Today marks two year since you left this world, madam Swink and not a day goes by that I don’t think of you. I miss you deeply.

You fought pancreatic cancer with a strength and grace that inspired everyone around you. Even in the middle of your own pain, you continued to care for others, always putting people first—just as you always did. That was who you were: selfless, loving, and full of faith.

Now that I find myself walking a similar path, I think of you often. Some days it fills me with sadness because I miss you so much, but other days it fills me with courage. I feel your presence beside me, reminding me to keep going, reminding me to trust in God the way you always did.

Your life reflected the words of Scripture: *“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.”* (2 Timothy 4:7). You truly did, madam Swink!

I hold on to God’s promise that *“He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain.”* (Revelation 21:4). I know you are now resting in that peace.

Thank you for the love you gave so freely, for the example you set, and for the strength you continue to inspire in me. Until we meet again, my dear friend. You are forever in my heart.

“Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me.” (Psalm 23:4)

I miss you today and always.

One year has passed, but time cannot erase the memory of your smile, your loving grace.  Though grief may linger, a tender, soft pain, your spirit lives on, a bright, shinning rain. We'll hold you close in our hearts, forever near, and whisper your name with a loving tear.

I miss you more than words can ever say, I love you, beautiful warrior 💔

John 14:2

When I was a teenager, someone gave me an “Ideals” book about friendship. This poem below fits Amy to a T:

“That’s a Friend” 

One whose grip is a little tighter, One whose smile is a little brighter, One whose deeds are a little whiter, That’s what I call a friend.

One who’ll lend as quick as he’ll borrow, One who’s the same today as tomorrow, One who’ll share your joy and sorrow, That’s what I call a friend.

One whose thoughts are a little cleaner, One whose mind is a little keener, One who avoids those things that are meaner, That’s what I call a friend.

One, when you’re gone, who’ll miss you sadly, One who’ll welcome you back again gladly, One who, though angered, will not speak madly, That’s what I call a friend.

One who is always willing to aid you, One whose advice has always paid you, One who’s defended when others flayed you, That’s what I call a friend.

One who’s been fine when life seemed rotten, One whose ideals you have not forgotten, One who has given you more than he’s gotten, That’s what I call a friend.

By John Burroughs

It's your birthday today my sweet friend! Happy 68th birthday! My heart is full and yet all I feel is emptiness.  I don't have a story per se but I have many memories of you. A friend who was trying to console me this morning wrote this to me when I told her that I didn't know how to move forward without you .

"You can Jackie

She helped you to get on your feet and showed you how to rely on God's strength. Missing and grieving for her is natural but so is living stronger now because of her impact on your life."

She's so right! You was ever present during my hardest times, when I migrated to America. I was living in the street with Greg and you took me under your wings  and always made me feel safe and loved.

You got me my first car, paid for a place for us to live for a year, bought us groceries every week, and when I was sick with COVID-19, you would drop groceries and cooked meals by my door. Your family and the George's were always there for us, so you became a pillar in my life. A true matriarch!!!

Some people comes to my life for a season but you never left! You never missed a birthday, a Christmas, a Mother's Day, a Thanksgiving. I kept all your postcards and little notes! 

I miss your messages in the morning asking me how you and Mr. Swink could pray for me. You would call me out of the blue because  "I was on your mind" just to check on me when I was going through something.  Not sure how you knew but you always felt my pain. How can I move forward from this? You are a testament to courage, passion and an unbreakable spirit. 

Your bravery, your bold stance against the adversities of life, and your drive to push beyond the limits will forever inspire me.

I know you can't read this but I needed to get it out of my chest.  Until we meet again, know that you are missed, loved, and forever remembered. Your legacy lives on, not just in the paths you’ve walked, but in the lives you’ve impacted.

 I love you, my sweet warrior! ❤️

Randy, I just returned from a month long trip to Utah and heard about Amy. She put up a valiant fight and her unwavering faith in Our Lord Jesus in the midst of her suffering was an inspiration to me and a powerful witness to those around her. I know she is in His Glorious Presence full of joy and praising  Him-face to face!

I deeply regret that I was not in town for her memorial service. I will always remember her and our connection through BSF. And I will continue to pray for you and your family as you grieve her loss. May God’s Grace fill you all with His comfort and peace. 

It seems appropriate to post remembrances of Amy Swink today as she is worshipping Jesus, her beloved Savior and LORD, for the first Resurrection Sunday face to face.

Amy was an amazing woman. She was quiet, but when she spoke you knew what she said was genuine and that she cared about you and what was going on in your life. She had such a beautiful smile that communicated a joyful heart and the love of God.

She loved God’s word and feasted on it daily. I enjoyed when she read scriptures from her Amplified Bible. As the words expanded each thought in the passage you could see Amy eagerly taking in the truth that was foundational in her life.

Amy was an incredibly devoted woman of faith. She loved Jesus and served Him with her whole heart. It was an inspiration and privilege to be her neighbor and friend. A fearless prayer warrior, I am confident that she prayed for every person reading this, and it was her delight to bring others before the throne of God. Amy would continually be asking people how she could pray for them; and when Amy said she would pray you could count on it.

Amy also had a servant’s heart, she really enjoyed delivering groceries with Manna Ministries. It gave her the opportunity to not only meet the physical needs of families, but to pray with them as well, providing nourishment for body, soul, and spirit.

