From Buckhorn to the World

 

Naomi, God’s Providence, and the Spirit of Buckhorn

Sometimes one prayer, one open door, and one faithful mentor can change the direction of an entire life.

Before I met Naomi, she was a young public health nurse working in the hilly countryside near Augusta, Wisconsin. One bitter winter day, with the temperature around twelve degrees below zero, she prayed:

“Please let this be my last winter in all this cold and snow.”

But Naomi was asking God for more than warmer weather. She wanted to serve somewhere with a greater need. And that was part of her prayer that day!

God answered her prayer—but probably not as Naomi expected.

He led her to Buckhorn, Kentucky, a small Appalachian community where medical care was limited and the needs were personal and immediate. God gave Naomi a warmer climate and a place where she could serve. He also gave her a calling, a sister in the Lord, and a mentor who would help shape the woman she was becoming.

This is not merely a story about Naomi. It is a story about how God uses prayers, places, people, and unexpected circumstances to shape Christ followers for His purposes.

Driving Her Jeep Up the Hollers

Naomi’s nursing frequently took her beyond the main roads and into the Appalachian “hollers”—the narrow valleys and isolated mountain communities where families could be difficult to reach.

With her Jeep and medical supplies, Naomi traveled rough, winding roads to make home visits. These were not convenient appointments in a modern medical office. Naomi went directly to where people lived.

She cared for mothers and babies, listened to families’ concerns, and brought medical assistance to people with limited access to healthcare. For some families, those visits were more than routine checkups. They were lifelines.

Naomi brought more than her professional training into those homes. She brought compassion, reassurance, dignity, and the quiet presence of someone who genuinely cared.

Her work required courage, flexibility, patience, and a willingness to go wherever she was needed.

Nursing in Buckhorn was not simply a job. It meant entering people’s lives, becoming part of a community, and serving families whom much of the world would never see.

You can read more about Naomi’s original prayer and journey in A Journey to Buckhorn: God’s Call for Naomi

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A Sister in the Lord

Naomi lived and worked with Lucille LeBeau, an experienced nurse-midwife who was approximately 15 years older.

Lucille was not merely Naomi’s coworker or housemate. She became a sister in the Lord, a trusted friend, and a wise mentor.

Lucille brought greater life and nursing experience, a deep faith in Jesus, and a heart for people who were often overlooked. Naomi and Lucille worked, prayed, ate, worshiped, laughed, and faced the challenges of rural service together.

Their relationship reminds me that some of God’s most important work happens during ordinary days and conversations.

Through Lucille’s example, God helped shape Naomi’s understanding of faith, compassion, service, and calling. I believe Lucille also helped cultivate something that people later recognized in Naomi—her peaceful and serene countenance.

Naomi possessed a quiet steadiness. She could enter a difficult situation without adding fear or confusion. Her presence often brought comfort and reassurance. That serenity came from her relationship with Jesus, but God also used the influence of an older and wiser sister in Christ to deepen it.

God did not send Naomi to Buckhorn only because the people there needed her. He also sent her because Naomi needed Lucille.

Naomi went there to serve, but she was also mentored.

She went to help shape other lives, but God was shaping hers.

You can read more about that relationship in Naomi and Lucille: A Shared Life in the Providence of God

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The Spirit of Buckhorn

Eventually, the rural clinic lost its funding. As all rural clinics did because of Government policies & hospitals wanting people to come to the hospitals. In hindsight, an act of God’s providence. Although Naomi had grown to love the people and the work, she reluctantly returned to Milwaukee.

But Naomi did not leave Buckhorn entirely behind.

She carried “The Spirit of Buckhorn” with her for the rest of her life.

For Naomi, that spirit meant going wherever people needed care—even when the road was difficult. It meant noticing people whom others might overlook, entering their lives with humility, and offering more than professional assistance.

It meant bringing compassion, reassurance, dignity, and the quiet presence of Christ.

The Spirit of Buckhorn had been formed through many experiences: Naomi’s prayer during that bitter Wisconsin winter, the families she visited up the hollers, the mothers and babies she cared for, and the daily example of Lucille.

Buckhorn helped teach Naomi that calling is not primarily about holding a position or receiving recognition. Calling means faithfully using what God has given us wherever He has placed us.

That spirit followed Naomi back to Wisconsin. It could be seen in her nursing, our family, her church ministries, the food pantry, our service as volunteer chaplains with The Salvation Army, The Red Cross, and the many years with The Northshore Health Dept. and the kindness she extended throughout her life.

Even during dialysis and her final journey toward heaven, Naomi retained that peaceful countenance. Her quiet trust in Jesus continued to reassure those around her.

Buckhorn was only one chapter of Naomi’s life, but its spirit became part of who she was.

She drove away from those Appalachian mountains, but the compassion, faith, courage, and serenity formed there traveled with her.

Seeing Providence While Looking Backward

At the time, Naomi could not have known where her prayer in Wisconsin—or her years in Buckhorn—would eventually lead.

God’s providence brought her back to Wisconsin. He brought Naomi and me together and gave us 45 years of marriage. He formed our family through adoption and continued using Naomi through nursing, motherhood, hospitality, church service, prayer, missions, and many quiet acts of kindness.

Providence is not always obvious while we are living through it. We frequently recognize it only when we look backward.

What appeared to be separate chapters—Wisconsin, Buckhorn, Lucille, nursing, marriage, motherhood, church ministry, chaplaincy, dialysis, and Naomi’s journey home—were all part of one story being written by God.

Those chapters were not all easy, and I may not completely understand every part of God’s plan. But faith tells me that God was not absent.

He was present in Wisconsin.

He was present in Buckhorn.

He was present when Naomi and Lucille were brought together.

He was present when the clinic closed and Naomi reluctantly returned to Milwaukee.

He was present when Naomi entered my life.

And He is present now as I grieve, remember, write, and continue discerning His calling for the years He gives me.

The Pictures and the Map

A large world map hangs on the wall of my home. Pins mark countries where I have at least one LinkedIn connection. Photographs of Naomi and our 45 years together once overlapped parts of that map. See picture on bottom of post.

I have come to understand what those pictures and pins represent.

The pictures say:

“This is the woman I loved and the life that shaped me.”

The map says:

“This is the world and the continuing mission God has placed before me.”

Naomi’s influence did not end when she went home to be with the Lord. What God developed in her continues through the people she served, the family she loved, the lives she touched, and the lessons her story can teach others.

Yet my purpose in writing is not merely to keep attention focused on Naomi—or on myself.

John the Baptist said of Jesus:

“He must become greater; I must become less.” —John 3:30

Naomi’s story matters because it points beyond Naomi. It shows what Jesus can do through an ordinary person who prays, walks through an open door, receives the influence of a faithful mentor, and serves where God has placed her.

The goal is not simply to admire Naomi’s life.

The deeper question is: What might Christ desire to do through yours?

What Is Your “Buckhorn”?

Most of us will never drive a Jeep up an Appalachian holler to visit a mother and her baby. But each of us has a place where God has planted us and people He has placed within our reach.

Your Buckhorn might be:

• Your home or neighborhood
• A workplace or retirement community
• A church, food pantry, school, or hospital
• A friend who needs someone to listen
• A younger person who needs encouragement and mentoring
• A ministry opportunity that seems small or inconvenient
• A difficult season through which Christ can shape your character

Calling is not reserved for pastors, missionaries, nurses, or people with public ministries. God uses ordinary Christ followers who make themselves available to Him.

That is what it means to live our faith where we are

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Questions for Your Journey

Take a few quiet moments to consider:

1. What prayer, decision, or unexpected circumstance significantly changed the direction of your life?
2. Who was a Lucille in your life—an older or wiser person whom God used to shape your faith and character?
3. Have you ever thanked that person or told someone else about the difference he or she made?
4. Where has God planted you right now?
5. Who is within your “three feet”—someone you can encourage, serve, welcome, or listen to today?
6. Are you waiting for a large and impressive calling while overlooking a need directly in front of you?
7. Is there a younger Christ follower whom you could begin mentoring?
8. What quality, lesson, or “spirit” from an earlier season is God asking you to carry into your life today?

Take One Faithful Step

Do not feel that you must discover God’s entire plan before you act.

Begin with one faithful step:

• Pray, “Lord, show me where You are working and how I can join You.”
• Thank someone who helped shape your life.
• Encourage a younger person.
• Make the visit or telephone call you have been postponing.
• Offer your experience, gifts, and time where there is a genuine need.
• Ask Jesus to help you become more than a person who merely identifies as Christian—ask Him to make you a faithful Christ follower.

Naomi’s prayer was answered in Buckhorn, but its influence did not remain there.

From Wisconsin to Buckhorn, from Buckhorn to our family, from our home to the church, and now through connections reaching people around the world, Naomi’s influence—and The Spirit of Buckhorn—continues.

That is providence.

That is mentoring.

That is calling.

And that is what God can do through one faithful life surrendered to Him.

Join the Conversation

What place, person, prayer, or defining moment has God used to shape your calling?

Please share your thoughts in the comments. Your story may be the encouragement someone else needs today.

If this article encouraged you, please consider sharing it with a friend, pastor, nurse, mentor, or someone who is asking, “Does God still have a purpose for my life?”

You may also enjoy reading God’s Calling and Your Legacy and Are You Blooming Where You Are Planted?.

A simple prayer

A legacy with worldwide implications!

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Helen Oppenheimer Weyland: A Journey of Providence

 

More than one hundred years ago, a young Jewish woman named Helen Oppenheimer left Germany and began her journey to America. As the family story has been told, she was traveling to meet and marry a Jewish attorney in New York. But somewhere on that journey, aboard a ship crossing the ocean, Helen met a young man named Ferdinand C. Weyland.

Was it chance? Coincidence? Fate? Or was it the mysterious providence of God?

Ferdinand, known as Ferd, was returning to America after studying in Germany. He was preparing for ministry and would later become a Lutheran pastor. Helen was seven years older than he was, and her life seemed to be moving in a very different direction. Yet their meeting changed everything. They married three years later, after Ferd’s ordination, and Helen became a pastor’s wife in northern Wisconsin.

Helen Oppenheimer Weyland was my wife Naomi’s grandmother.

That one providential meeting shaped generations. Helen and Ferd raised four children in a home that was not easy or comfortable by modern standards. Life in northern Wisconsin included hard work, limited conveniences, and the demands of ministry. Ferd traveled to encourage pastors and congregations, while Helen supported him, raised their children, and faithfully lived out her calling.

Their children carried that legacy forward. Two became pastors, one became a college music professor and author, and one daughter, Helen Weyland Koerwitz, became a teacher. She would become Naomi’s mother.

The more I have researched Helen’s story, the more questions I have. What was she thinking as she stepped onto that ship? What did she know of God’s hand upon her life? Did she understand that one decision, one meeting, one conversation, could alter the course of a family for generations?

We may never know all the details this side of Heaven. But I do believe God was present in them.

Proverbs 19:21 says, “Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the LORD’s purpose that prevails.” Helen may have had one plan when she began her journey, but God had another. His purposes were larger than she could see.

I am especially thankful for Helen because, through her life and faith, God shaped the family line that eventually led to Naomi. Naomi loved the Lord, cherished Scripture, and was proud of her Jewish roots. Her grandmother’s journey became part of Naomi’s story, and Naomi’s story became part of mine.

Looking back, I see more than family history. I see grace. I see providence. I see God working through decisions, relationships, waiting, uncertainty, and even unanswered questions.

Helen’s life reminds me that God often does His deepest work quietly. A ship crossing the ocean. A conversation on deck. A change in direction. A marriage. A family. A legacy of faith.

What looked like an ordinary journey became part of a much greater story.

Helen Oppenheimer Weyland: Personal Letter. What I am Thankful for.

As I write this letter, this Thanksgiving day, Nov. 24, 2022, I have a feeling that you are aware of what I am doing. Tracing our family heritage back to my wife’s Jewish roots…after all these years…43 years of marriage to my wife Naomi Koerwitz Dassow, one of your granddaughters, who is proud of her “Jewish Roots”.

We have heard about you, but do not know very much…other than you met your husband Ferdinand Weyland on a ship when you immigrated to America…going to meet your intended Jewish husband in New York. Must have been quite an experience meeting “Ferd” and the time you spent on the ship and getting to know him and eventually “converting” as Jewish people say of the experience. I hope and pray it was not just a new “religious” set of beliefs but a real personal connecting with God through his son, Jesus Christ, your long awaited Messiah. I am excited to getting to know you a little after all these years through my research and then actually getting to meet you face to face in Heaven! Because of you, I have a wife who also loves the LORD and is proud of her Jewish roots and knows more of the Old Testament than a lot of Jewish people we have known…

The Bible says , …that we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus who prays for us. As I mentioned earlier I have a feeling you know what I am doing…I know I am on unchartered water here in writing this, but I truly believe the Holy Spirit is guiding me. Getting excited as I have about 50 questions I would like to ask you, and hope to know a little about you before we actually meet, but don’t know if…this is really important.

We know your life was not always easy as a Jewish young lady coming to America, leaving your family, friends and Jewish religious beliefs, and marrying a Lutheran pastor, living in Northern Wisconsin and somewhere becoming a real believer in Jesus. We know your sister Emma also immigrated to America and became a believer in Jesus, as her tombstone says, “Asleep in Jesus”. I’m sure you had a good relationship with her and that she was a real help and inspiration to you…

You helped raise and should be- are proud of your 2 sons who became pastors and the other son who was a college music professor and a daughter who was a Christian school teacher, Helen Weyland who was Naomi’s mother.

Looking forward to that grand meeting in Heaven. Not only with you, but your daughter, Helen Weyland Koerwitz, my wife, Naomi’s mother, whom I also have never met but looking forward to!

See you soon!

Richard Dassow.

And so, this story is not only about genealogy. It is about gratitude. It is about seeing God’s hand in the lives of people who came before us. It is about realizing that one meeting, one journey, one act of faith, can ripple through generations.

Helen’s story is part of Naomi’s story. Naomi’s story is part of my story. And all of it belongs to God.

To God be the glory.

Naomi and Lucille: A Shared Life in the Providence of God

 

Seeing Providence Looking Back

Sometimes the providence of God is seen most clearly only when we look backward.

At the time, life may seem ordinary. A young nurse takes the next assignment. A door opens. A new place appears on the map. A friendship begins. A shared home, shared work, shared meals, shared prayers, shared burdens. Nothing may seem dramatic at first.

But years later, when we look back with the eyes of faith, we begin to see that God was there all along.

That is how I now think about Naomi and Lucille LeBeau. I always did, but now it becomes so clear.

Two Women Brought Together by God

Naomi Koerwitz, who later became Naomi Dassow, and Lucille LeBeau were brought together for a season in Buckhorn, Kentucky. They were both nurses. They both had a heart for people. They both found themselves serving in a rural Appalachian community where the needs were many and the work was personal.

But their story was more than a story about nursing.

It was a story about God’s sovereignty and providence.

I believe God mysteriously brought two different young Christian women together for that season. They came from different Christian backgrounds and different life experiences, but both had their faith in Jesus renewed early in life. They were Christian sisters in the Lord.

Long before either one of them was born, God knew their names. He knew their gifts. He knew the people they would serve. He knew the season when their lives would intersect.

Ephesians 2:10 says, “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”

That verse helps me understand Naomi and Lucille’s shared life. God had prepared good works for both of them. For a time, those good works were done together.

More Than Nurses

Naomi and Lucille lived and worked together in a way most of us can hardly imagine today. Their life was not divided neatly into work hours and personal hours. They were together in the work, together in the home, together in the community, and together in the daily demands of caring for people.

They served 24/7.

They entered homes. They listened to people. They cared for the sick. They traveled roads and hills and hollows. They brought medical skill, but also something more: the presence of Christ through compassion, patience, courage, and faithfulness.

Their nursing was real nursing. But it was also ministry.

That is what Christian community can become when faith moves from words into life. Naomi and Lucille were sisters in the Lord, and that sisterhood was not theoretical. It was lived out in shared work, shared trust, shared service, and shared dependence on God.

An Older Sister and Informal Mentor

Lucille was about fifteen years older than Naomi and had never married. That age difference mattered. I imagine Lucille was not only Naomi’s coworker, but also an informal mentor and older sister in the Lord.

She had more life experience, more nursing experience, and more experience serving in difficult places. Naomi was still young, still being shaped, still learning how her faith and her nursing could come together in a life of service. Lucille likely helped model that for her.

Their shared life was not only about medical work. It included ordinary days, Sunday worship, church services, recreation, conversations, meals, laughter, prayer, and the quiet companionship that forms people over time. Seeds were planted in Naomi during that season. Those seeds bore fruit later in her marriage, motherhood, nursing, church service, prayer ministry, and compassion for people in need.

That is one of the beautiful mysteries of God’s providence. One life touches another life, and the influence keeps moving outward. Lucille’s life touched Naomi’s life. Naomi’s life touched mine, our children, our church, and many others. The ripple effect continues, even now.

Taking More Than a Degree Into the World

I remember the thought shared by Lauri Thompson back at their college graduation. While parents were snapping pictures of their daughters receiving degrees, those young women were taking something more than a college degree out into the world.

That was true of Naomi.

It was also true of Lucille.

They carried knowledge, training, and professional skill. But they also carried faith, calling, compassion, and the love of Jesus. In Buckhorn, that love became visible. It went out into the community through their hands, their voices, their prayers, and their willingness to serve.

A Season, Then Separate Paths

The time Naomi and Lucille shared did not last forever. Seasons rarely do.

