Grandpa New knew that he knew By Julie Nelson There he laid dying in his bed not recovering from a broken hip. He was just days away from his 90th birthday. In the background you could hear Grandma praying, "Lord don't take him home until he knows you." My Grandpa New was the quietest, most soft-spoken, slow moving, gentlest man I knew. I used to sit with him when Grandma went to revival meetings in the Summer. He always had his cane with him, he would sit and listen to the record player and hold one hand behind his ear to help him hear better. His favorite time of day, depending on the weather, was when He went out to the yard. He would go slowly down the steps into the garage, while he hung on to the railing. Then, we slowly walked outside where he had a chair by the garden or we put it in the middle of the yard, depending on where the sun was. The first time we did this, he told me to sit down beside him, on the ground and be very quiet. I said, "What are we waiting for?" "Shhh, don't move. Don't talk," he whispered. Pretty soon, here came a bird, then another, one on his shoulder pecking at his bald head, another in front of him, looking for worms, and then a squirrel came right in front of him and stared. In just a few minutes there had to be 5 or 6 birds all around us going about their business. I thought he was just like St. Frances of Assisi. I couldn't image Grandpa not going to heaven, I mean, the birds even came to him, he was so sweet. But Grandma said, "You must take Jesus as your Lord and Savior. He is the only One who can get you there." During Grandpa's last days, Grandma would ask him to invite Jesus into his heart. She even had her pastor come over and pray. Then one day, as she tells the story, she was in the kitchen praying for him, when she heard George, that was his name, saying something. She went into the dining room where the bed was and said, "Did you say something?" He had his hand in the air, reaching towards the ceiling, with tears in his eyes. He said he saw his baby that had died. "There's my baby, there's my baby." Grandma held his hand and cried with him. "You know you have to take Jesus into your heart so you can be with your baby when you die?" "Yes, I know." She sat with him until he went to sleep again. Two days later, she heard him again saying something, so she went in to check on him, this time his hand was raised towards heaven and was saying, "Sweet Jesus, Oh sweet Jesus, my Lord has come to take me home." He then passed away. And Grandma knew that Grandpa "knew that he knew" Jesus and now Grandma could rest for she knew she would see him in heaven. Julie and Steve Nelson are owners and proprietors of Snuggle Inn, a Bed and Breakfast in Jamestown, ND. and longtime friends of this ministry.