Roiann BrunoHolly Foertsch
A member of our 4H club since elementary school. A sweet soul who courageously lived with diabetes in an era when serious childhood illnesses were hidden away. Seeds of compassion were sown in me by knowing Joyce. Peace. HollyLaurie Mann (Miller)
On March 6, 1995, my dearest girlfriend left our presence to live forever in the presence of God. Joyce loved the Lord Jesus with all her heart, all her mind, and all her being. Though she was naturally very shy, her shyness disappeared when she spoke of things eternal. I remember sitting on the edge her bed next to her as she carefully laid out the plan of salvation with a knowledge beyond any expectation of a 6th grader. She read this verses to me from her Bible: