While We're Waiting® - Hope After Child Loss
This is a podcast FOR bereaved parents BY bereaved parents. Join your host, Jill Sullivan, as she talks with parents who have lost children of all ages to all types of circumstances. This is a podcast of stories ... stories of devastating loss and grief and heartbreak and struggle ... and stories of hope and healing and faith, and yes, even joy. Underlying every conversation will be the hope we have in Jesus Christ, which makes it possible to not just survive the loss of a child, but to live well while we're waiting to see them again in Heaven one day. Visit our website at www.WhileWereWaiting.org for more information about our nonprofit ministry to bereaved parents.
Episodes
449 episodes
249 | Butterflies and Grace (Part One) with Brian and Danna Mayhall
I was honored to sit down with Brian and Danna Mayhall recently, who joined me to share the story of their daughter, Amelia—a young woman whose life was characterized by kindness and compassion. Amelia sustained a devastating...
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Episode 249
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41:53
248 | Jeffrey Is With Jesus (Part Two) ... with Jeannie Williams
Last week I introduced you to my friend Jeannie Williams, and we heard the story of her precocious and compassionate 11-year-old son Jeffrey, who died from carbon monoxide poisoning in a hotel room in 2013, an incident that left her with perman...
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Episode 248
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32:07
247 | Jeffrey is With Jesus (Part One) ... with Jeannie Williams
Today, I have the privilege of introducing you to Jeannie Williams, a mother, wife, and "retired" homeschool teacher, whose life took an unimaginable turn in June of 2013. Jeannie will share the story of her son, Jeffrey—his kind h...
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Episode 247
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40:23
Bonus 200 | Finale
Thank you for joining me for the final bonus episode in this series in which I’ve been sharing our family’s experiences in the last year of our daughter Hannah’s life, which spanned from February 2008 through February 2009. I’ll be comple...
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5:14
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Bonus 199 | The Origin of While We're Waiting (Part 8 )
A friend of ours got us connected with an architect who donated his time and drew up a plan for our dream retreat center. The facility would incorporate the existing house, adding a large dining room, a commercial kitchen, and ten private...
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4:56
Bonus 198 | The Origin of While We're Waiting (Part 7)
For three years, we had wonderful bereaved-parent retreats at Family Farm. As awareness began to grow about the ministry via word-of-mouth, internet searches, and our Facebook presence, our waiting lists also began to grow. Even wit...
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4:00
246 | Nail-Scarred Hands ... with Nanette Klinect
Last week, we heard the story of Nanette's beautiful daughter Katie’s life and the day everything changed for their family. Today, we continue our conversation, diving into what life has been like in the years since that time. Nanette shares th...
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Episode 246
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30:55
Bonus 197 | The Origin of While We're Waiting (Part 6)
That first bereaved-parent retreat in April of 2011 turned out to be above and beyond all we could have ever asked or imagined. We knew from our experience at the Respite Retreat what God could do when a group of like-minded bereaved pare...
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4:34
Bonus 196 | The Origin of While We're Waiting (Part 5)
Over the next few months, we met frequently to discuss plans and pray about our upcoming retreat for bereaved parents. Several times we drove out to Family Farm and included Stan and Donna May in our planning meetings.Thank you for...
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4:16
Bonus 195 | The Origin of While We're Waiting (Part 4)
Brad and I returned home from the Respite Retreat still basking in the glow of the new relationships we'd formed, the things we'd learned from spending time with other bereaved parents, and a renewed hope that it was still possible to have joy ...
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4:50
Bonus 194 | The Origin of While We're Waiting (Part 3)
Even though I didn't really want to go, and this thing was way outside my comfort zone, Brad and I signed up for the Respite Retreat scheduled for Labor Day Weekend in September of 2010. We couldn't have known at the time what a profound ...
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6:32
Bonus 193 | The Origin of While We're Waiting (Part 2)
During the final days of Hannah's life, many people dropped by the hospice center and left books, gifts, food, and other items for our family. These kindnesses were so greatly appreciated.Most of these gifts were accompanied by a ...
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4:24
Bonus 192 | The Origin of While We're Waiting (Part 1)
Thank you for joining me for another bonus episode in this series in which I’ve been sharing our family’s experiences in the last year of our daughter Hannah’s life, which spanned from February 2008 through February 2009. This series woul...
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3:16
245 | Fractured and Fragmented ... with Nanette Klinect
Today’s episode features a conversation with my friend Nanette Klinect. We discuss the beautiful and miraculous story of her daughter Katie’s adoption, the tragic accident that changed everything, and the hard and holy privilege she had t...
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Episode 245
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44:48
Bonus 191 | The Dead in Christ Shall Rise
There never really was any question where Hannah's body would be buried. There's a beautiful cemetery in Briggsville, Arkansas, where the Sullivan family farm is located. Hannah spent many happy days at the farm ... hunting, riding...
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5:36
Bonus 190 | Celebrating a Life
Hannah's life was celebrated at First Baptist Church in Hot Springs on this date sixteen years ago. We had two goals for the service -- to honor Hannah's life and to point people to Jesus.I remember stepping into the church buildi...
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6:11
Bonus 189 | Snow Showers and Sweet Hugs
As I've been looking back through all the emails passing back and forth between the newspaper, our friends and family, the church staff, etc., that went on in those days immediately following Hannah's homegoing, I'm struck by how "together" I a...
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6:17
Bonus 188 | From Anger to Peace
Most families don't have the opportunity to prepare for their child's death the way we did. We had known for a year that Hannah's cancer could be fatal, and even though we prayed earnestly for earthly healing, we knew from the beginning t...
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5:37
244 | Tuesdays Are Never the Same ... with Erik and Susan Totera
Today's episode is a continuation of my conversation with Erik and Susan Totera about their daughter Reilly, an amazing young woman with a strong entrepreneurial spirit, who went to Heaven a little over two years ago. Today, they share ho...
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Episode 244
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38:56
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Bonus 187 | Safely Home
I woke with a start sixteen years ago today. I had slept for several hours without interruption, which had not happened in a long time. It scared me, and I immediately jumped up to check on Hannah. She had slept all night, and...
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7:28
Bonus 186 | Breathing Peacefully
The entire time we were at the hospice center had a distinct air of unreality. The fact that we had reached the point where we were re-living the anniversaries of the events which had brought us to this place just added to that sense of i...
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5:09
Bonus 185 | Making Preparations
It's a very surreal thing to write an obituary for your own child. It's even more surreal when your child is sitting beside you as you write it.After Hannah's doctor confirmed that there was nothing else medically that could be do...
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4:25
Bonus 184 | We Choose #3
It’s one of the most ancient of all questions, “Why does a good God allow people to suffer in this world? I discuss three options in my email from sixteen years ago today. Thank you for joining me for another bonus episo...
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3:49
