While We're Waiting® - Hope After Child Loss

My conversation today is with Tristan’s mom and dad, Todd and Melissa Shaffer.  In this first half of our discussion, they share the story of their "Sunshine Boy", and the shadow that gradually began to move across his face … ultimately leading to him taking his own life in their garage. They describe their efforts to seek help for him and the peace they’ve found as they’ve learned to rest in God’s sovereignty over Tristan’s life.  They also share about issues specific to suicide that can complicate the grief journey.  I hope you’ll come back next week for the second half of our discussion, when you’ll hear more about the website Melissa has developed specifically for Christian parents whose children have died by suicide, and some practical tips for this journey that no one would ever choose. Melissa's website:  www.ChristianSuicideLoss.comFor more information about the While We're Waiting ministry, visit our website at www.WhileWereWaiting.orgI would love to hear your thoughts on the show. Click here to send me a message! (Though I read every message, I am unable to respond through this format.) ** IMPORTANT** - All views expressed by guests on this podcast are theirs alone, and may not represent the Statement of Faith and Statement of Beliefs of the While We're Waiting ministry.  We'd love for you to connect with us here at While We're Waiting! Click HERE to visit our website and learn about our free While We're Waiting Weekends for bereaved parentsClick HERE to learn more about our network of While We're Waiting support groups all across the country. Click HERE to subscribe to our YouTube channelClick HERE to follow our public Facebook pageClick HERE to follow us on Instagram Click HERE to follow us on Twitter Click HERE to make a tax-deductible donation to the While We're Waiting ministryContact Jill by email at:  jill@whilewerewaiting.org 

Miss Havisham, a character in the book "Great Expectations" by Charles Dickens, was jilted on her wedding day at precisely 9:20 am, and for her, everything stopped at that moment.  She spent the rest of her life sitting at her dressing table in her wedding dress, one shoe on and one shoe off, with her wedding cake moldering beside her.  In today's episode, Jill talks about how we, as bereaved parents, can find ourselves feeling just like Miss Havisham, and reminds us that we have a Bridegroom who is just waiting for us to take His hand. For more information about the While We're Waiting ministry and the free faith-based retreats we host for bereaved parents, please click HERE.  To make a tax-deductible donation to the While We're Waiting ministry, click HERE.  Thank you!!I would love to hear your thoughts on the show. Click here to send me a message! (Though I read every message, I am unable to respond through this format.) ** IMPORTANT** - All views expressed by guests on this podcast are theirs alone, and may not represent the Statement of Faith and Statement of Beliefs of the While We're Waiting ministry.  We'd love for you to connect with us here at While We're Waiting! Click HERE to visit our website and learn about our free While We're Waiting Weekends for bereaved parentsClick HERE to learn more about our network of While We're Waiting support groups all across the country. Click HERE to subscribe to our YouTube channelClick HERE to follow our public Facebook pageClick HERE to follow us on Instagram Click HERE to follow us on Twitter Click HERE to make a tax-deductible donation to the While We're Waiting ministryContact Jill by email at:  jill@whilewerewaiting.org 

Today I’m pleased to bring you the second half of my conversation with Millie’s mom, Courtney Mount.  If you missed last week’s episode, I encourage you to go back and listen to it to hear the story of sweet and sassy Amelia Joy who was carried home to Heaven by neuroblastoma cancer in July of 2020 … You really don’t want to miss that!  Today’s episode builds on her story as we discuss some very practical issues commonly faced by bereaved parents – grief brain, the one-year mark, parenting our surviving children, dealing with awkward comments by well-meaning people, the importance of gratitude, and finding your smile again.To follow Courtney's blog about Millie's Miracle and see pictures of sweet Millie, please click HERE.  To find Courtney on Instagram, click HERE.   To learn more about the While We're Waiting ministry and the free faith-based retreats we offer for bereaved parents, please click HERE. To make a tax-deductible donation or to become a monthly supporter of the While We're Waiting ministry, please click HERE.  I would love to hear your thoughts on the show. Click here to send me a message! (Though I read every message, I am unable to respond through this format.) ** IMPORTANT** - All views expressed by guests on this podcast are theirs alone, and may not represent the Statement of Faith and Statement of Beliefs of the While We're Waiting ministry.  We'd love for you to connect with us here at While We're Waiting! Click HERE to visit our website and learn about our free While We're Waiting Weekends for bereaved parentsClick HERE to learn more about our network of While We're Waiting support groups all across the country. Click HERE to subscribe to our YouTube channelClick HERE to follow our public Facebook pageClick HERE to follow us on Instagram Click HERE to follow us on Twitter Click HERE to make a tax-deductible donation to the While We're Waiting ministryContact Jill by email at:  jill@whilewerewaiting.org 