Another great love of Amy’s was introducing people to Jesus, sharing the good news that what we all long for in life is the Person of Jesus Christ who is the only One who can give our lives true meaning and joy. Her life was so transformed by Jesus and He gave her such peace and purpose that she knew He was the greatest treasure anyone can have, and she wanted to share Him with everyone she could. She is now rejoicing in the presence of her Savior that she loved so much, and she wants her Savior to be known to all.

Watching Amy’s courageous transition from this life of pain to the immeasurable joy of God’s eternal presence can only be explained by her unshakeable faith in our heavenly Father. Her example gives me growing confidence in Jesus’ promise that after His Resurrection, He was going to prepare a place for those who believe on Him and told His disciples, “I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.”  Now she is in His presence forever more!

Randy, Elizabth and I (and many others) are praying for you and your family as you grieve the loss of Amy here on this earth; but we also rejoice with you in the hope that Amy so beautifully demonstrated and is now experiencing, the faithfulness of our God and King whose Resurrection to New Life for all who are “in Christ” we celebrate today!

God bless you,

Dillard

Amy

I met Amy, my dear friend and partner in ministry, 29 years ago at Tabernacle Church of Norfolk.  Though out those years we worked together writing Bible studies and prayer journals, teaching and discipling others with the Establishing God’s Peace ministry. She and Randy were on the board and faithfully helped guide EGP to stay on task with the mission, for which I am forever grateful.

Amy was part of a small group of women who did Bible study together and figured out how to get the Word in their hearts by making a prayer journal. They started with just making them for their own use but soon others starting asking how they could get one. I moved to Norfolk just as they started publishing the original journal and got involved in the publishing part. As I started praying with Amy and the other ladies as they came each week with things they had discovered about God in their readings and praising him together, God nudged me to want to know him better. The following year we started writing a Bible study to go along with the Establishing God’s Peace (EGP) prayer journal. In Amy’s memorial service the pastor shared the abundance of her faith by looking at her praises and prayers that were in her EGP journal. She has at least 32 years of the different variation of that first journal, filled with praises, supplications, prayers for others and weekly sermon notes.

For many of those years Amy also offered her home to do healing prayer (TPM) and we met in her sunroom on Friday mornings to pray and discover God’s truth to heal our hurts and disappointments in life. Many others joined us in that venture throughout the years.

God touched so many lives through our dear Amy’s life of prayer and faith. 

What a gift rest is

One that’s treated as a given

Not understanding

That one day could be gone

That someday is complete

No longer on two feet

That eternal rest

Has arrived

Heavenly weightlessness

What a gift to rediscover being alive

Having faith of another place

One so beautiful

It’s only imagined

What a joy to love

To have someone bring

so much light into the world

To respect the gift of love

And trust it lives on

In a better place

What a gift rest is

To trust your mind will drift

Into a world of subconscious

Deeply comforted

Rejuvenating what is life

To start again

Dillard and I have been next door neighbors to Randy and Amy for over 26 years. It has been one of the greatest blessings of my life. Amy adored Randy and was immensely proud of their children Michael and his wife Erica, and Jennifer and her husband Matthew. They were extremely devoted to her and brought her tremendous joy.

Amy was my dearest friend, and I know many of you feel the same about her. Amy was quiet and didn’t draw attention to herself, but she always focused upon you when you talked, as though you were very important to her. She never interrupted. Everyone felt valued by Amy. She was a faithful friend.

Amy loved her Lord Jesus with her whole heart. She was sold-out for Him. Because of that, she treasured time in His Word and made meeting with Him early in the morning a priority. Time with Him was the most important thing in her life. He was her life.

Amy loved to serve. Many of us have been recipients of her endless thoughtfulness. Only the Lord and Randy know how many times, regardless of the inconvenience to herself, she rushed to someone in need with a meal or to provide whatever else they needed. She loved others as herself.

Amy loved to pray. You can be sure that if you shared a concern with her, she would faithfully pray for you until that need was met. Most of us who are reading this have benefited from Amy’s prayers over the years and likely many don’t even know that she prayed for them.

Amy’s precious qualities make our loss that much more painful. Many of you know Amy’s Savior. But if you don’t, if you loved those things I shared about Amy, she would want to assure you that you would love Her Jesus too!

   I am fortunate to count myself as one of Amy's oldest friends.  We met the summer before first grade.  This encounter began a deep, lifelong friendship.  To know Amy was to love Amy.  She was a "body in motion" with boundless energy, enthusiasm, an adventurous spirit and a heart of gold.                                                                                                                                  I am forever grateful for our friendship.  Amy was there for me in good times and bad, always patient, supportive, generous and kind.  She possessed wisdom beyond her years and saw into the heart of things.  We celebrated our birthdays every year with a "girls" hours-long get together laughing, loving and sharing life's moments.                                            In a world fraught with uncertainty, Amy's deep and abiding faith in God was sincere and steadfast.  She lived her faith through her countless good works and deeds in the service of others.  It was not atypical for Amy to show up with a trunk  full of homemade meals and gifts if she knew you or your loved one was ill or just needed a helping hand.                                     Amy touched me with her grace, goodness and serenity.  Her Christian example has inspired me to both be and do better in my own life.  I am missing her already beyond any words I can summon.  Yet, I know Amy is soaring with the Angels and watching over all of us. 

I was very surprised, when I heard the news of Amy's passing. I know Randy and  meet Amy a couple of times, she had such a warm spirit. God makes no mistakes and he definitely knows what’s best for us. I send my condolences to Randy and his family . Praying for their time of grief but rejoicing for Amy’s Soul because she’s in a much better place, with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!! 

Much love 💕 Angie Miller ( former Co-Worker from Parking).