All for Him

With my brother no longer physically in my life it is quiet and not as enjoyable, but there is a reason for everything. My brother has suffered many medical issues and he is now in God's arms and he will no longer be in pain, no longer have to go to the hospital, no longer have to suffer, no longer have to deal with sin. My brother was a very special boy who lived for God. We had to keep him out of church for awhile since it was a large church and he could not afford to get sick. One day when we took him he decided to get up on the stage and sit next to the teacher, he later interrupted the teacher to finish the bible story. Raymond loved listening to bible stories and showing God's love to others. There were numerous time where he showed how we should act like Christ. One time he feel at our lake house and hit his chin on the fire place, we drove him all the way back to Duke and he sat still, with no drugs and was stitched up and when the doctors were finished he thanked them. He later had to get stitches in his head and again he got them without drugs and again he stayed still the whole time and thanked the doctors again. He was not even 3 years old when he had to get stitches in his head and chin. He has had to go through 5 open heart surgeries and he is so strong and never gave up that he survived every one, even though doctors told us numerous times that he should not be alive. After going to First Grade for a week he got the H1N1 virus and he was admitted into the hospital and later put on full life support. When he was taken off he was not ready to be taken off and it had to be an emergency surgery, and doctors said that he had slim chances of surviving ; but God pulled him through and he lived several more months, and he was walking and talking eating and working on puzzles soon after. While in Michigan a central line had to be put into him, and normally individuals are sedated for this procedure, but he was not, and because God was living in him he was able to comforted the doctor when he reached up and stroked her arm. That doctor later told my parents that "that child has Jesus living in him"(or something like that). No matter where Raymond has been he has brought many people to Christ because of his story and I am grateful to have had him in my life and to be able to call him my brother. He has taught me that we have to be happy with what we have, and that we should never give up, and that having a relationship with God is the most important thing in the world, because you wont always have materials, friends, parents, siblings, a job, or even your life, and that you need to make most of what you have while you have it. I am grateful that I had such an incredible brother who I was able to learn a lot from and be able to come closer to God because of him. I may not like the plan that God had for him, and I may be upset that I do not have my brother around anymore but I know that he is in better hands and that he will always be watching out for me like he always has. I will always love you and remember you Raymond. <3 6-11-2002-7-9-2010 <3. In honor of Raymond I am planning on opening a dance studio, because one of our favorite things to do together was to have dance parties in my room, so I want to honor him in that way.