Over 15,000 children are diagnosed with cancer every year in the United States.  In June of 2019, Courtney Mount's 2-year-old daughter Millie was one of those kids.  As Millie battled her cancer with simple faith and sass, her mom and dad prayed, "Lord, please heal her and allow her to tell Your goodness with her own lips, but if You don't, we will tell her story for her."  In the first half of our conversation, Courtney shares Millie's story for her.  To follow Courtney's blog and see pictures of their beautiful Millie, please click HERE.  To learn more about the While We're Waiting ministry and the free faith-based retreats we offer for bereaved parents, please click HERE.  To make a tax-deductible donation or to become a monthly supporter of the While We're Waiting ministry, please click HERE.  I would love to hear your thoughts on the show. Click here to send me a message! (Though I read every message, I am unable to respond through this format.) ** IMPORTANT** - All views expressed by guests on this podcast are theirs alone, and may not represent the Statement of Faith and Statement of Beliefs of the While We're Waiting ministry.  We'd love for you to connect with us here at While We're Waiting! Click HERE to visit our website and learn about our free While We're Waiting Weekends for bereaved parentsClick HERE to learn more about our network of While We're Waiting support groups all across the country. Click HERE to subscribe to our YouTube channelClick HERE to follow our public Facebook pageClick HERE to follow us on Instagram Click HERE to follow us on Twitter Click HERE to make a tax-deductible donation to the While We're Waiting ministryContact Jill by email at:  jill@whilewerewaiting.org 

When a parent has lost a child, the thought of shouldering that burden of grief for a lifetime can be completely overwhelming ... even debilitating.  In today's episode, Jill shares an article written by Tim Challies that reminds us we don't have to carry the entire weight of grief all at once, but rather we can carry it brick by brick until the Lord calls us home.  "I Miss My Son Today" by Tim Challies, originally published on challies.com on July 26, 2021:  https://www.challies.com/articles/i-miss-my-son-today/  Quoted with permission from the author.For more information about the While We're Waiting ministry and the free faith-based retreats we offer for bereaved parents, please click HERE.  I would love to hear your thoughts on the show. Click here to send me a message! (Though I read every message, I am unable to respond through this format.) ** IMPORTANT** - All views expressed by guests on this podcast are theirs alone, and may not represent the Statement of Faith and Statement of Beliefs of the While We're Waiting ministry.  We'd love for you to connect with us here at While We're Waiting! Click HERE to visit our website and learn about our free While We're Waiting Weekends for bereaved parentsClick HERE to learn more about our network of While We're Waiting support groups all across the country. Click HERE to subscribe to our YouTube channelClick HERE to follow our public Facebook pageClick HERE to follow us on Instagram Click HERE to follow us on Twitter Click HERE to make a tax-deductible donation to the While We're Waiting ministryContact Jill by email at:  jill@whilewerewaiting.org 

Listen in for the second half of Jill's conversation with Teresa Davis about her son Andrew and the incident that took him home to Heaven in the fall of 2018.  Make sure you go back and listen to the first half of our chat in which we discuss how God allowed her to lament through the first 37 chapters of Job ... and then met her there in her darkness.  In today's episode, we enjoy a hope-filled discussion of several topics addressed in her new book “Finding Hope & Healing in the Midst of Grief - A Devotional for the Broken Hearted".    Click HERE to visit Teresa Davis's website and to get a copy of her book.  Also available on Amazon by clicking HERE.   Click HERE to follow Teresa on Instagram, HERE to find her on Facebook, and HERE to check out her YouTube channel.Click HERE to learn more about the While We're Waiting ministry and the free faith-based bereaved parent retreats we offer.  I would love to hear your thoughts on the show. Click here to send me a message! (Though I read every message, I am unable to respond through this format.) ** IMPORTANT** - All views expressed by guests on this podcast are theirs alone, and may not represent the Statement of Faith and Statement of Beliefs of the While We're Waiting ministry.  We'd love for you to connect with us here at While We're Waiting! Click HERE to visit our website and learn about our free While We're Waiting Weekends for bereaved parentsClick HERE to learn more about our network of While We're Waiting support groups all across the country. Click HERE to subscribe to our YouTube channelClick HERE to follow our public Facebook pageClick HERE to follow us on Instagram Click HERE to follow us on Twitter Click HERE to make a tax-deductible donation to the While We're Waiting ministryContact Jill by email at:  jill@whilewerewaiting.org 

