The Passing of a Dear Friend

We found out on Sunday night that a dear friend of ours, Randy Black, lost his battle with cancer. It was a short battle...I looked back at my emails from their family and the first one that explained his disease came on March 5, 2008. He had lung cancer and it had spread. It was amazing to his doctors that a man who never had smoked contracted lung cancer. He was very ill at first. He lost much weight, the treatments to prolong his life left him tired, but he did improve and we were so blessed at church to hear him speak just a couple of weeks ago. He was strong, as he spoke of The Articles of Faith (a list of the basic beliefs of our Church). He joked about how his hair had grown back...sort of in a mohawk style... It was the Randy we all knew. It was a talk that touched me and I will always remember.

Dee and I were thinking on Sunday night after we heard the news. Of course, I was so sad for Joy. She has lost her beloved husband, but isn't it a blessing to know that he is doing the Lord's work on the other side of the veil, and that their marriage will last both for this life and for eternity since they were sealed in the holy temple. They will be together forever, though they are separated now. Randy was our bishop for years. I served as a counselor in the Primary, and as a Primary President during this time. I was responsible to attend all the 8 year old baptisms.
One year...there were 24, if I do remember correctly... I loved it when he would speak at the baptisms. He spoke a lot about the Holy Ghost and how he is there to help us make good choices. He told about how the Holy Ghost speaks to us in a still, small voice. He would quote the scripture found in 1 Kings 19: 11-12 about how we are guided by the Lord through the Holy Ghost and the still, small voice. He would tell them a story about a toy he had when he was a child...kind of an action figure of sorts...and it had a toy cobra with it. One day, he lost the cobra and looked and looked to find it. He said a prayer and listened and was led to where it had fallen. He told them that the cobra was not as important to Heavenly Father as it was that he knew that prayers are answered. What great counsel he would give...those kids are now in their 20's but the message is true today. Randy would always be there for advise and counsel when we sought it. Since both of our dad's have been gone many years, we would look to him for counsel when we needed it. He was always there for anything we needed.

We will surely miss him, but we take comfort in knowing that life does not end here, and that he is healthy and safe on the other side, being with family who have already passed on, teaching the gospel to those who want to know, until he can one day be reunited with his dear Joy and their children. We are so very blessed to have been able to know such a man! I hope to live a life like he lived.

Articles Of Faith

1. We believe in God, the Eternal Father, and in His Son, Jesus Christ, and in the Holy Ghost.
2. We believe that men will be punished for their own sins, and not for Adam's transgression.
3. We believe that through the atonement of Christ, all mankind may be saved, by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the Gospel.
4. We believe that the first principles and ordinances of the Gospel are: first, Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ; second, Repentance; third, Baptism by immersion for the remission of sins; fourth, Laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost.
5. We believe that a man must be called of God, by prophecy, and by the laying on of hands by those who are in authority, to preach the Gospel and administer in the ordinances thereof.
6. We believe in the same organization that existed in the Primitive Church, namely, apostles, prophets, pastors, teachers, evangelists, and so forth.
7. We believe in the gift of tongues, prophecy, revelation, visions, healing, interpretation of tongues, and so forth.
8. We believe the Bible to be the word of God as far as it is translated correctly; we also believe the Book of Mormon to be the word of God.
9. We believe all that God has revealed, all that He does now reveal, and we believe that He will yet reveal many great and important things pertaining to the Kingdom of God.
10. We believe in the literal gathering of Israel and in the restoration of the Ten Tribes; that Zion (the New Jerusalem) will be built upon the American continent; that Christ will reign personally upon the earth; and, that the earth will be renewed and receive its paradisiacal glory.
11. We claim the privilege of worshiping Almighty God according to the dictates of our own conscience, and allow all men the same privilege, let them worship how, where, or what they may.
12. We believe in being subject to kings, presidents, rulers, and magistrates, in obeying, honoring, and sustaining the law.
13. We believe in being honest, true, chaste, benevolent, virtuous, and in doing good to all men; indeed, we may say that we follow the admonition of Paul--We believe all things, we hope all things, we have endured many things, and hope to be able to endure all things. If there is anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy, we seek after these things.
-Joseph Smith