As I write this blog update I do it with a very heavy heart. The past 48 hours has been such a roller coaster of emotions for us. Monday morning I went in for my immunotherapy, it was at that time we learned that our friend Pastor Larry Anderson, who was staying in our apartment in Kosovo, filling in for Mark for three weeks was not filling well. Mark advised Lirak to call our doctor/American missionary friend in Kosovo, Lirak was advised to get Pastor Larry to the hospital. He had an intestinal infection and was very dehydrated. He was given an IV and sent home. Thankfully Lirak took him back to his apartment where both him and his wife could take care of him. However soon after he had to be taken back to the hospital because he was having a hard time breathing. Before long his kidneys started shutting down and his lungs weren't doing well. At one point he did red line for 24 minutes and they were able to resistant him however he went home to be with the Lord yesterday morning around 10:30 am.
Pastor Larry has been my friend for over 16 years. I first met him when he came on an outreach to Moscow in 1997. Then his church started to support the work in Omsk, where I was serving and he would go out there to minister. Because he picked up the church in Omsk to support, him and is wife kinda adopted me as a missionary so every time I would come to CA on furlough I would spend time with him and his family. Because Mark and I got married he started to take an interest in our work in Kosovo and wanted to help us. He was in Kosovo last June and did a marriage retreat for our church.
Mark and I are battling with feelings of feeling responsible for this. He was our guest in our home. We love our guests, we want to serve our guests. We feel like the unimaginable just happened to one of guests, our friend, and his family. Thinking if he wouldn't of been in Kosovo this wouldn't of happened. However we try not to go there with those thoughts. We just hurt! We hurt really bad for what happened and we hurt for his family. Both Mark and I have shed ALOT of tears over the past 48 hours. Mark is trying to do everything he can to help with the details of getting his body back to the US. Mark did consider going back to Kosovo for a week. However the body of Christ there in Kosovo is doing an amazing job taking care of all the things that need to be done to get Larry back to his family.
Although we are hurting for the family. We are rejoicing for Larry. He is with Jesus. We received word about his last message that he preached on Sunday from the pulpit at Calvary Chapel Prishtina, it was taken from Psalm 92. One of the members of our church posted this on fb about his last message: "Late pastor Larry mentioned in his sermon pastor Chuck Smith who was ministering till the end of his life...more precisely, pastor Chuck preached his last sermon two days before he met the Lord. On that very moment nobody who was worshiping at CC Prishtina knew what would happen in two days...Now, if I reflect upon the last Sunday's message I am simply to say left with no words..." We did hear from another member for the church that Pastor Larry said he wanted to go that way as well and he did. As I have been reading posts from those who love Pastor Larry, it is repeated over and over again how the Lord used this mighty man of God. Larry had a heart for missions and he died doing what he loved. Rest in Peace Pastor Larry! We love you. Jeri and family as well as friends of pastor Larry, words cannot describe how Mark and I feel about this situation. We are so, so sorry. We hurt for you! We love you and are praying for you.
If anyone reading this post feels let to help out the family in getting Pastor Larry's body back to the US you can do so here: http://www.gofundme.com/PrLarryAnderson
Pastor Larry has been my friend for over 16 years. I first met him when he came on an outreach to Moscow in 1997. Then his church started to support the work in Omsk, where I was serving and he would go out there to minister. Because he picked up the church in Omsk to support, him and is wife kinda adopted me as a missionary so every time I would come to CA on furlough I would spend time with him and his family. Because Mark and I got married he started to take an interest in our work in Kosovo and wanted to help us. He was in Kosovo last June and did a marriage retreat for our church.
Mark and I are battling with feelings of feeling responsible for this. He was our guest in our home. We love our guests, we want to serve our guests. We feel like the unimaginable just happened to one of guests, our friend, and his family. Thinking if he wouldn't of been in Kosovo this wouldn't of happened. However we try not to go there with those thoughts. We just hurt! We hurt really bad for what happened and we hurt for his family. Both Mark and I have shed ALOT of tears over the past 48 hours. Mark is trying to do everything he can to help with the details of getting his body back to the US. Mark did consider going back to Kosovo for a week. However the body of Christ there in Kosovo is doing an amazing job taking care of all the things that need to be done to get Larry back to his family.
Although we are hurting for the family. We are rejoicing for Larry. He is with Jesus. We received word about his last message that he preached on Sunday from the pulpit at Calvary Chapel Prishtina, it was taken from Psalm 92. One of the members of our church posted this on fb about his last message: "Late pastor Larry mentioned in his sermon pastor Chuck Smith who was ministering till the end of his life...more precisely, pastor Chuck preached his last sermon two days before he met the Lord. On that very moment nobody who was worshiping at CC Prishtina knew what would happen in two days...Now, if I reflect upon the last Sunday's message I am simply to say left with no words..." We did hear from another member for the church that Pastor Larry said he wanted to go that way as well and he did. As I have been reading posts from those who love Pastor Larry, it is repeated over and over again how the Lord used this mighty man of God. Larry had a heart for missions and he died doing what he loved. Rest in Peace Pastor Larry! We love you. Jeri and family as well as friends of pastor Larry, words cannot describe how Mark and I feel about this situation. We are so, so sorry. We hurt for you! We love you and are praying for you.
If anyone reading this post feels let to help out the family in getting Pastor Larry's body back to the US you can do so here: http://www.gofundme.com/PrLarryAnderson
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