In Lieu of Flowers...

In lieu of flowers, the Julin family has asked that donations be made in memory of Stan to one of the ministries that were very dear to Stan's heart. 


They are:

The Mailbox Club International, 404 Eager Road, Valdosta, GA 31602-1388

The Orlando Union Rescue Mission, PO Box 2791, Orlando, FL 32802

Stan always believed that although cancer is painful and Alzheimer's is deeply disturbing, not knowing God is the biggest cause of human suffering in the world.     He heartily believed in both The Mailbox Club International and The Orlando Union Rescue Mission because they each work solely to introduce people to God's grace.  


Below are some details of Stan's relationship with each of these ministries:



Mailbox Club
George and Laura Eager, the founders of The Mailbox Club, had a heart to see children come to know the Lord and, in the 1950s, began doing children's programs in the public schools of southern Georgia.  In the course of doing these programs, they were struck by the realization that children love to receive things in the mail and that the mail, therefore, would be an excellent way to introduce children to Jesus.  They organized The Mailbox Club to send correspondence lessons to children, and the concept grew from there.


Stan was, at that time, based at Moody Air Force Base in south Georgia, and an Air Force buddy invited him to church... George and Laura Eager's church.  Stan went, and he kept going to church for several weeks.  After seeing that he was continuing to come, George's mother invited him to her home for a Sunday afternoon meal.  At that meal, Stan kept hearing people talk about "being saved", and not knowing what they were talking about, he made inquiry.  The plan of salvation was explained, and on the spot, Stan made the life changing decision to place his faith in Christ.


Later, after Stan had been discharged from the military and had returned to his hometown of Bedford, MA, he started thinking about the Eager's worthwhile endeavors with The Mailbox Club, and he realized that he really wanted to be a part of what they were doing.  So he wrote a letter.  George wrote back and told him, "Come on down!"  So Stan packed his bags and headed back to Valdosta, GA to become The Mailbox Club's first hired staff member.  There he remained for a number of years, and there he met and married Connie.


The Mailbox Club eventually became a large organization that, now under the leadership of John Mark, George and Laura's son, has continued to reach children for Christ.  They partner with Samaritan's Purse to provide Bible lessons for Operation Shoebox, and they correspond with children from all over the world.


The Mailbox Club occupied a big place in Stan's thoughts and affections.  As Alzheimer's robbed him of more and more, he increasingly loved the fact that God had allowed him to participate in the early days of The Mailbox Club.  On several occasions he had tears streaming down his face as he thanked God for that privilege.  Alzheimer's shook him to his very foundation, but as it ate up his more recent memories, he could always look to his Valdosta days and realize that the foundation established there was (and is) secure.  




The Orlando Union Rescue Mission
A friend named Don Wheat got Stan started going down to the Orlando Union Rescue Mission.  There they would present the gospel to the men who gathered there for shelter from the street.  


Eventually, circumstances changed so that Don was no longer able to go; but Stan continued to go to the mission regularly for about the next twenty years until Alzheimer's interfered.  Stan always had a special place in his heart for any man that had fallen on rough times, and he has been heard to say that he would rather spend an evening at the mission than in just about any church.  


This blog's flagship entry (The Mosquito Machine) was adapted from a sermon Seth preached at the rescue mission with his father in attendance.  The men in the audience gave Stan a standing ovation, and that evening is, perhaps, the most treasured memory Seth has of any time ever spent with his father.