Chapter 19: DIANNA, My Sister

Our first major family crisis

My sister Dianna was number five in our family of eleven children (Betty, Sharron, Judy, Jimmy, Dianna, Tommy, Donny, Wanda, Linda, Garry, and Terry). This is an account of our family’s first major crisis and tragic death of a family member and how the Lord “worked it out for the good”.

When we were growing up, my sister Betty was our babysitter and use to clean the house, and keep us out of it, so we played outside all day.  I recall Dianna was five years younger than me and hung around me all day, holding my hand.  She would affectionately tell me: “Sharron, I like hanging around you because you're nice to me and you let me hang around with you – the other kids always tell me that I am too little, to go away but you never do” – I always remember this as I think of her.

Also I remember back around 1971, while I was living with my two roommates in Smyrna, Georgia, Dianna came to visit me for a few days on her way to my grandmother's, to stay with her for a while – she was about 16 years old, at this time.  This was during a time when I was searching for truth regarding the Bible, Jesus Christ and my walk of faith.  I had just discovered new insight especially regarding my salvation and the discovery of a Bible verse that set me free from the time the pastor's wife revealed it to me, God branded it upon my memory:

Ephesians 2: 8-9   (8) For by grace, you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, (9) not of works, lest anyone should boast.

I began to share this verse’s insights as applied to my life and revelation – how it affected my personal walk of faith. I remember Dianna and I praying together (prayer at end of this article) and her repeating the prayer, inviting Christ into her heart and asking him to forgive her.

Another, sad moment that I recall in my memory of Dianna was seven years later on my wedding day (May 13, 1978). My family had come up from Tampa, which included my mother, father, sister Betty and her daughter Tricia, Donny-Sylvia and baby Donna (Donny’s daughter), Garry, Terry, and not sure who else, but I do recall Dianna not being there.  I remember she called me very upset as she had wanted to come up for my wedding but could not get hold of anyone in the family to ask if she could go along.  I felt so bad that she had been overlooked that even now, it makes me sad.  These are things I recall when I think of her to this day.  Because I was many miles away, here in Georgia, I have a few selected memories of her – these stand out in my telling of her story. 

In 1979 or 1980, another visit I recall from her was shortly after Jack and I had gotten married.  She came to visit in route to our family reunion with grandma Mascunana, my mother’s mom’s family.  Dianna met Jack, my new husband the first time, and they teased each other over: who was tallest (they were exactly same height), who had the biggest feet (again same size), and finally who was stronger – she finally conceded that Jack won that one.  We – my mother, Dianna, and I went to our family reunion and during the long trip, I had a captive audience.  I had several days to talk with Dianna about the deep things of the Bible and my growing faith in Christ.

In 1982 my husband and I moved into a new house and my sister Betty and mother came to visit us.  By this time I had two little girls: Christina (1 ½ and Elena 6 months).  I recall as one afternoon the three of us: Betty, Mother, and I were heading out to go shopping and I had Dianna on my mind, strongly over the past couple of months, so asked them if either of them had spoken to her recently?  They both answered that they had not been in touch with her in a while, so I remember telling them that I, for some reason, could not get her off my mind.  In reply to this, the conversation turned to a statement my sister Betty made: “You know, we have never had to go through anything really bad with our family, like someone dying or major stuff yet – we have been lucky.”  My mother, I recall answered: “I think if anything ever happened to any one of you kids, I would not want to live any more – I would just want to die, as I am so close to each one of you”. 

My mother’s statement really upset me and I answered: “Mom, would you quit saying that, as God doesn’t give you anything before you need it. He gives it to you while you are going through whatever trials you encounter, if you ask Him.  He doesn’t give it to you ahead of time!”  This silenced them both but I had no way of knowing how prophetic that statement and concern regarding Dianna was to be in the very near future – two weeks!

One day while I was going out to lunch, while working at Gold Kist Inc., at Perimeter Mall shopping center, I kept hearing the Lord’s voice speaking to me like a broken record: “I have prepared the way before you, don’t be afraid” I remember asking the Lord why this kept playing in my mind over and over, then writing it down.  I asked what He meant by: “I have prepared the way before you”? A few days later I was to find out and my faith tested big time!

A few nights later, early one morning around 4:00 AM, I received a phone call from my sister Betty in Florida stating frantically, that we needed to pray, as Dianna had just been killed!   I recalled our conversation immediately – two weeks earlier about our family never having to go through the death of a family member yet!   I ran into the living room, collapsed on the floor before a chair and laid my head in “the Lap of the Lord”, crying bitterly!  I explained to the Lord, tearfully:  “My family is going to be looking to me to help them through this and I cannot do it without your help.  You are going to have to give me wisdom and guidance – what do I… what am I going to say – how do I handle this?  I just sat there and wept till my tear bottle was empty and was silent before Him, waiting….

