Following Fran's death, Edith continued to unfold as a beautiful red rose facing the sun and inspiring others with its radiant beauty.  Though she grieved the personal loss of her husband, she too "kept on keeping on," and looked for new ways to serve the Lord in Fran's absence.  As she worked without Fran, God allowed others to see better her God-given gifts.

Over the subsequent years, many widows have been inspired by Edith's courage and strength.  Her daily devotional book, The Art of Life, with the unfolding rose on each personal notes page shows that Christians can continue to grow spiritually and bless others no matter what their physical limitations or afflictions.  Floyd Hosmer, a medical illustrator and artist friend of the Schaeffers, created beautiful art for each chapter in The Art of Life, and made more than 400 pen and in drawings of an unfolding rose so the personal notes pages in The Art of Life would depict authentically an unfolding rose.  L. G. Parkhurst, Jr. and Floyd worked together on the book as they compiled and collected portions from each of Edith's books and then matched the art work with each devotional reading.  Later, Edith, Floyd, and L.G. traveled to the Christian Booksellers Association meeting in California to officially announce publication of The Art of Life.

As I write this last chapter, Edith Schaeffer remains snow-bound in New York City.  Though 81-years-old, people still want to hear her speak and discuss her books.  Because of the snow, she has cancelled three speaking engagements, but she hopes to speak later at The Francis A. Schaeffer Foundation in Switzerland.  Friends of Fran and Edith helped create the Schaeffer Foundation, and Debbie Schaeffer Middelmann and Udo Middelmann oversee the work.  Edith still works hard.  For her eightieth birthday present, she traveled back to her home in China and met some who became Christians through the China Inland Mission.  Almost twelve years have passed since the death of her husband, and she has carried on their work with the talents and tireless energy God gives her.  The mighty waters often rose as they fought together, especially in Fran's last years, but they continued in prayer and God sustained her faith through Fran's illness and after his death.  For more than thirty years, the Schaeffers and L'Abri have demonstrated God's power through prayer to overcome Satan in all things and glorify God.

By His Spirit, God often gives widows, or widowers, more opportunities to serve Him, and God demonstrates His power to overcome their tragic loss and bring good out of evil.  He will heal us with His love, and enable us to glorify Him and disappoint Satan by empowering us to go on because Jesus Christ has defeated our last enemy--death.

By His grace, God has given Edith Schaeffer a wider ministry as a widow than when Fran was alive.  To demonstrate the reality of prayer, and to show that God is all-sufficient to meet every need, God allowed Fran to die before Edith.  And God has shown through her that He can accomplish great things through single or widowed individuals who are devoted to honoring Him.

After Fran died, a friend of L'Abri gave Edith the money to buy a used Steinway baby grand piano in his memory.  After Edith found one to buy, she learned about Steinway and travelled to New York City to research and write her book Forever Music.  While doing her research at Steinway, she met a master piano technician, Franz Mohr.  As a young boy, Mohr lived in Germany during World War II.  He suffered many hardships; however, he finally become a Christian after reading Francis Schaeffer's books.  Franz's Christian testimony and ministry to the great pianists so moved Edith that she helped Franz write his My Life with the Great Pianists.  In 1987, Edith worked with the artist, Floyd Hosmer, to create The Art of Life.  Her book includes more than 30 beautiful pen and ink drawings by Hosmer, and devotional readings selected by L. G. Parkhurst, Jr. accompany each piece of art.  Since Fran's death, Edith has begun a special ministry to artists and musicians.  And she has invited musicians to come to her home and L'Abri to share their talents with others.  In addition to helping people from all walks of life, Edith could be called (along with Fran), "a missionary to intellectuals."

After the death of Francis Schaeffer, Edith came forth from serving in the background with a new life and vitality all her own.  Intellectually, she is equal to her husband, and still carries on discussions with believers and unbelievers much the same as he did.  As a writer, she is more prolific than her husband, and all of her writings apply her husband's innovative approach to philosophical and theological teaching in the practical areas of home and family life.  With her autobiographical works, she shows how they lived on the basis of their teachings and how God answered their prayers.  When Fran and Edith were married, God blended two lives together in a beautiful way to serve Him; and apart, God has given her the guidance and strength to reach out successfully into new areas of ministry (such as the arts and music). 1.

