Remembering Coach (Part II of II)

There was a slight hitch (aside from our getting lost on the way to the church). Our luggage had been on the first bus to leave Cincinnati, for some reason, and had made it all the way to Charlotte on the Greyhound without us. So not only did we arrive at the church (a half hour late) wearing Thursday’s clothes (jeans and a t-shirt for me), but we also had to figure out how to get our luggage. Marj made a phone call to a friend, who graciously offered to drive all the way to downtown Charlotte—thus missing most of the service—to collect our bags. What a blessing!

The service was a long and emotional one. Hundreds of people from my mission and Hillcrest, and even the greater Jos community, had flocked to this little church in South Carolina to remember Coach. What a testimony that was in itself!

But to me, the next story was the best of all. The Beachams’ middle daughter, Carol, had been planning on marrying in June, but the doctors had highly recommended she move up the wedding, knowing Coach would probably not be around until June. So Carol had rescheduled her wedding for 26th March. Her younger sister Laci, who was finishing her senior year at Hillcrest, staying with family friends, was scheduled to fly into the States the week of the wedding, arriving the 21st. But when she tried to get a booking on the flight, she was informed that it was already overbooked. So her parents decided to fly her out a week earlier. Because her original flight had been booked, Laci arrived two days before her father died. If she had been on that flight, she would never have gotten to say goodbye.

The story doesn’t end there. After Coach died, Laci’s dear friend Micah—the one I mentioned earlier—and his parents decided that he should fly from Nigeria to the States to support the family. He got a seat on the same flight that had been overbooked when Laci had tried to get a seat, getting him to the States in time for the memorial service and Carol’s wedding. Coincidence? I don’t believe it for a minute. How much clearer can God’s orchestration get?

So Micah was part of the Beacham family that weekend, and I was ever so glad to see him. After the service there was a spontaneous reunion dinner at a nearby Mexican restaurant. It was a perfect opportunity to visit with friends and “family” and reminisce about Coach and our days at Hillcrest. I found Laura, who was my best friend throughout my nine years at Hillcrest, and she offered to let me share her hotel room with her and her sister. Her brother Daniel had paid the bill, but when I went to give him my reimbursement check the next morning, he ripped it up in my face and refused to let me pay for it!

Carol’s wedding on Saturday was beautiful. Her mom, Aunt Beaj, gave her away and said a few heart-breaking words on Coach’s behalf. Almost everyone who had attended the memorial service stayed in town for the wedding, so we were quite a crowd, and the Beachams were happy. The reception included Nigerian food and group photos of the Hillcrest alumni present. It was fun, relaxed, and beautiful.

I had been hoping to find a ride back to Chicago, so I hadn’t bought a return Greyhound ticket. But no one was returning until several days later—too late for me, since my classes began again on Monday. So in the mid-afternoon, Marj and I got back in her white rental car and drove back to Knoxville, arriving in time to catch the midnight express bus back to Chicago.

Exhausted, we slept most of the way back home, arriving just before noon on Easter Sunday. I hadn’t planned a ride back from the Greyhound station as Marj had, so when her husband came to pick her up, they offered me a ride home. What a blessing! I arrived home in time for my sister’s family to collect me after church on their way to my brother-in-law’s parents’ for Easter dinner (through most of which I slept).

The trip had cost me only two meals (Lisa had given me some food) and a one-way bus ticket from Knoxville to Chicago. (Greyhound had refunded my entire Chicago-Charlotte ticket in Knoxville when we’d been over two hours late.) Marj had not let me pay a cent for the rental car, insisting she would have paid for it anyway if I hadn’t come. And Daniel had paid for my overnight at the hotel. God had saved me over $200 that I could now put toward getting a replacement car.

It was a long trip. There were many unforeseen obstacles. And yet it was crystal clear to me that God had had His hand in everything that happened surrounding Coach’s death—from Laci’s early arrival to my meeting Marj on the Greyhound bus in downtown Chicago! And whenever I doubt God’s goodness, I will remember this story and praise Him for His mighty works and His enduring love.