“God is good all the time; all the time, God is good.” How long could you say that phrase and still mean it? It is easy to say God is good when we narrowly avoid a car accident. It is easy to say God is good when a sick relative is healed. When circumstances – even tough ones – turn out according to our desires, it is easy to say, “Praise the Lord!”

But what if you were born with a disorder that caused you severe pain for your entire childhood? What if your family was in a car wreck and you lost a portion of your hand when it was crushed under the vehicle? What if the school you lead for over twenty-five years experienced a devastating fire? What if your grandchild had to undergo major heart surgery? What if another grandchild passed away before being born? Through all of this, could you still say, “God is good all the time; all the time, God is good?”

It might seem impossible to remain faithful to God and trust in His will through circumstances such as those. Yet, by God’s amazing grace, one family has been able to do just that. Why? Because this family believes that in all things God has a plan, and that God’s plan is to use trials to make us grow in Christ and bring glory to God.

As the DeLeon family drove headed down the highway one evening, they had no reason to expect that their trip would be any different than the rest. Yet in an instant, everything changed. The family van swerved and then rolled onto its top, coming to rest on young Autumn DeLeon’s hand, crushing it. Doctors would have to remove a portion of her hand in order to save it. “God is good all the time; all the time, God is good.”

Of course, this tragedy would be hard enough for one person to bear, but Autumn had already endured a lifetime of trials. She had been born with a condition that caused her daily pain for most of her childhood. Think of how awful you feel once every few years when you come down with the flu and now imagine feeling that for days at a time, year in, year out. “God is good all the time; all the time, God is good.”

When the family van rolled over, leaving a mother and 8 children on a roadside under the care of paramedics, one of their first calls went to Dr. Dennis Ice, Headmaster of Heritage Hall Christian School and the children’s grandfather. Within the previous year, Dr. Ice’s one of Dr. Ice’s granddaughters – Isabelle – had been born premature and spent months in hospital NICU while another granddaughter – Zoe - had been born with a major heart defect that lead to life-saving surgery just months into her existence. “God is good all the time; all the time, God is good.”

As Dr. Ice headed down the highway to be at the hospital with his hurting family, he already had a heavy burden on his shoulders. A burden God had been helping him bear for some months. In the crisp, cold morning hours of a November morning, a fire had broken out in the Christian school which he had faithfully led for over two decades. The fire caused major damage to the school facilities. Classrooms had to be arranged, insurance had to be settled, families needed to be encouraged, and when inspectors gave their report the one word was spoken that no one wanted to hear: arson. The fire had been set intentionally. “God is good all the time; all the time, God is good.”

To be certain, it wasn’t always easy to say those words and mean it. Once, when a colleague reminded Dr. Ice that trials are “opportunities,” Dr. Ice replied that he wasn’t sure he needed any more opportunities! Who could blame him! And yet anyone who heard him make that comment could tell you that there wasn’t a single ounce of grumbling, complaining, murmuring, disputing, or bitterness in his words. The twinkle in his eye was saying what the entire family said through days, months, even years of trial. The very words Cassandra DeLeon said as she looked at her family’s crumpled van: “God is good all the time; all the time, God is good.”

 

This is the true story of the DeLeon and Ice families. Ben Ice, founder and President of Truth Trackers is the son of Dr. Dennis Ice. The families would never take praise and glory for their evident faith in God, but would gladly proclaim that it is only by God’s grace that we can say in every trial: “God is good all the time; all the time, God is good.”

 

Author: Aaron Whisler is a writer for Truth Trackers and is on staff at Heritage Hall Christian School in Muncie Indiana. He and his wife Brenda are currently going through a heartbreaking trial of their own. Myles Jonathan Whisler, was born on December 15, 2009, very early and with many medical problems. He will have to deal with many surgeries and a long road ahead. Aaron and Brenda trust a great God to see them through the days ahead. They too have testified that, “God is good all the time; all the time, God is good.”

   

 

And Jesus looking upon them saith, "with men it is impossible, but not with God: for with God all things are possible." Mark 10:27



For with God nothing shall be impossible. Luke 1:37



And he said, "The things which are impossible with men are possible with God." Luke 18:27

My God can do the impossible. He did it in the past.