Edith Schaeffer still prays for those of the Lord's choice to come to L'Abri and for the Lord to provide the food and shelter for those He sends.  As she prepares her menus for those coming to dinner, she still prays for God to send His "surprise" guests.  She delights in asking each person who knocks on her door, "Well, how did you get here?" because she wants to learn how God has been working in their lives to bring them to L'Abri.  She often thanks God immediately for His leading that person to her or to L'Abri.  Edith prays for those coming to L'Abri for high tea as she cooks, but she does not pray out of a legalistic compulsion, thinking, "Now I am preparing a menu, so now I must take time to pray for people to come and eat."  No, she prays out of love and wonder to a God who will send her people she can serve.  She prays for the specific needs of those she knows will be there, because she knows that her prayers will make a difference in each one who comes.  She prays that their questions may be answered.  And if she is in a group, she prays that people will ask questions that will help others, and that God will give her the needed answers to share.  Prayer for others is the natural and supernatural joy of her life, because Jesus is her closest Friend and she maintains a Christ-like, servant-spirit through Him.  Her prayers for others come naturally, because God has implanted His love for us in her heart.

When people talk to Edith on the phone, almost always before they hang up, Edith says, "Let's pray."  Whether a local or long distance call, Edith prays.  After 81 years, the life of prayer comes to her so spontaneously that silent and spoken prayers in almost every context make up a large part of her life in addition to her special daily quiet times. 2.

For her quiet times, Edith still reads Daily Light each day, and in addition reads through her Bible.  She does not skip around, but reads straight through expecting God to speak to her personally by His written Word.  She writes notes or prayers to God in her Bible as she prays, and dates her notes.  Over the years, she has written thousands of notes to God through several Bibles.  She still prays in the context of a verse, using its words or phrases in praising God or in applying them to her spiritual needs, the needs of L'Abri, and the needs of others.

When Edith prays out loud with others, she praises God and thanks Him especially for the work He has done through Christ in the person's life for whom she is praying.  She thanks God for bringing the people of His choice together, and for the work He is now doing in each person's life.  She intercedes for any special needs the other person has, and prays for some of the needs of L'Abri believing that when people unite in prayer God will respond as He has promised.  If she receives a letter asking for prayer, she will pray for that person right then as she reads the letter.  She does now want to write back, "I'll pray for you," and then forget to do so.  These are some of the ways God has led Edith to pray as He has taught her over the years, and her prayer life is simply the supernatural outgrowth of her salvation and spiritual life.  Though she continues writing and speaking, her praying for others may be her most important work.

The ministry of L'Abri and Edith's continuing ministry is God's answer in the Twentieth Century to Paul's prayer in the First Century.  Paul prayed for the Church: "And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight" (Philippians 1:9).  A major purpose in life is loving God and others intelligently, and our prayer requests will reflect love, reason, and faith as we pray and read the Bible.  Indeed, as our knowledge and depth of insight increase, our love for God and compassion for others will increase.  If not, we are not true believers or our orthodoxy has become cold and sterile.

Most of us have met some who have professed to be highly intelligent and Christian, who have allowed themselves to become puffed up with pride or who have used their intellect to beat down others or make others submit to their heartless doctrines.  By the grace of God, Francis and Edith Schaeffer did not succumb to the temptation to use their intellect to build themselves up or tear others down.  Through L'Abri, they remained humble servants of all, and their love for others motivated them to build others up in true faith; for this reason they led many skeptical and cynical people to the Savior.  By their example, they taught others to pray that increased knowledge would not puff them up, but show them more ways to express the love of God.  By their lives, we learn that we can pray to God and God will hear us because He is there.  We can pray to God with confidence, because He is not silent: God speaks to us through the Bible.  From looking at their lives, we see what God can do through people devoted to following Jesus Christ and the Word of God.  May the Holy Spirit move us to work for God with a faith and devotion that He can bless.

As I conclude this internet edition, Edith Schaeffer is now living in Switzerland close to Swiss L'Abri.

© Copyright L. G. Parkhurst, Jr. Revised Edition 2008
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