I am also back with some news: Jonathan and some friends of ours are running a half marathon here in California this weekend to raise money for the Rick Pearson Memorial Fund. If you think about it, please pray for them as they run.

We are also about to send out letters to businesses encouraging year end giving to the fund, since we are using all the funds to reach $30,000 to be able to build a Child Survival Project through Compassion International. We are almost halfway there, which is awesome, but we are still praying for the full amount by the end of the year.

If any of you have thoughts about fundraisers, please feel free to share them with us, or encourage other members of your community or church to get involved to raise funds for this amazing cause. God has truly been working in our hearts in the area of giving... we are so blessed beyond measure in so many areas of our lives, and I am so grateful that, through the legacy of my brother, we are able to invest in the Kingdom of God for eternal Glory by giving of our time and our resources. There is such freedom in releasing our "stuff"... the things that seem to matter. But seeing the faces of the children in Africa being fed, or knowing that people are coming to faith in Christ for the first time because of our gifts- it's beautiful.

I hope that you all have a fantastic holiday season. Please continue to pray for our family as you think of it... it gets tough around this time, and your prayers are coveted.

Much love.

Candi

I know that you feel the same way we (the family) feel when I say that the concert on Friday night was simply beautiful! The place was packed with people who loved Rick, and some who didn't even know him but knew of God's awesome power at work through his life and death. I am still reeling from the emotion and the amazing things God did throughout the evening.

Thank you so much to all of you who were able to attend and make the night a success! I am still blown away by your support of my family and the championing of God's fame through Rick's story. He truly has left a Legacy that is so God focused and honoring! Thank you for participating in that.

I wanted to let you know where we stand with our goal for the Memorial Fund. If you were at the concert, you know that our goal for this year is to raise $30,000 to fund a Child Survival Project through Compassion International. This project entails building and staffing a facility to help medically care for infants and children born into disease and poverty, as well as help educate mothers about proper nutrition and care for their children. The project will be set up in a very impoverished area of Africa, and the hope that it can bring to the children of the community is beyond explanation. We are praying for the full $30,000 to be raised by the end of the year.

Because of your outstanding generosity at the concert, we are about 1/3 of the way there, which is amazing. Now we are concentrating on ways to raise the remainder of the balance, as well as extra funds so that we are able to give to the other ministries and organizations supported by the Memorial Fund.

Thank you again. We are so excited about what God is still doing on this journey with Him. He is always faithful, beyond what we can comprehend!

much love.

Candi

P.S. Rememer... if you weren't able to come to the concert but would still like the opportunity to contribute financially, you can simply write a check to "The National Christian Foundation", and in the memo line, write "Rick Pearson Memorial". You can then mail it to this address:

The National Christian Foundation
1100 Johnson Ferry Road, N.E., Suite 900
Atlanta, GA 30342

After an amazing summer of God's grace and favor, we are excited to be able to have the 2nd annual Rick Pearson Memorial Benefit Concert! There is so much to share about the past year and the journey that so many have walked through because of the legacy of my brother. We plan to share all of this with you at the concert, so we hope that you will come!

All of the details are below on the rave card I have posted. If you have anymore questions, please do not hesitate to ask them either by posting a comment here or emailing me, Candi, at candilionq@yahoo.com

We hope to see you in September!
Candi Pearson Shelton

I want you to know that for my family and myself, it hasn't gotten easier- just different. It feels weird and it still hurts, but in different ways. As the full throws of summer are approaching, I'm constantly reminded of the memories that won't be made this year, and I weep, not for him as much as for us and the people who never knew. I didn't know that missing someone could feel like this.

The consolation I have in this moment is that this summer without Rick is merely without the flesh. His life and legacy are living on powerfully, still leading others in worship through video and stories and journal entries. I am so grateful for his life lived out loud! I'm humbled that this summer, over 10,000 students will get the opportunity to hear him, see him, experience worship to our Savior being led by him!

Please continue in your prayers, directing them to Bigstuf Camps in Panama City, Florida. Those students are being bombarded with the love and faithfulness of God, and Rick's story has the potential for unbelievable impact. Please pray to that end. I will continue to update as news from the camps come in.