Ecclesiastes 3:1 says, “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens.”

There was a season when God joined their lives. Then there came a season when God led them in different directions. Not by their conscious choice, but by the changing healthcare system at the time. The mid 70’s. And that was the event that led Naomi back to Milwaukee where we met a short time later.

Lucille had a different path ahead. Naomi had a different path ahead. Their parting was not the end of the story. It was God continuing His story in each of them.

Lucille went on to serve in other places and in other ways. Naomi came back to Milwaukee. She became my wife, the mother of our children, and a woman of quiet but deep ministry. She served in nursing, in home care, in church life, in prayer, in hospitality, and in many hidden ways that may never be fully known this side of heaven.

But I believe something from Buckhorn stayed with her.

The courage. The compassion. The ability to enter hard places. The willingness to serve without needing attention. The deep sense that people mattered because they mattered to God.

Thanking God for Lucille

As I think about Naomi’s life now, I am thankful for Lucille.

Lucille was not just a coworker in Naomi’s early life. She was part of God’s shaping work in Naomi. She was a sister, a mentor, a companion in service, and a witness to the faithfulness of God.

I do not know all that Naomi learned from Lucille. I do not know all the conversations they had, all the prayers they prayed, or all the burdens they carried together. But I know this: their shared season mattered.

And because Naomi’s life blessed mine for 45 years, I feel gratitude for those who helped shape her before I ever knew her.

Lucille was one of those people.

The Mystery of God’s Plan

The older I get, the more I realize how much of life is mystery.

We make choices. We pray. We walk through open doors. We wonder what God is doing. Sometimes we only understand a little. Sometimes we do not understand at all.

But faith tells me this: God is not absent.

He was not absent in Buckhorn. He was not absent when Naomi and Lucille were brought together. He was not absent when their paths separated. He was not absent when Naomi later became my wife. And He is not absent now as I grieve, remember, write, and give thanks.

Proverbs 16:9 says, “In their hearts humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps.”

Naomi and Lucille may not have seen the full meaning of their shared season at the time. But God did.

And now, looking back, I can say thank You, Lord.

Thank You for Buckhorn.

Thank You for Lucille.

Thank You for Naomi.

Thank You for the mysterious providence that brought two Christian sisters together for a season of service, and then sent each one forward into the good works You had prepared for them.

A Prayer

Lord, thank You for the quiet beauty of Your providence.
Thank You for bringing Naomi and Lucille together in Your time and for Your purposes.
Thank You for their faith in Jesus and for the sisterhood they shared in You.
Thank You for the people they served, the lives they touched, and the love they carried.
Help me to see Naomi’s story with gratitude, not only sorrow.
Help me to trust that every season of life is held in Your hands.
Continue to use Naomi’s legacy and Lucille’s faithfulness for Your glory.
Amen.

 

 

Naomi is on the left .  Lucille is on the right

 

A Journey to Buckhorn: Naomi, Prayer, and Providence

 

Sometimes the providence of God can be seen only when we look backward.

At the time, life may feel ordinary. A winter morning. A car buried in snow. A young nurse pulling on boots and facing another bitter day in northern Wisconsin. A quiet prayer half spoken and half sighed. But years later, we begin to see that God was working through all of it—the weather, the longing, the people, the memories, the restlessness, and even the questions.

That is how I think about Naomi’s journey to Buckhorn.

I recently found a few pages of Naomi’s writings from nearly fifty years ago. In those writings she used the name “Ann.” I do not know all the reasons why, but I can almost see her there in that story—young, thoughtful, practical, and quietly listening for the next step God had for her.

“Please let this be my last winter in all this cold and snow,” Ann half prayed and half sighed as she pulled up her hood, shoved on her high boots, and pushed open the door to check how much digging would be needed to get her car cleared off after last night’s fresh snowfall of eight more inches.

She stepped outside and took in short, gasping breaths of crisp, bitterly cold air. The sky above was brilliantly blue. The snow clung to the trees. The ground was covered with a shimmering, clean blanket of white. It was beautiful. But it was cold. Another twelve-below-zero day, the weatherman had said.

Naomi liked the farming country of northern Wisconsin. She liked the people. They appreciated her nursing skills, and that meant something to her. She had a nurse’s heart long before I knew her. She was not simply doing a job. She cared about people. She cared about their needs, their hurts, their families, and their dignity.

But something in her began to stir.

She wrote, “If I like this type of nursing so well, why not move to an even remoter area where there is a greater need for nurses?”

That thought may have seemed simple. But I believe it was one of those defining moments in her life. Not dramatic. Not announced with trumpets. Not debated in some great theological way. Just a thought, a question, a prompting.

Why not go where the need is greater?

When I think about Naomi now, I do not believe she spent months agonizing over whether she should serve. It seemed like the natural thing to do. It was the thing God called her to do. A real calling. She had the training. She had the compassion. She had the courage. And she had the willingness to go.

That willingness did not come out of nowhere.

Naomi had a Christian background that shaped her deeply. Her roots mattered. Her family mattered. Her childhood mattered. The people God placed around her mattered. One of those people was Gretch, Naomi’s older sister, who was eleven years older than Naomi.

When Naomi was about eleven years old, Gretch took her on a road trip to California to visit distant relatives. I do not remember all the details, and I may still find documents someday that fill in more of the story. But I do remember Naomi telling me about that trip several times. It must have opened her eyes to a wider world beyond her immediate surroundings.

Gretch also worked as a nurse at Children’s Hospital. Naomi was around Gretch’s life and heard the stories she brought home. Stories of children. Stories of families. Stories of suffering and care. Stories of what a nurse could mean in the life of another human being.

I cannot prove exactly when Naomi first thought, “I want to be a nurse.” But I believe those years with Gretch were part of God’s providence. A big sister. A road trip. Stories from a hospital. A young girl watching, listening, absorbing, and perhaps beginning to sense that God had a path for her too.