This is the first half of Jill's conversation with Teresa Davis about her son Andrew and the incident that took him home to Heaven in the fall of 2018.  After his death, Teresa, who has known and loved the Lord for many years, went to a very dark place from which she thought might never recover.  Listen in to hear how God led her to lament through the first 37 chapters of Job and then met her there in the darkness.  Then come back next week as we discuss her new devotional book “Finding Hope & Healing in the Midst of Grief.” Click HERE to visit Teresa Davis's website and to learn more about her book.  Click HERE to follow Teresa on Instagram, HERE to find her on Facebook, and HERE to check out her YouTube channel.Click HERE to learn more about the While We're Waiting ministry and the free faith-based bereaved parent retreats we offer.  I would love to hear your thoughts on the show. Click here to send me a message! (Though I read every message, I am unable to respond through this format.) ** IMPORTANT** - All views expressed by guests on this podcast are theirs alone, and may not represent the Statement of Faith and Statement of Beliefs of the While We're Waiting ministry.  We'd love for you to connect with us here at While We're Waiting! Click HERE to visit our website and learn about our free While We're Waiting Weekends for bereaved parentsClick HERE to learn more about our network of While We're Waiting support groups all across the country. Click HERE to subscribe to our YouTube channelClick HERE to follow our public Facebook pageClick HERE to follow us on Instagram Click HERE to follow us on Twitter Click HERE to make a tax-deductible donation to the While We're Waiting ministryContact Jill by email at:  jill@whilewerewaiting.org 

So much of the battle in grief is spiritual in nature.  As the years have passed, I've found that the times I really find myself in a deep, dark place about Hannah's death, it's because I've allowed Satan to get a foothold in my head and in my heart, and he's "stealing my stuff" again.  It's at times like this that I have to remember what I know ...I would love to hear your thoughts on the show. Click here to send me a message! (Though I read every message, I am unable to respond through this format.) ** IMPORTANT** - All views expressed by guests on this podcast are theirs alone, and may not represent the Statement of Faith and Statement of Beliefs of the While We're Waiting ministry.  We'd love for you to connect with us here at While We're Waiting! Click HERE to visit our website and learn about our free While We're Waiting Weekends for bereaved parentsClick HERE to learn more about our network of While We're Waiting support groups all across the country. Click HERE to subscribe to our YouTube channelClick HERE to follow our public Facebook pageClick HERE to follow us on Instagram Click HERE to follow us on Twitter Click HERE to make a tax-deductible donation to the While We're Waiting ministryContact Jill by email at:  jill@whilewerewaiting.org 

Today's episode is the second half of Jill's conversation with Corrie Andrews, mom of Sadie Grace, who stepped into the arms of Jesus as a result of a tragic incident at a local ice cream shop in 2017.  Listen in for a discussion of some very practical issues faced by grieving parents, including coping with "grief brain", dealing with the grief of young siblings, nurturing the marriage relationship, facing the holidays, handling the dreaded "how many kids do you have" question, and filling the empty chair.  To get connected with Corrie Andrews, email Jill at jill@whilewerewaiting.org.For more information about the While We're Waiting ministry and the free bereaved parent retreats we offer, click HERE.    To make a tax-deductible donation to the While We're Waiting ministry, click HERE.  I would love to hear your thoughts on the show. Click here to send me a message! (Though I read every message, I am unable to respond through this format.) ** IMPORTANT** - All views expressed by guests on this podcast are theirs alone, and may not represent the Statement of Faith and Statement of Beliefs of the While We're Waiting ministry.  We'd love for you to connect with us here at While We're Waiting! Click HERE to visit our website and learn about our free While We're Waiting Weekends for bereaved parentsClick HERE to learn more about our network of While We're Waiting support groups all across the country. Click HERE to subscribe to our YouTube channelClick HERE to follow our public Facebook pageClick HERE to follow us on Instagram Click HERE to follow us on Twitter Click HERE to make a tax-deductible donation to the While We're Waiting ministryContact Jill by email at:  jill@whilewerewaiting.org 

Three-year-old Sadie was a precious little girl who spread sunshine and cheer everywhere she went.  When she stepped into the arms of Jesus as a result of a tragic incident at a local ice cream shop, her parents and five young siblings were suddenly launched into a journey of grief.   Today's episode includes the first half of Jill's conversation with Sadie's mom Corrie about forgiveness, dealing with fear, grieving in public, and finding purpose in the pain.   For more information about the While We're Waiting ministry and the free faith-based retreats we offer for bereaved parents, click HERE.  To make a tax-deductible donation to the While We're Waiting ministry, click HERE.  I would love to hear your thoughts on the show. Click here to send me a message! (Though I read every message, I am unable to respond through this format.) ** IMPORTANT** - All views expressed by guests on this podcast are theirs alone, and may not represent the Statement of Faith and Statement of Beliefs of the While We're Waiting ministry.  We'd love for you to connect with us here at While We're Waiting! Click HERE to visit our website and learn about our free While We're Waiting Weekends for bereaved parentsClick HERE to learn more about our network of While We're Waiting support groups all across the country. Click HERE to subscribe to our YouTube channelClick HERE to follow our public Facebook pageClick HERE to follow us on Instagram Click HERE to follow us on Twitter Click HERE to make a tax-deductible donation to the While We're Waiting ministryContact Jill by email at:  jill@whilewerewaiting.org