Thank you for being on this journey with us!

Candi

I wanted to make you aware of a few things. One being a book that Shannon Scott and I are working on. We covet your prayers as we meet to determine what this book should hold and how it will be put together. We want to write about this journey, and a large portion of that journey is this website! So, please keep checking for updates concerning this book and its direction.

Another thing... in the next week or so we should have a date set for the 2nd annual Benefit Concert, and we are extremely excited about this! You guys made the first concert such an amazing success, and we are praying for the same results this time around. We have several ideas for making it special, and we can't wait to go into detail about how your financial support thus far has encouraged and helped so many high school/college students and adults. It's such an amazing testimony to the heartbeat of Christ.

I'd also like to extend an invitation for you to share your ideas with us. We are brainstorming for different fundraising options, and we'd love to hear what you think would be good, or what you would be inclined to participate in. You can leave a comment under this blog, and if you don't want it to be posted to the site, just specify in the message. We welcome your ideas.

Thank you again! You are amazing!

Candi

I encourage you to keep checking back for updates as we will be back here everyday to keep you posted. You will be hearing from my mom, my sister Candi and my sister-in-law Suzanne. We love you all so much and we are so glad to be back.

In Him,

Haley

God is faithful!

Now, to let you know about The Rick Pearson Memorial Fund. We just finished our first conference call a couple of hours ago, and we are SO excited to let you know what we are going to be able to do this year.

1. We will be sponsoring one or more international students from such possible place as Brazil, South Africa, the Phillippines, etc. to attend the Passion Conference in Nashville, January 2-5. Please be praying for this opportunity. How amazing to think the impact this could have on their lives and, in turn, their friends, community...country!

2. We are going to be able to sponsor high school students in the Louisiana area affected by hurricane Katrina to go to summer camp at Bigstuf camps in Panama City, FL. Almost an entire church youth group will have the chance to be at camp! Pray for maximum kingdom impact as these students will have an opportunity to experience God in an amazing way!

3. We are going to be continuing to sponsor the 2 children that Rick supported through Compassion International. Suzanne is going to keep up with the correspondence with the children. We are excited to be able to continue to pour into these lives.

4. We are going to be able to fulfill a commitment that Rick made to Mountain Lake for their building fund. It's extremely exciting to be able to do something that Rick specifically committed to do, and to be able to do this for his church that he loved and championed so much!

ALL of this can happen because of the funds that have been raised so far for the Fund! It is AMAZING how generous you all have been! We are excited to keep this legacy going, too. We will update the website soon to let you know other fundraising opportunities, including when the next annual benefit concert will be for next year.

I cannot express how grateful we are. You all are part of this. You are why we can impact, literally, the world. Your generosity is beyond words. Thank God for His Body. You are a perfect picture.

Thank you.

Candi Pearson Shelton

I wanted to post a quick update for you all... more than anything, it's a request for your prayers once more. We are each trying to understand that life does go on, and it does so quite swiftly. Jonathan and I are an afternoon flight away from being back at our home in Los Angeles for the first time since the beginning of August. We ask that your prayers for us would center around our acclamating back into our lives there, whatever that might entail. Our hearts still long for that area and the people of L.A., but the details are a bit sketchy, to say the least!

My sister has made a permanent move to Atlanta through this ordeal, and the newness of the city can be a bit overwhelming. We ask that your prayers for Haley would also be for her acclamation to Atlanta. Pray for financial stability, for clarity in her job situation, and for God to unveil more and more reasons why she is there.

My other sister (she's my sister... I don't care about technicalities!), Suzanne, is also in Atlanta... but not under the circumstances she once thought, planned, and dreamed about. Her life now looks entirely different, and as she tries to understand what God has for her life outside of Rick, we ask that your prayers for her would be for a clarity of vision. Pray that she would be able to make new plans, new friends, new connections for new journeys. Pray that as she is now back to work full-time, the overwhelming feeling would settle into resolve. Pray for a clear mind and a strong heart.