When we talk about calling, we often want it to sound spectacular. We want a voice from heaven or a detailed map of the future. But much of God’s guidance is quieter than that. He uses memories. He uses people. He uses needs. He uses circumstances. He uses the examples of those who go before us.

That is what I see in Naomi’s life.

Her decision to become a nurse was not just a career choice. It was connected to her heart. It was connected to her faith. It was connected to the kind of person God was forming her to be. And later, when she began to wonder about serving in an even more remote place, that too was connected to the providence of God.

The cold Wisconsin winter may have been part of it too. Naomi could see beauty in the snow-covered trees, but she also felt the burden of another long winter. “Please let this be my last winter in all this cold and snow.” That prayer may have sounded like a complaint. But maybe God was using even that longing to move her toward the next chapter.

Sometimes God uses discomfort to loosen our grip on where we are.

Not all discomfort is bad. Sometimes it is a holy restlessness. Sometimes it is the first movement of providence. We become less settled in one place because God is preparing us for another. We begin to ask new questions because He is opening a new door.

For Naomi, that door eventually led to Buckhorn, Kentucky.

Buckhorn was not glamorous. It was not easy. It was not the kind of place someone chose for comfort, convenience, or recognition. It was a place of need. A place where a nurse could matter. A place where the roads and hollers and mountain communities required more than technical skill. They required courage, compassion, patience, and love.

Naomi had those qualities.

This was before I knew her. This was before we were married. I only came to know her later, when she reluctantly returned to Milwaukee. But looking back now, I can see how God was writing her story long before I entered it.

That is another part of providence. God is always at work before we arrive.

Naomi’s journey to Buckhorn was not isolated from the rest of her life. It was connected to everything before it and everything after it. Her childhood. Her Christian roots. Gretch’s influence. The nursing stories from Children’s Hospital. The farming communities of northern Wisconsin. The cold winter prayer. The thought about going where nurses were needed more. The willingness to serve in a remote place.

One defining moment led to another.

I believe that is how God often works in our lives. We may not see the whole pattern while we are living it. We only see a step. A conversation. A memory. A need. A burden. A door. But later, when we look back, we begin to see the thread of God’s faithfulness.

Naomi and I were very different in some ways. I did not have the same Christian background as a child that she had. Not like Naomi’s. That is part of another story—how we met, how God brought us together, and how His providence shaped our marriage. But in many ways, we thought so much alike. We both came to believe deeply that God guides, provides, calls, and uses ordinary people for His purposes.

Naomi’s journey to Buckhorn reminds me that calling is not always complicated. Sometimes it is simply seeing a need and saying yes. Sometimes it is using the skills God has given us where those skills are most needed. Sometimes it is taking the next faithful step without knowing the whole road ahead.

Naomi did not go to Buckhorn to become famous. She went because people needed care. She went because nursing was more than a profession to her. She went because God had shaped her heart to serve.

And perhaps it all began, or at least became clearer, on a freezing northern Wisconsin morning when a young nurse stood in the snow and prayed, “Please let this be my last winter in all this cold and snow.”

God heard more in that prayer than she may have realized.

He heard the weariness. He heard the longing. He heard the willingness. He heard the heart of a nurse who was ready for a new assignment.

And in His time, by His providence, He led her to Buckhorn.

When I look back over Naomi’s life, I see more than memories. I see a trail of grace. I see the hand of God. I see how He used family, faith, work, weather, longing, and love to guide her steps.

That gives me hope for my own journey too.

Even now, after Naomi has gone to be with the Lord, I am still learning from her life. I am learning that God wastes nothing. I am learning that the small moments matter. I am learning that a simple prayer in the snow may become the beginning of a whole new chapter.

And I am learning again that providence is not just a doctrine to believe.

It is a story to remember.

It is Naomi’s story.

And it is ours too.

Naomi Dassow; A few pictures of ministry

 

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Naomi crossing the Kentucky River delivering supplies to patients in Buckhorn, Ky. 

More on Naomi and Dick

Naomi Koerwitz Dassow’s Journey of Faith and Service

 

Remembering Naomi Dassow and her life of faithful service

A brief reflection of Naomi and her early life

Naomi Koerwitz Dassow. A Journey of Faith and Dedication.

During the early to mid 70’s Naomi worked in Buckhorn, and Hazard Kentucky, a region known for its rugged terrain and underserved population. She joined forces with Lucile LeBeau at a rural health clinic. Armed with her jeep, s he navigated the hollers, or narrow valleys, to make mother-daughter visits. These visits were more than just routine check-ups; they were lifelines for many families who had limited access to medical care. Naomi’s dedication during these years was driven by her Christian faith and values, which propelled her to serve in such a challenging environment. Her work in Buckhorn laid a strong foundation for her future endeavors in Public Health or community healthcare. As a result, Naomi Koerwtiz Dassow made a lasting positive impact in Buckhorn, Hazard and Milwaukee.

Seeds were planted.

Naomi was encouraged by Urbana and The Frontier Nursing Service in Kentucky, but it apparently wasn’t in the Lord’s will for her to pursue midwifery with The Frontier Nursing Service. From 1975 to 1977, Naomi Koerwitz RN worked in Buckhorn with Lucille LeBeau at a small rural health clinic . Lucille LeBeau, was a midwife.   Armed with her jeep Naomi navigated the hollers, to make mother/baby visits. These visits were more than just routine check-ups; they were lifelines for many families who had limited access to medical care. Naomi’s dedication during these years was driven by her Christian faith and values, which propelled her to serve in such a challenging environment. Her work in Buckhorn laid a strong foundation for her future endeavors in public health.

Naomi’s time in Buckhorn was marked by numerous heartwarming and challenging experiences. She often recounted the stories of families who had never seen a healthcare provider before her visits. Her presence brought not only medical care but also hope and reassurance to the community.

The clinic ran out of funding and Naomi was forced to make a difficult decision and despite her deep love for the community she had come to serve, she reluctantly returned to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where she soon met and married Richard. All part of God’s providence. She knew that her journey in healthcare was far from over. The skills and experiences she gained in Buckhorn would continue to guide her in her future roles.