Finally very tenderly He spoke and His words gave me the “peace that passes all understanding” as He said: “I have prepared the way before you, don’t be afraid, as your family thinks they have all the time in the world to make up their minds about me.  I had to let them know that they do not; I had to get their attention.  Don’t be afraid, as I will work it for the good”.  I immediately recalled the part about, “I have prepared the way before you” being given a few days earlier and knew now why He kept repeating this to me! 

Gold Kist employees where I worked, took up a collection and funded my flight down to Tampa for the funeral.  My sister Betty invited me to stay with her – she was the one mainly planning the funeral arrangements.  My family had not been a part of any particular church, so my sister contacted our denomination: Seventh Day Adventist and got a minister who was totally unfamiliar with our family.  Nevertheless, he was willing to do this for us.  That night Betty and I talked most of the night about the Lord’s hand in this and the timing.  Betty mentioned that she felt bad having a minister that knew nothing about our family – a complete stranger handling her funeral, but she had to choose someone.  She just wished we had someone to speak on Dianna’s behalf but knew of no one.  It was around 3:00 AM when we finally decided to lay our weary bodies down to get some sleep, only sleep was not to come, for me at least! 

I kept wrestling with the Lord speaking urgently, for me to speak on Dianna’s behalf.  He would not relent!  I kept telling Him: who was I – I was not a preacher, I had no training in these types of things, I do not speak before people, I just could not do this!  He insisted that He would be with me – I could do this and that I just needed to completely trust Him and He would speak through me (I was like Moses going before Pharaoh).  I finally relinquished my will to His, walked in and told my sister Betty who had not yet fallen asleep either, of this plan.  She was so excited and wondered, “Can you really do it – are you going to be able to get up and do it?”  I told her yes, as the Lord assured me He would accompany me and strengthen me – speak through me.  We decided to keep it a secret and surprise everyone.

Before the funeral, I had to meet with the minister in charge to let him know of our plan and received opposition, as he recalled my mother telling him she wanted it short and to the point.  He asked: “What exactly are you going to say and how long are you going to take?”  I answered:  I do not know, I only know that the Lord wants me to speak on Dianna’s behalf and He will speak through me.  He informed us we needed to get two family members to agree to this and he would give his consent.  We did – my sister Linda and Betty consented. 

When we finally started out to the funeral home, my sister Betty was driving and was very nervous about my speaking, and kept asking if I was okay – was I really going to be able to handle this?  I kept reassuring her that the Lord, through me could.  Suddenly, while driving we heard a tremendous bang from our car – like a cannon going off!  It startled us so till we pulled into a convenience store and checked our car for what caused such an explosion.  It was her tire – it had a large gash approximately 12 inches long, like someone took a knife and slashed her tire!  Even stranger, she informed me, these were new tires purchased just a few months ago and were “Michelin tires” so this should not have happened!  I said:  This was an attack – someone does not want me to speak, but I am going to speak, as the Lord is behind this – if He needs to hold up key people in that funeral and to send a chariot to pick us up, He will – I will speak at this funeral!

Betty called the funeral home from the pay phone (there were no cell phones at this time) and her husband Kenny happened to have arrived early – he came to pick us up!  When we arrived at the funeral home (after my meeting with him) the minister asked the two family members for their approval for me to speak on Dianna’s behalf and we were set – except: no mother or pallbearers!  My mother was waiting along with all the pallbearers, for Steve Beach, my sister Wanda’s husband to return, as he had been held up on an emergency plumbing job.  The Lord had held up “Key people” – the mother of the deceased and the six pallbearers – how do you get any better choice to hold things up then that?  Only God could have pulled that one off.  Coincidence – I think not!

It came time for the service to start and I was taken by surprise when the minister asked me to speak first and introduced me.  This is what I shared (as best I can recall):  “When I received this call from my sister Betty, I immediately got up and before talking to anyone in my household – even my husband, I ran into the living room and prayed.  While I was praying and waiting upon the Lord, He spoke the following to me: “I have prepared the way before you, don’t be afraid, as your family thinks they have all the time in the world to make up their minds about me.  I had to let them know that they do not; I had to get their attention.  Don’t be afraid as I’ll work it for the good”.  I immediately recalled the part about, “I have prepared the way before you” and explained that He had told me this a few days prior to Dianna’s death.  I also explained salvation to them – how I personally had invited Christ into my own heart earlier and I was now “borne again” written in the Lamb’s book of Life.  I finished my part – the Lord seemed to “turn my words on, and then He turned them off” and I sat down. 

