From Beverly

Flora's Story From Beverly

Beverly McKee 

Jamie McKee's Mom, Flora's Honorary Sister

Sunday August 28, 2011
     Jamie called me at 6:45 am, on their way to Joplin. Mark had taken Flora to the hospital Saturday night, having trouble breathing, needed fluid removed from lungs.
Flora had told Mark she was “ready to go”; they spent some precious time together and saying goodbyes. Mark told Jason and Monica they needed to come, mom says she’s ready to go and I don’t know if she’ll still be here when you arrive. Her blood pressure was down and up and was lifeless when she was taken to her room earlier.
Decision was made not to remove fluid and put her thru the procedure.

What I saw: Arrived about 9:45 am, mom and I entered Flora’s room, saw many tears. Flora was breathing short labored breathes, mom spoke to her then I sat beside her and held her hand, whispered in her ear “hi sis”, she gave a sweet smile. A soft squeeze of a finger and slight responses with flutter of eyelids or a groan was her communication. She was that way until 11:10; she moved her hands away from us and didn’t want to be touched. She sat up in bed, leaning back on her arms, eyes closed. Soon after she began moving her head as if she was looking around, eyes slightly opened but she wasn’t looking at us. Questions were asked about heaven, seeing Jesus, seeing loved ones, her responses were maybe a slight smile, or a nod of her head. But there was a look of joy and of recognizing something special.
When she laid back down, she raised her arms above her head, then turned to the left side of the bed like she was going to get out, rails were down so Jason and Mark were there to keep her from falling out of bed, she then turned to the right side, said she needed to get this out (catheter), she needed to go. A surprise of her renewed strength, moving with determination to get out of bed, she again was guarded from falling out or getting out of bed. Still pushing away, saying “you can’t hear me”, yes we can hear you “no you can’t and you can’t see me when I leave”. Monica unhooked the bag and handed to Jason as Flora got up and out of bed, on her own, and followed her around the corner to the bathroom.

The light wasn’t turned on but Jason kept the door cracked so he could make sure she was okay. She wasn’t in there long at all.
With eyes open, after getting back in bed sat up and just looked at us and shook her head. You guys don’t understand. She was questioned about what she saw, what had happened. There was a new countenance on her face, in her voice, in her attitude of boldness. “I’ve seen inside of heaven. But you wouldn’t let me go so I could enter.” She said I saw Jesus, Jason asked if it looked like the picture in the book “heaven is for real”, she said yes. Saw her mom, Mark’s dad, unborn babies, which were as young children, they didn’t see her though, and saw mansions in the background. Flora said “I need to go home, God told me I had to stay here, my job here was not finished and I have to testify!” When asked to whom, “everybody”. Flora was talking to us, not labored in her breathing and not on oxygen. “God told me he is taking care of me; I need to get this catheter out and my stent removed so I can go home.”
When Jason asked her questions, because of our curiosity, she would look at him and once said, “Why do you doubt what I am saying.” We didn’t doubt, we wanted to take it all in, wanted to see what she saw from the words she spoke. She mentioned that what she saw outside through the window was nothing compared to what she saw in heaven.
     I left the room for a bit, I guess I needed to absorb what I just witnessed. I went to check on the kids. Mom had gone down earlier and friends of Mark and Flora were watching them. I went in and just sat for a couple of minutes, didn’t say anything to the adults, still amazed at the miracle I witnessed. Then spoke, “Friends, we just witnessed a miracle, Flora is sitting up in bed, telling us about seeing heaven and who she saw, and that God had told her she had to stay here to finish work he needed her to do.”
We watched Flora witness to everyone that came in her room, asking “do you know where you will go when you die?” No matter who they were, if she knew them or not even people she knew but wasn’t certain of their salvation. Seeing her boldness makes you see with God’s help, how easy it should be for us.
Later Jamie told me Flora saw Dean, wearing his Billy bob teeth and playing in a field with the children. Also Brian Anderson and what color shirt he had on. To Julie and to Brian’s son, those words were comfort and closure.
Friends and other family begin to pour in, praising God that Flora was still with us, but we understand now, yes she was with us, but she was finishing her race so that she could “go home” two weeks later, to not just ‘look into heaven’, but to enter heaven, free of cancer, strong and whole, sitting at the feet of JESUS.
This is an experience I’ll never forget. I praise God for what I ‘saw through her words’, makes you excited and anxious to be a part of it.