Leigha's funeral notes

I'm not sure how many of you are still following...but here are the notes from the funeral for those of you who couldn't make it.

Leigha Wieman funeral

On behalf of the Jennings Road Church of Christ, I want to extend my deepest sympathies to the family and friends of Leigha Wieman. She was a loving daughter and sister, and a faithful friend. She will be missed.

Psalm 23
1The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. 2He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. 3He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake. 4Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. 5Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
6Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.

Leigha’s mom, Olga, asked that today be a celebration of life, and for those who knew Leigha well, know that that girl could celebrate life. So, that’s what we will do.

friend – poem
friend – song
cheer coach – share
band director – share
Bri- share

See, I told you there was much to celebrate about Leigha’s life. There are plenty of tears today, and rightly so. For someone so young to touch so many lives is a testament to who she was in such a short amount of time. She made the most of every moment. Leigha once told me that she couldn’t wait to beat cancer so that she could be a witness to others that were hurting, and I told her that she didn’t have to wait – she had all ready touched so many with her spirit and fierce determination, just by simply being herself.
Speaking about being herself, that girl could smile, couldn’t she? Did you notice in all the pictures you find of her around here there are two constant themes in each? For one, she’s never alone – there always seems to be someone else in the picture with Leigha. The second? She’s smiling in all of them, and so is everyone else that is around her. Leigha could make us smile, and she still does today.
So today I smile when I see that Bengals jersey that she loved to wear to church. As a lifelong Pittsburgh Steelers fan, I want to ask that no one tell my dad I just said that. The first time Leigh wore that to church, I looked back to say good morning to her as the service had just begun, only to see her dressed in that thing! I reminded her that even though our church doesn’t have a dress code per se there are still some things that even God doesn’t want to see in his house and that was one of them. Her response to me isn’t fit to share in mixed company, but it made me smile.
So, this is for you, kiddo. Just distract God for moment so he doesn’t see me do this. (jersey)
These jerseys remind us that Leigha was a passionate person, and it didn’t take long being around her for you to know what she was passionate about. Her coworkers at CJs. Her “kids” at school, in cheer and band. Her family, regardless of how long she had known them. And the God that she believed would heal her, and he did, just not here. So, I smile when I see you all here today and I know that I was right – she did have a big impact on those around her.
I smile when I see that picture that she drew so long ago that would mean so much today. A simple picture drawn for a grade would become a picture that would draw long lost sisters together, and unite a family that no longer was. If you look close enough, that picture makes no sense. On one side you see a cross and a crown of thorns, instruments of one of the cruelest ways to die…like cancer. On the other side, a laughing Jesus. It makes no sense, unless you know what Leigha knew, that when Jesus enters the picture of your life, he laughs at death.
The Bible tells us that to Jesus, and to those who know him, death has no victory. Death has no sting. To those who belong to Jesus, death is defeated by the cross, and that death as we know it isn’t the end but the beginning of eternal life with a God that loves us and welcomes us home…where Leigha is this morning. And that makes me smile.
It makes me smile to think that the Bible tells us that Jesus screwed up every funeral that he ever attended. Think about it; the centurion’s daughter? She didn’t stay dead; she’s only sleeping, Jesus said before bringing her back to life. The widow in Nain, who’s only son had died? Him too. And his close friend Lazarus? Who doesn’t know that one.
I wish he would do that today. To Jesus death may not hold any sting, but it sure hurts us, doesn’t it? And yet in the three stories I told, statements that Jesus made then ring true today as well. Leigha is just asleep in a sense, but when she opened her eyes in heaven she found herself in a place of no pain, no tears, and a Savior that told her well done.
Jesus told the widow not to cry, not because she had lost a loved one, but because he alone holds the power over death and he does today too. And he told Lazarus’ sisters that he was the resurrection and the life and all they needed was to believe in that.
And it makes me smile to know that Leigha believed that about Jesus too. Don’t believe me? Listen to her own words from her blog:
With Him and prayer, I will continue to WIN THIS FIGHT!! God is in control.

I will completely trust in God and know He will get me through this. God will prevail!!

God is in contol. Keep praying. Because I am trusting in Him with all my heart. GOD IS GOOD!!!!!
I know God is healing me in His time.

I have complete faith in my Savior and you should too!

God is still working even when I was incohorent lol. God is awesome! =)
Satan keeps trying to throw up road blocks but with God and the power of all your prayers, we just keep knocking them down.
I'm just so thankful to God for everything He's done. I pray that He continues to heal me and bless me through this. He is such an awesome God......wow. I am so thankful to Him!!!!

God will continue to heal me and bless me. I am so thankful to what He's done so far with me spiritually. If it weren't for Him and my faith.....I don't know where I'd be today. =)

And I smile because I do know where she is today, in a place called heaven, all because she believed. In the end, Leigha believed what she would want all of us to believe; that for those who believe that Jesus Christ is their lord and savior can know victory over death, regardless of who young you are and how unfair this all is.
I smile when I think she knew where she was going, too. Here it is in her own words:
SATURDAY, MAY 9, 2009
Going Home-FINALLY
Going home today, and I could not be happier!!! Before I go home though, they decided that I needed to get a unit of platelets and a unit of blood. So, the platelets are in now we're just waiting on the blood to come up so we can start that. It's 12:30 right now. By time they start the blood and everything and it's all finished and I can FINALLY go home-it'll be probably around 4, maybe 5. But, that's ok cause I'm going HOME!!!! =) Praise God I'm going home!!!
So, in the end, the transplant worked after all. Not the one that we had hoped for when she was in the hospital. No the transplant that happened when Leigha gave up her doubts and God replaced it with salvation. When God replaced her sins with his grace. Her guilt was replaced with God’s forgiveness. Her pain with His peace. And her cancer with a new body, one that can never be sick ever again.
So, this morning I smile when I think about the gal that loved her shoes that now walks on streets of gold. I smile when I think about the gal that couldn’t live without her cell phone in her hand now talks face to face with the Savior she loved and trusted, and wants us to join her there some day as well.
Don’t believe me? One more time, in her own words:
I may not make it back to school this year but at least I'll be 100% next year!!! I am just so ready to be cancer free for good!!! God has a plan and not even I know for sure what that is as of yet. But I trust in Him with all my heart and know everything will be ok. =)

So there it is. I hope you all can still feel her as strongly as I do. I MISS AND LOVE YOU MY SISTER, MY FRIEND!!