Gratitude & Grief in Korea 

Yesterday as we explored around Seoul we met some incredible people. In the morning quit unexpectedly I was approached by a man named MARTIN, who saw that I was a stranger and welcomed me to join him at his table because he spoke fluent English. Later in the morning we were greeted by a man named Fred, so we were searching for a restaurant. He walked around Insadong with us until we found something that will be good, and asked the owner to prepare something for us.Perhaps most exciting for us, was getting to me Sergeant Mondell  of Yungsan Garrison. Catherinanne had reached out to her via telephone before we left for Korea. She was incredible and taking the time needed, to tour us around the base, and make sure Catherinanne saw the place of her birth and baptism. How incredibly kind for someone who has never met him, to connect us with our weekly, introduce us to so many chaplains, and other personnel on the base. Incredible. 

Leviticus 19: 34 reads…

The stranger who dwells among you shall be to you as one born among you, and you shall love him as yourself; for you were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God.

Thank you Nichole for taking time with me, and especially with Catherinanne yesterday. It was deeply meaningful for us. The people under your care are lucky to have you serve your God and Nation. To the Sirs and Ma’ams to whom this soldier answers – you have a tremendous asset and a kind Christian. 
Grateful are we as well to Col. Wheatly for being so generous with his time yesterday and offering us such a warm welcome, and a ‘welcome back’ to Catherinanne. 
Today we will spend some time getting to know Soeul, but also praying as the funeral visitation for little Eva Louise began a few hours ago and later today, early tomorrow in America, her funeral will take place. We are separated by many thousand miles but our hearts are with our family. It was so hard to leave knowing what would unfold over these next few days. We were witness to Jeremy and Elisabeth-Anne’s incredible care that they gave their precious angel. Emily and Christina you have been wonderful Sisters to Eva! She was blessed to have them as parents and they were indeed blessed to have Eva as a daughter. We love you all, and look forward to being able to offer you love and support upon our return. 

Please keep our family in prayer – May Eva rest in peace and Rise in Glory. 

Here are her funeral details

Obituary for Eva Louise Ikerd
Eva Louise Ikerd died peacefully at home in the arms of her loving parents, April 26, 2016 at 4:05pm. Eva was born September 11, 2015 at 11:43 pm at St. John Hospital in Detroit to parents, Elizabeth¬Anne (nee Foltz) and Jeremy Ikerd. She weighed 1 lb 8 oz and was approximately 13.5 inches long. 
Eva was Baptized into the Hands of God the morning of September 12, 2015. She was a Beautiful Child of God that everyone was so thankful for. 
Eva Louise was diagnosed with Wiedemann¬Rautenstrauch syndrome on Monday, September 14, 2015 with help from the Geneticist at St. John Hospital. Also with help from the Children’s Hospital in Detroit, Mayo Clinic, and Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. Wiedemann-Rautenstrach syndrome is a very rare genetic disorder. 
Despite Eva’s disorder, she was full of spirit and had the biggest personality. Everybody who knew Eva commented on her huge personality. She was very sassy and loved spending time in her bouncy chair. She loved to cuddle and really enjoyed listening to her parents and siblings read to her and to the Beginners Bible on Youtube.
From her conception until her death her parents have commended her into the hands of her heavenly Father. They now grieve with a sure and certain hope of eternal life and the resurrection of the body that comes through the death and resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. 
Eva is survived by her parents, Jeremy and Elizabeth¬Anne, sisters, Emily and Christina and grandparents, Denise and Richard and Clarence Michael, Jr. and Cecilia. She is also survived by her aunts and uncles, Jennifer (Marco), Jamie (Christen), Catherinanne (Kevin), Christine¬Marie (Shawn), Carole¬Michelle (Dave), Michael¬John (Patty), Mary¬Therese (Marc), and Dorothy¬Jeanne (Pete) and cousins, Nicole, Sarah, Cheyenne, Brooklyn, Henrik, Sarah, Julia, Dafydd, Owen, Malina, Davita, Evan, Mikaela, Austin, Audrey, Abbey, Tristan, Matteo, and Isabella. Eva is preceded in death by her cousin, Hanna. 
A Funeral Service for Eva will be held at Faith Lutheran Church, 37635 Dequindre Road, Troy, Saturday, April 30 th at 11am. Friends may visit at the church, Friday, April 29 th , 4-9pm and Saturday beginning at 10am. 
Memorials appreciated to Caring Bridge through their website at http://www.caringbridge.org or to Crossroads Pregnancy Center, 3205 South Boulevard, Auburn Hills, MI 48326.

UPDATE 

Technology can be such a blessing. We just took part in Eva Louise’s Funeral via Skype. Thank you to our niece Julie and her Mom Christine-Marie for making that possible. It was a great comfort to us both, especially to Catherinanne who so wishes she could be with her brother and sisters in support of Elizabeth-Anne and Jeremy, Emily and Christina. While it is already Sunday here, we have been blessed to go ‘back in time’ and pray with our family.