Multiplying the seeds Naomi planted…

Naomi planted countless “seeds” during her short time in Buckhorn. The impact of her work may not have been visible to her, but those seeds sprouted and grew, creating a lasting legacy. She provided essential healthcare, emotional support, and spiritual guidance, touching the lives of many families. I remember what her highschool and college friend Lauri wrote about their graduation: “In June of 1971 on our sunny windy graduation day, we stood together joyously on the campus lawn. As our parents snapped pictures of us, we both knew we were taking something “out into the world” with us that was far better than an education!“ Furthermore, Naomi Koerwtiz Dassow continuously inspired others throughout her career. Naomi may never have seen the full harvest of the seeds she planted, but I believe heaven has kept a perfect record.

Spirit of Buckhorn

Back in Milwaukee, Naomi’s reputation as a compassionate and dedicated healthcare provider preceded her. She quickly found opportunities to continue her work, always carrying the spirit of Buckhorn with her.

Naomi with baby from our mission trip to Oaxaca

Behind the Scenes: Interview of Salvation Army Volunteer Chaplain Naomi

Richard & Naomi Dassow: “It was a great experience to be serving as chaplains in a diverse multi ethnic Christian group: Now 50 plus brothers and sisters representing over 44 different churches and 19 or more denominations. A diverse group, culturally, socially, economically and geographically…just like Heaven will be like and we can experience a little of it right here in Milwaukee! What an opportunity to serve, using our spiritual gifts, strengths, abilities, passion and are we are still learning.”

Our experience serving from 2015-2021. I hesitated to write this article because…”Jesus must become more important, while I become less important.” Contemporary English Version. An article from The WarCry magazine.

https://centralusa.salvationarmy.org/wum/news/behind-the-shield-richard-and-naomi-dassow-the-salvation-army-of-milwaukee-co-chaplains

Sorry: Looks like The Salvation Army removed the link!

Naomi Dassow Service Award. 2015-2021

Stone panted by Dorie Bahr for our wedding.

Are you wondering what God still has for you in this season of life?

 

At Faith Vision Service, I write about faith, vision, calling, grief, service, and finishing well. My hope is to encourage others—especially those navigating change, loss, retirement, aging, or new purpose—to see that God is not finished with them.

Life may change, but our calling to love, serve, grow, and trust God continues.

Visit my blog for reflections, Scripture, personal stories, and encouragement for the journey:

Faithvisionservice site 

Psalm 90:12 says: “Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.”

This is not a depressing verse. It is a wisdom verse. It says: Lord, help me see that my days are limited, precious, and purposeful. Help me not waste them. Help me live with eternity in view.

Ecclesiastes 3:1 says: “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens.”

This verse reminds me that life comes in seasons. Some seasons are for building, some for grieving, some for letting go, some for beginning again.I am not the same man I was before Naomi went to be with the Lord. But I am still God’s man. My life is not over. My calling is being reshaped.

Together, these verses speak directly to my season now:

I am grieving Naomi. I am asking, “Who am I now?”I am wondering where God is leading me with my time, money, friendships, gifts, blog, ministry, travel, and connections. Psalm 90:12 says, “Be wise with the days you have.” Ecclesiastes 3:1 says, “Do not be afraid that this season is different. God works through seasons.”

This is a season of renewal after loss. Not replacing Naomi. Not forgetting her. Not rushing past grief. But letting God take what He built in you through 45 years with Naomi and use it now in a new way.

My belief system already fits these verses deeply:

I believe God is sovereign. I believe my funds, time, and gifts belong to Him.I believe Naomi was a gift from God. I believe the Holy Spirit still leads. I believe there is eternal purpose beyond what I can see. I believe God can use ordinary faithfulness.

So the question may not be, “What big thing must I do now?” It may be: “Lord, teach me to number this day. Show me the next faithful step.”

A simple prayer could be:

Lord, teach me to number my days with wisdom. Help me accept this season without fear. Thank You for Naomi and the life we shared. Show me who I am now in You. Guide my time, friendships, giving, and service. Do not let grief close my heart. Renew my purpose for the days ahead. Lead me one step at a time. Amen

 

 

 

Facing a New Year Dealing With Grief?

 

Aging With Purpose

Grief. Facing a new year as the year draws to a close, we all have unique experiences to reflect on…the tiny steps of faith or maybe even some dramatic leaps of faith and adventure!

Some of us have experienced some type of grief in our lives this past year. I have. Loss of a loved one, whether a spouse, parent, friend or…..and we ask, “Where do I go from here?”

Sooner or later each of use will experience grief. It is different for each of us.

If you know of someone going through the loss of a loved one, you may want to forward this post on to them.

A good support group is Griefshare

You can register for a daily email encouraging you in your journey of grief. Easy to unsubscribe.

Why Churches support GriefShare,

 

 

A good selection of resources: Books; Through a Season Of Grief. And Grieving With Hope.

Another good book: Getting to the Other Side of Grief: Overcoming the Loss of a Spouse.

“We’re going to have tough days, but that’s al right because the big day is yet to come”. Joseph Stowell

“Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to…grieve like the rest of mankind,, who have no hope” l1 Thessalonians 4:13

You can have peace and joy amid your suffering and sorrow. You might be asking how is this possible in a world filled with pain and suffering?

“It’s important that you find the right answers to that question. If you don’t, you’ll become cynical about what God has to say, distancing yourself from him and his people. After that, you’re likely to join the conspiracy of busyness, engaging in new relationships, hobbies, and so on to distract yourself from hurt and inevitable death.” “Finally,, the last thing you want to do is try to survive this scary, temporary world without god’s help.” Grieving With Hope. Samuel J. Hodges and Kathy Leonard.

A good support group is Griefshare

At GriefShare you’ll receive valuable guidance and tips, leading you to relief, comfort, and peace of mind.

My journey has just started. 

  

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.