Who stopped the mouth of the lion for Daniel? Who kept the three Hebrew children from being burned? Who helped David defeat a 9 foot tall Giant? Who opened the Red Sea for the Israelites to walk on dry ground? Who can make an ax head float on water? Who can make an entire city crumble to the ground just by walking around it? Who created the universe by speaking?  Who can confuse languages all at one time? Who gave a 90 year old woman a baby? Who made a bush burn but not consume? Who healed the blind, deaf, and dumb? Who raised people from death to life?

My God can do the impossible. He has in the past.

Who gave my husband a job at a great church in Menomonee Falls the day our last penny was spent? Who sent $2000.00 in the mail for a dentist bill a week before it was due? Who gave us food, clothes, and money every time we needed them? Who sent us to Ohio to minister to wonderful people? Who gave us an 8 passenger van when our minivan was too small? Who gave us the Ark (our 15 passenger) when the 8 passenger was too small. Who miraculously gave our family financial support this last year?  Who has paid every one of our medical bills?

My God can do the impossible. He did it in the present.

Our family has been praying that God would replace our van that was crushed in the accident. We have purposely not put anything up on our web site, emailed anyone for prayer, or asked anyone for money. We wanted our children to see God do the impossible. He has over and over in our lives shown Himself to be big. Our God has done it again.

We would go to the mail box every day. Every day would be a letter or a card from dear people all over the country with some amount of money in it; be it check or cash. Some people we knew, some we did not. God knew them all. So much money came poring in that we called the bank for a special account to be set up. We were given the name of a Godly man in South Bend who kindly started looking for vans at auctions for us. His comment to us was, "I'll look for the van God leads me to; you pray for the money to cover the cost."

We received a call on Friday, November 21, saying he had found a van. God gave us every penny we needed to purchase this van in cash.  It was exceedingly abundantly more than we could have ever asked for or thought of. Isn't that just like our God?

God gave us a 2007, 12-passenger Ford E350XLT with 38,000 miles on it. Dual heat and air, CD player with 6-speaker surround sound, running boards, and so much more! Is not our God Good?  He did not have to give us such a nice vehicle, but he chose to. He owns the cattle on a thousand hills!

Thank you for all your prayers, money, love, and encouragement. We can truly say. With God all things are possible!

See now that I, even I, am he, and there is no god with me: I kill, and I make alive; I wound, and I heal: neither is there any that can deliver out of my hand. Deut. 32:39




Thursday we went to the orthopedic institute in Columbus for another evaluation of Autumn’s hand. He was thrilled with the progress that she has made so far. Although to the inexperienced eye her hand does not look “good,” it is healing much better than the doctor had anticipated. The stitches will dissolve by themselves and the scabs will fall off. Under the scabs is bright red new skin. The two remaining fingers are getting stronger; however, her thumb is very weak. She has a tendency to ignore her right hand. I am constantly reminding her that she can use her hand. Wednesday she will start Physical therapy. This will strengthen the hand and thumb.

 She played her violin on Sunday. She is in desperate need of a bow that will work for her. I do not like that she cannot hold her bow correctly. At this point, I am at a loss. Holding the bow with only two fingers can only happen if the hand is moved up on the bow. She seems to play pretty well this way, although her grip is very weak. Sometimes when she is playing, the bow will fall out of her hand.

 One evening, as I was reclining in bed, I was speaking of Autumn’s hand. I said, “I feel bad because her hand is going to be like that forever.” My husband reached over, took my hand, and replied, “No, not forever, just on this earth.” That is a perspective that is eternal and not temporal.

In 2006, Autumn had surgery to remove her colon. We were at the dinner table the other day, when someone brought up all her missing body parts. Her quick answer was, “God sure has a lot to give me when I get a new body in heaven.” Amen to that! There is not a better answer. In the same context, I thought of our little Zoe Farmer, my new niece given to my sister and her husband as a gift from our wonderful heavenly Father. www.treasureinafield.com What a precious gift God has given them to take care of. Zoe will someday be given a perfect body in heaven as well.

 The other children are doing a lot better; time is always good. Serenity, who always has something profound to say, commented on the way home from church on Sunday evening, "God let us have that crash". This opened a whole conversation on how wonderful our God really is. We praise the Lord for His graciousness to us in spite of our failures.