Before I left Georgia, I had asked the Lord to show me Dianna’s spiritual standing – had she accepted Him as savior or not? If she had, to please send me confirmation somehow – I needed to know if she was saved.  My mother and I were talking after the service, when a woman approached us to explained that she was from a church that Dianna had been attending.  They had been showing a Billy Graham series of movies and she had attended the first one with her little girl, Tina.  She stated that she had talked with Dianna about the next movie and she assured her she was coming to the next one, with her daughter.  She then stated:  “You never know, she may have prayed that prayer before she died, during one of those movies.”  My mother was standing there and was totally surprised, as she had no idea Dianna had been attending church!

The next confirmation came from my sister Judy shortly after the funeral was over, at my mother’s house.  She informed me that Dianna had come to visit her a short while before her death, not too long ago, and that she (Judy) had asked her to what did she owe this visit, to which Dianna answered: “I need to make restitution, as I did something when we were kids that I let you take the blame for all these years – regarding some money (silver dollars I believe) that went missing and Dianna had taken them.  Mom and Daddy thought you took them and you got accused of it, but I took them and never told anyone.  I am sorry I did that – let you have the blame all this time.”  She told her about an experience she had a while back, where she had attempted suicide (by slitting her wrists) and she started going someplace that was dark but kept hearing screaming that scared her.  She said” this time when I die the Lord has my soul and I am not going to that other place”. 

Dianna had shared with me, this same story back when she visited me shortly after I got married during the family reunion trip.  I recall she wanted me to help her understand what this experience was – that it was very frightening to her.  I remember the story, but had thought it was something like when I fainted – I would hear people speaking while it seemed I was in a between worlds place.  I thought she had fainted.  I had no idea she had attempted suicide – she had not disclosed that part to me, till Judy mentioned it.  There were not very many “near death experiences” at that time, going on that shed any light on her experience, other than blacking out but it all came back to me.  This was another confirmation. 

Afterwards, her landlord spoke to a family member and explained that Dianna had called her that night just prior to her death, to tell her that she had her rent money and she would drop it off tonight.  She said she had gotten a job and was trying to get her life in order. 

Dianna had gone out with a former boyfriend, who kept trying to get her purse from her, according to friends. He was giving her a ride home that night and it is believed from all the bits and pieces gathered, that she jumped from his van while driving, to get away from him when a preacher hit her.  It was around 2:00 AM and he was tired, sleepy, and hit something in the road.  He went back to see what he had hit and realized it was a person!  Police and autopsy reports stated that it appeared she had jumped from a moving vehicle, was in a stooped position when she got hit – probably from having the wind knocked out of her from the fall. 

One final confirmation I felt I received from the Lord, was this dream: I dreamed that Dianna was sitting at the table with me, hair in these giant rollers, talking to me – smiling.  (Dianna always had these rollers in her hair!) I knew in this dream that she had come from Heaven and I wanted to know what it was like.  I asked her to tell me what Heaven was like, and she only smiled and said, “I can’t tell you Sharron, you will just have to wait and find out one day”.  I feel certain that my sister Dianna is in Heaven, along with several other family members, that very soon, will be part of the welcoming committee when we meet the Lord in the air, to ever be with Him in Heaven.  This will happen very soon – you do not have all the time in the world to make up your mind about Him as your life is like a vapor, here today and gone tomorrow.  Pray this prayer to guarantee you will be part of this group and your name written in the Lamb’s book of life:

Father, it is written in Your Word that if I confess with my mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in my heart that you have raised him from the dead, I shall be saved. Therefore, Father, I confess that Jesus is my Lord. I make him Lord of my life right now. I believe in my heart that you raised Jesus from the dead. I renounce my past life with Satan and close the door to any of his devices. I thank you for forgiving me of all my sin. Jesus is my Lord, and I am a new creation. Old things have passed away; all things become new and Jesus name. Amen

A final note:  Upon returning to Georgia, my sister Betty phoned to tell me that she had always believed in Jesus and said her prayers - her whole life, to Jesus but never had prayed to ask Him into her heart.  So she prayed and invited Him into her heart - she told me things changed when she did this.  It made a difference and had such an impact, that Betty is known for her boldness and will say that little prayer of invitation with anyone at any given opportunity!  She is tenderly referred to in our spiritual family as the Lord’s “Mid-Wife” or the one that delivers babies into the Kingdom.  There is no higher calling in the Body of Christ then this, as they have to be born again before they can be encouraged or taught and grow.  The Lord indeed worked it out – Dianna’s death, for the good!