 In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.

Proverbs 3:5-6 English Standard Version (ESV)

The Best is Yet to Come!

“Are the best days of your life in front of you? Our outlook on life-and our answer to that question-can change with time. When we’re younger, we look ahead. Once we’ve grown older, we yearn for the past. But when we walk with God, whatever our age, the best is yet to come!

From Stand Strong. 365 Devotions For Men By Men. Our Daily Bread. January 3rd. James Banks

 

 

A good resource on Grief by Randy Alcorn.

Naom's Peaceful Transition to Heaven

 

Naomi’s Peaceful Transition

When my beloved wife Naomi took her final breath on earth, I found myself enveloped by a profound sense of peace that surpassed understanding. While the pain of loss lingered, my heart was assured that Naomi’s journey was not over but simply transformed. My faith tells me that Naomi’s spirit was welcomed into heaven—her true home—where love, joy, and eternal connection await.

Naomi’s First Experience: Face to Face with Jesus Christ after being escorted into His presence by angels. I can only imagine what that was like. Her love of Jesus and her life lived for His glory, and then finally seeing Him face to face.

Naomi’s First Experience in Eternity

I can only imagine the awe and peace that must have flooded Naomi’s soul as she took her first steps into the realm where faith becomes sight. After her final breath Naomi was gently escorted by angels into the very presence of Jesus Christ. It is a moment beyond the grasp of earthly words: the Savior she loved so deeply, whose life and teachings shaped her every day, now standing before her, face to face.

Years of devotion, worship, and longing culminated in this sacred encounter. Naomi’s heart, which had always beat with love for her Lord, must have overflowed as she gazed into the eyes of the One who gave His life for her. The joy of meeting Jesus, unfiltered and unmediated, is the fulfillment of every hope, every prayer, every act of trust she ever offered.

A Family Reunion Like No Other

But the wonders of heaven did not end there. Soon, Naomi was reunited with her beloved mom and dad, her sister, and her brother and my mother—the family who had gone before her. And her Jewish grandmother who also came to believe in Jesus. Naomi was born after her grandmother died…but that reunion must have been something!  The embrace of loved ones long missed, the laughter and the tears of reunion, filled this new beginning with profound comfort and joy. Their bonds, never broken by time or distance, were now restored in a place where sorrow and separation are no more.

And then, I can only imagine, but speculate…that all the patients that Naomi visited during her brief time in Buckhorn Kentucky as a rural health nurse, driving her jeep up the hollers visiting people she had never seen before. Greeting her. What a reunion!

Fellowship with the Saints

And so began Naomi’s eternal fellowship—not just with her own family, but with countless others she had only known from the pages of her Bible. She met the heroes of the faith, the witnesses who inspired her journey: Abraham, Moses, Mary, Peter, and so many more. Together, they worshiped the Lamb, sharing stories of grace, redemption, and God’s unending love.

In heaven, Naomi’s journey continues—her worship deeper, her joy complete, her love fulfilled. Surrounded by the great cloud of witnesses, she sings, rejoices, and lives forever in the presence of the King she so cherished on earth. And she awaits her bodily physical resurrection on the new earth.

What a reunion. What glory. What hope for all who share Naomi’s faith and await the day when they, too, will see Jesus face to face. And I, Richard, have to remember that I will see Naomi again soon, our time apart is just a short temporary separation.

If You Have Lost a Spouse: What Can You Rely On in Grief?

 

Temporary separation till we meet again in Heaven

If you have lost a spouse through death, you know grief changes everything. And if you have not yet experienced that loss, most of us will one day face it with someone we love. In those moments, what can we truly rely on for hope? What does Scripture say about heaven, eternity, and those who have gone before us?

These reflections are written from a Christian perspective—centered on those who follow Jesus Christ and understand salvation not as something earned by good works, but received as a free gift of grace through faith in Him. That distinction matters, because many people assume they are “Christian” by moral effort or tradition without ever engaging the deeper question Scripture raises: what does it mean to truly belong to Christ?

When grief becomes personal, questions about heaven are no longer abstract. They are not merely theological ideas to discuss, but deeply human longings that arise in the quiet moments after loss. Because of that, it matters where we go for answers. Our emotions are real, but not always reliable guides. Memories are precious, but they cannot reveal eternity. So we turn to something steadier—Scripture.

People don’t always believe in scripture. And we can put our own interpretation on scripture. We have to remember, we are not God.

Everything depends on the Resurrection of Jesus. Once we believe that, then the Holy Spirit gives us enlightenment and joy, peace and contentment. But that is for another article!

Questions we can ask when we face grief

Does the Bible say people in heaven can see us

Can people in heaven pray for us

What happens after death

What is the Christian view of heaven

Is there hope after death

Do loved ones in heaven know what happens on earth

The grand reunion

Biblical hope in grief

What does the Bible say about heaven

Christian grief comfort

Eternal life in Christ

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What Does Scripture Actually Say?

The Bible does not answer every question we might have about heaven in detail. It does not fully describe everything those who have died in Christ experience or know regarding life on earth. But it does give us clear and steady truths: those who belong to Jesus are alive with Him, death is not the end of personal existence, and nothing—not even death—can separate God’s people from His love.

As the apostle Paul writes in the book of Epistle to the Romans: 8:38-39

“Neither death nor life… will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

That does not answer every curiosity about heaven, but it establishes something unshakable: those who are in Christ are secure in Him—both now and forever.

It is also important to understand what Scripture means when it speaks of belonging to Christ. It does not define this identity as something earned through moral effort, religious tradition, or good works. Instead, it describes receiving God’s grace through faith in Jesus. This matters, because many people assume Christianity is primarily about trying to live a good life. But at its core, the Christian message is not human achievement—it is divine gift.

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What Christians Have Thought About Heaven and Awareness

Christians who take Scripture seriously have not all come to identical conclusions about what those in heaven know or experience regarding life on earth. While there is strong agreement on the core truths—that believers are alive with Christ and secure in Him—there is more diversity when it comes to questions Scripture does not explicitly answer.