 Please pray for the Pastor Shawn Smith family. There son 7 year old son Andrew is fighting for his life tonight with a brain tumor that has started to grow again. We love them dearly and know that our Saviour loves them even more. Read the latest update now by using this link: http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/aws

Today Michael drove me to the Orthopedic Institute in Columbus at Grant Hospital to evaluate my shoulder. We had a really good doctor who listened to all we said. I have had a lot of back and side pain. Many were concerned that I had broke my back. Praise the Lord that is not the case. My fractured ribs can account for the side pain. When I was thrown in the van, I had a very large bruise on my spine. My doctor believes the bleeding from the bruise is causing my back to hurt. Hopefully, it will feel better soon.  Autumn’s hand is healing a little every day. The picture of her hand from the page Eternity” is not a before and after picture. It is a top and inside picture. The Lord was so good to preserve the top of her hand with minimal scaring. The inside (palm) and thumb is where all the scaring and stitches are. As you can see, it was messed up pretty badly. The surgeon was able to stretch her skin to keep her from having to have a skin graft. As the thumb is healing, some of it is still numb. She starts physical therapy in the two weeks.

 My husband is the pastor of a small church. Joshua, Autumn, and Sarah (one of the girls in our church) are part of  the orchestra. Wednesday evening, the 29th, Autumn picked up her bow and played in the church orchestra. Her bandages are still on and her fingers are very weak. Her bow hand was not what a teacher would have liked… but she played. To accomplish picking up a bow and being able to play even if it was not totally correct encouraged her to continue on.

 Autumn’s nightmares are not any better. She was in the passenger side front seat. Of all of us in the van, she is the only one that saw everything. She saw the pole coming at us powerless to do anything about it. She was also trapped in the van for a least 20 min or more. The trauma of all this is hard for an adult to deal with let alone a young girl on the verge of womanhood. Her spirit is good during the day; her mind wakes up at night. Pray for us as we deal biblically with her fears. Pray for her that she will come to a deeper relationship with her Saviour as never before.

 Sunday Joshua, Autumn, Melody, and Carissa will be singing the following song on Sunday morning.  As they were practicing, the words to the song took on a stronger meaning. I pulled Autumn aside and quietly put my arm around her telling her that to sing these words would mean that she would have to really believe this was true. A small smile, as well as a light of understanding, came over her face.

 A fear of the unknown is the fear many of us face if we were honest. Thank you for your prayers for us as we continue forward together serving our Saviour.

 "How Can I Fear?"

By Ron Hamilton.




When shadows fall and the night covers all
There are things that my eyes cannot see.
I never fear, for the Saviour is near.
My LORD abides with me!

When I'm alone and I face the unknown
And I fear what the future may be,
I can depend on the strength of my Friend!
He walks along with me.

Jesus is King! He controls everything!
He is with me each night and each day.
I trust my soul to the Saviour's control;
He drives all fear away!

How can I fear? Jesus is near!
He ever watches over me!
Worries all cease; He gives me peace.
How can I fear with Jesus?

Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away. James 4:14 

 

One moment of time, one second of inattention, one glance in the opposite direction, can change a person's life here on earth forever. I didn’t know that when we left the house at 3:00 p.m., October 10, 2008, in a matter of one hour, our lives would be different. My little girl’s hand would have a new form, I would have a new perspective on life, and God’s glory would shine through a dark cloud in our life.

Eternity. A word I have contemplated these last two weeks. A word that stretches ones mind; contemplating a concept that our earthly minds can barely grasp. Was I ready? Were my children ready? Had I done all for Christ?

Spiritually, I knew that if I had not awakened on this earth, I would have opened my eyes in heaven. In the spring of 1995, I recognized my sinfulness before a holy, just God. I came to realize that all of my good behavior, my church attendance, my religious upbringing, my baptism, my Sunday school teaching, my Godly parents, my knowledge of Christ's burial, death and, resurrection were not the confidence I needed to meet a Holy God.

