Inspiration
On this page, we will regularly add stories of inspiration and hope. Submit yours today!
Dennis and Toodles
Dennis and his grand daughter have always been close, having developed a bond when Pop-Pop walked the floor with her when she had colic. As Toodles has grown into a lovely young lady so has their relationship become more special. In the fall of 2008 when Dennis went into renal failure and was transported by ambulance to Fargo, where he also developed a serious staph infection in his heart, Toodles heard he was losing his will to live. She spent three days by his side, even missing school to be at his side! She would talk into his ear “Grandpa, I love you! God loves you too! You can’t go yet, I need you! You have too much to teach me, and you promised to take me ice fishing!” However, even more unselfish was her courage and faith to get up in front of the entire congregation and ask her fellow Grace members to pray for her grandpa. This ten year old did not doubt for one second that God was by her grandpa’s side and that He would hear and heed these prayers. Dennis says he came out of the fog long enough to hear what Toodles was saying to him and that she was praying for him, and he decided to to fight to recover! Even the doctors are amazed at his survival! And is now well enough to be considered for kidney transplant! All because a child sought and became a leader in the Power of Prayer!
Shanna Bowman · September 14, 2010 at 2:22 pm
This is my father and my daughter. And I cannot tell you how very proud of both of them I am. I tear up watching them. They are truly my heroes! I would be lost without them! There is something to be said for family and God’s love and family love can never be broken. Bless you both, I love you always!
Janet Bowman · May 31, 2011 at 1:10 pm
Update, May 2011. Dennis received a kidney transplant on October 13, 2010 because of the special love his own daughter-in-law Shelley feels for “Pop Pop!” Everything is going smoothly and Dennis truely understands what it means to be loved unselfishly; he believes God has surely blessed him with such a loving family. He is well enough to serve as a member of Grace’s church council and even do a little traveling for family functions. Both of us would like to say thank you to everyone who has prayed and helped in any way they could!
Janet Bowman · July 27, 2011 at 8:29 pm
Sadly, Dennis passed away after a massive stroke on Father’s Day 2011. That morning he had ushered in church, and after church attended committee meeting for church councel. He joined me for a cup of soup while I was on break, where I work, later that afternoon, and collapsed around 7:40 PM and was able to hit the lifeline button before going unconsciencious. He was life flighted to the U of M but the stroke was so powerful that it displaced his brain stem and he was pronouced brain dead on the 21st. Our intrim pastor, Pastor Rob, did a wonderful job at the service! He didn’t just read the obituary but talked about Dennis like a friend and valuable member of the congregation. Our family has had many nice comments about Pastor Rob! I appreciate the friendship they had developed in the short time Pastor Rob has been at Grace. For anyone who has expeienced the loss of a loved one I highly recommend reading the book “Heaven is for Real”. It is the story of a ‘almost 4 year old’ who experienced heaven without dying. It is written by the young boy’s father, a pastor himself. I found a lot of comfort reading this child’s stories about heaven.