Some, such as pastor and author Erwin W. Lutzer in One Minute After You Die, emphasize careful restraint. He focuses on what Scripture clearly teaches and avoids going beyond it. From this perspective, questions about awareness of earthly events or involvement in them are left open.

Others, such as Randy Alcorn in Heaven, explore those questions more fully. He carefully distinguishes between what Scripture explicitly states and what it may suggest. He points to passages such as Revelation’s descriptions of heavenly awareness as possible indications that those in heaven may have some knowledge of earthly events and may bring concerns before God, while still avoiding absolute certainty.

Still others, like Jennifer Rothschild in When Faith Becomes Sight, emphasize trust over speculation. Her focus is not on answering every detail about heaven, but on resting in the character of God when we cannot yet see clearly. Faith, in her writing, matters more than full understanding.

And finally, authors like John Burke in Imagine Heaven include near-death experience accounts as additional reflections on what heaven may be like. These stories often describe peace, awareness, and relational connection. While not a replacement for Scripture, they are presented as possible supportive testimony that aligns with biblical themes of life beyond death.

Taken together, these perspectives form not a single answer, but a spectrum of Christian reflection—ranging from strict caution, to theological exploration, to pastoral trust, to experiential testimony.

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So What Can We Hold Onto With Confidence?

After considering Scripture and these reflections, we are still left with unanswered questions. The Bible does not give a detailed description of everything those in heaven may know or do regarding life on earth. But it does give something far more important than complete information—it gives certainty about God Himself.

Those who die in Christ are not lost, forgotten, or disconnected from Him. They are alive in His presence, held securely in His love, and fully known by Him.

That means the deepest comfort for grieving hearts is not found in the details of what heaven is like, but in the character of the One who holds both heaven and earth. Nothing can separate those in Christ from His love—not even death itself.

So can those in heaven pray for us, or be aware of us, or continue to care for us? Scripture does not give a direct, definitive answer to every aspect of that question. It does, however, give glimpses of a living, conscious, worshiping heaven, where God’s people are present with Him and aligned with His purposes. Because of that, some Christian thinkers see room for continued awareness and concern, while others prefer to remain silent where Scripture is silent.

In the end, Christian hope is not built on certainty about heavenly mechanics, but on certainty about Christ. If we belong to Him, then those we have lost in Him are not beyond His care—and neither are we.

And for those walking through grief, perhaps the most important truth is this: even when we cannot fully see what heaven is like, we can trust the One who is already there.

You may have questions of your own not answered here…

After considering Scripture and the different ways Christians have reflected on heaven, we are still left with some unanswered questions. The Bible does not give us a detailed description of everything those in heaven may know or do regarding life on earth. But it does give us something far more important than complete information—it gives us certainty about God Himself. Those who die in Christ are not lost, forgotten, or disconnected from Him. They are alive in His presence, held securely in His love, and fully known by Him.

My conclusion reflects on the peaceful passing of Naomi, expressing my deep faith and sense of comfort in her transition to heaven. It highlights themes of hope, reunion, and assurance that Naomi’s spirit now resides in a place of eternal love and joy, with the promise of meeting Jesus Christ face to face.

Naomi’s Peaceful Transition

When my beloved wife Naomi took her final breath on earth, I found myself enveloped by a profound sense of peace that surpassed understanding. While the pain of loss lingered, my heart was assured that Naomi’s journey was not over but simply transformed. My faith tells me that Naomi’s spirit was welcomed into heaven—her true home—where love, joy, and eternal connection await.

Naomi’s First Experience: Face to Face with Jesus Christ after being escorted into His presence by angels. I can only imagine what that was like. Her love of Jesus and her life lived for His glory, and then finally seeing Him face to face.

Naomi’s First Experience in Eternity

I can only imagine the awe and peace that must have flooded Naomi’s soul as she took her first steps into the realm where faith becomes sight. After her final breath Naomi was gently escorted by angels into the very presence of Jesus Christ. It is a moment beyond the grasp of earthly words: the Savior she loved so deeply, whose life and teachings shaped her every day, now standing before her, face to face.

Years of devotion, worship, and longing culminated in this sacred encounter. Naomi’s heart, which had always beat with love for her Lord, must have overflowed as she gazed into the eyes of the One who gave His life for her. The joy of meeting Jesus, unfiltered and unmediated, is the fulfillment of every hope, every prayer, every act of trust she ever offered.

A Family Reunion Like No Other

But the wonders of heaven did not end there. Soon, Naomi was reunited with her beloved mom and dad, her sister, and her brother and my mother—the family who had gone before her. And her Jewish grandmother who also came to believe in Jesus. Naomi was born after her grandmother died…but that reunion must have been something!  The embrace of loved ones long missed, the laughter and the tears of reunion, filled this new beginning with profound comfort and joy. Their bonds, never broken by time or distance, were now restored in a place where sorrow and separation are no more.

And then, I can only imagine, but speculate…that all the patients that Naomi visited during her brief time in Buckhorn Kentucky as a rural health nurse, driving her jeep up the hollers visiting people she had never seen before. Greeting her. What a reunion!

Fellowship with the Saints

And so began Naomi’s eternal fellowship—not just with her own family, but with countless others she had only known from the pages of her Bible. She met the heroes of the faith, the witnesses who inspired her journey: Abraham, Moses, Mary, Peter, and so many more. Together, they worshiped the Lamb, sharing stories of grace, redemption, and God’s unending love.

In heaven, Naomi’s journey continues—her worship deeper, her joy complete, her love fulfilled. Surrounded by the great cloud of witnesses, she sings, rejoices, and lives forever in the presence of the King she so cherished on earth. And she awaits her bodily physical resurrection on the new earth.

What a reunion. What glory. What hope for all who share Naomi’s faith and await the day when they, too, will see Jesus face to face. And I, Richard, have to remember that I will see Naomi again soon, our time apart is just a short temporary separation.