With the knowledge that Christ paid for my sin debt--the sins that were already sending me away from God to a place called Hell--I bowed my head humbly and acknowledged my need of Christ to save me from my sin and accepted His free gift of Salvation. He had paid the debt that I could not pay here on this earth. He had taken my sins on Himself when He died on that cross. At that moment, my life was no longer my own; I now belonged to my dear Savior.

But, had I done all I could for Christ? Could I honestly stand before God and say that I had finished my course? One of the first things Autumn said to me when I walked into her hospital room at midnight, October 10, was, “Mommy, God has something special for me.” She was echoing the wisdom her Papa had shared with her sometime before her surgery. Yes, God does have something special for her. He has something special for me, my other children, and for you as well. What a wonderful God we serve!

Someday, when Autumn goes to meet Jesus, she will have new body. Her hands will be whole and her colon will be intact. With outstretched hands she will praise the Savior for His loving kindness to us here on this earth.

The song writer says:

I wonder, have I done my best for Jesus,
Who died upon the cruel tree?
To think of His great sacrifice at Calv'ry!
I know my Lord expects the best from me.

The hours that I have wasted are so many,
The hours I've spent for Christ so few;
Because of all my lack of love for Jesus,
I wonder if His heart is breaking too.

I wonder, have I cared enough for others,
Or have I let them die alone?
I might have helped a wand'rer to the Savior,
The seed of precious Life I might have sown.

No longer will I stay within the valley,
I'll climb to mountain heights above;
The world is dying now for want of someone,
To tell them of the Savior's matchless love.

Chorus
How many are the lost that I have lifted?
How many are the chained I've helped to free?
I wonder, have I done my best for Jesus, 
When He has done so much for me?

Psalm 91
He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. 2  I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust. 3 Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence. 4 He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler. 5 Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day; 6 Nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness; nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday. 7 A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee. 8 Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold and see the reward of the wicked. 9 Because thou hast made the LORD, which is my refuge, even the most High, thy habitation; 10 There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling. 11For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways. 12 They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone. 13 Thou shalt tread upon the lion and adder: the young lion and the dragon shalt thou trample under feet. 14 Because he hath set his love upon me, therefore will I deliver him: I will set him on high, because he hath known my name. 15 He shall call upon me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honour him. 16 With long life will I satisfy him, and shew him my salvation.


Last night, I meditated on these precious verses. The comfort of the Almighty’s protection is overwhelming. God is good to allow all of my children to live through that horrible accident. As I got to meditating on how good God is, I thought, no, God would have still been good if he had called one of us home to Him. I do not say these words lightly. Even now, the sounds of the screams of my children echo in my ears. Autumn’s cry for help, that I could not heed, still races through my mind.  I am reminded that God is good, but a better way to say it is, His mercy was manifested by allowing me to have my children a little longer.

We are going on with normal life, although, now it is a new normal. My sister-in law from South Carolina is here to help with my children. She has done an amazing job taking over the meals, school, and, cleaning. Joshua has continued to be a blessing helping wherever needed. The other children have continued homeschooling half days.

We are keeping Autumn comfortable with pain medicine. Because of this, she is her cheerful self. Walking around, talking, and talking.  Anyone that knows Autumn, knows she can. She is sleeping well. We put her on the living room couch so we can give her medicine to her better throughout the night. We see the Surgeon on Thursday morning in Columbus. They will unwrap her hand and evaluate how well the surgery took.

I am very tired. The accident threw me behind the passenger side seat. I had my seatbelt on but, it must not have worked. From looking at the car, blood is on the seatbelt and the steering wheel. Because of being thrown, I have many aches and pains. I look like I was is a fight and lost.  I see the orthopedic doctor on the 24th to evaluate the shoulder I separated.

Thank you for all the prayer, kind word, calls, and email. Each one is very precious to us. Already we have seen God using this tragedy for good in our community. Brent, the Fire Chief of New Concord, had tears in his eyes as he told us how much he was impacted by our children’s attitudes during and after the accident.

On the funny side, Autumn kept saying, “yes sir and no sir” to the firemen and medical personel that helped her. They told her, “Honey you don’t have to call us that” her response was, “Yes sir”. Habits are hard to break.

Please continue to pray for our community, our testimony, and for many to come to a saving knowledge of Christ.

Cassandra De Leon