My mom, Elaine, and stepfather, Billy, have returned back to their home in Florida. This isn't an easy step, mainly because of the overwhelming support and encouragement they felt in Atlanta. They are trying to decide if and when they will move from there Florida home back to Atlanta, and in the meantime are trying to settle back into full-time jobs and life after. Please pray that there choices would be clear, that their jobs would come with ease, and that as the holidays approach, their hearts and emotions would remain sturdy under the weight of memories.

We love you all! You have been and continue to be such an enormous part of this journey.

I'll update you soon as to our first efforts with the Rick Pearson Memorial Fund. We can't wait to start funding the ministries we told you about!

Our love.

Candi

Once again we have been completely blown away by you and the way God has used you. To those of you who attended the concert last night, thank you! For those of you who didn't, we had an outstanding time together.

Around 800 of you showed up in great spirits, ready to remember, celebrate, learn, enjoy, and GIVE... and boy, did you give! I wanted to let all of you know that altogether, we raised over $10,000 for the memorial fund! Because of your generosity and excitement in continuing the legacy of Rick, we are going to be able to not only cover all of the medical and funeral expenses, but we have a huge jumpstart in the support of the four ministries we informed you of last night: Compassion International, Youth Ministry Resources (Bigstuf), Mountain Lake Church, and Passion Conferences.

SO AMAZING!!!!!!!

God exceeded all of our expectations for this benefit! Thank you all for being a part of that, even if you weren't able to be there. I believe it was honoring to my brother.... I believe it was honoring to our God!

Please keep reading, as we hope to keep updating on this site fairly often. It is through this site that we will make you aware of future fundraisers, as well as give you updates as to how we've been able to use the funds specifically for each ministry.

Thank you again!

WE WIN!

Candi Pearson Shelton

It has been a while since I've posted anything to you. I think it has taken this long for us to gather enough of our thoughts to make sense. The past month has gone by so quickly, and yet it seems like years all at the same time. One month has been long enough for some of you who found yourselves as literal watchdogs of the web to return to a semi-normal life. One month has found others of you struggling a little harder to find normalcy. Our family is walking the very bizarre and awkward line of fast moving life and very present grief. At times we are able to share laughs (as we watch episode after episode of "Friends"!), and at other times it seems nothing can shake the vividly terrifying reality that Rick is no longer making the world a little brighter. He is, however, in the presence of his Creator and King, which is of great comfort at times... at others, it seems to bring little peace. But this is all part of walking that line- life & grief.

We have been overwhelmed with each new day, knowing that God does in fact still hold us all in His hands, as much as we'd like to think He dropped us for a bit. We know that the echoes of Rick's God-glorifying life are still ringing and are still being heard. These are the most comforting and beautiful reminders of God's perfection and will. He is using each day, each new emotion, each new story to weave a tapestry of glory, and my brother is one of the boldest colors! We are so proud of him. As Suzanne often says, "I'm so proud of him! He finished so well!"

We have also been so thankful, beyond our mere words, to all of you for the continued support and encouragement in these days. As we sent thank you cards to all we knew to send to (please forgive us if we have overlooked you somehow, knowing that we are truly grateful to you all for the amazing ways you've become the body of Christ!"), a sense of awe filled our hearts. I can't adequately convey to you how FLOORED we have been! There are no words...

On that note, we would love to send thank you notes to everyone, but obviously we don't have addresses for you all, especially those of you who contributed monies to the National Christian Foundation for the memorial fund. If you happen to be one of those, we hope you won't mind sending an email to rickpearsonmemorial@yahoo.com and include your address. If you'd rather remain unreachable, we totally understand. But for those of you who don't mind, we would love to send you a personal thank you from our family!

I'll leave you with one more reminder about the benefit concert for Rick. I encourage all of you who don't have plans this Friday, the 21st, to come. We are very excited to talk about the ministries that Rick loved and supported and to raise money for the continued support of these. There will be great music and musicians, as well as some fun videos to help us remember Rick. The night starts at 7 pm at Stonecreek Church in Alpharetta. We would love to see you there!

Our love...
Candi Pearson Shelton

In an effort to give all of us a way to remember Rick and in order to support Rick's family in the tremendous financial needs they are facing as a result of Rick's illness, we are putting together a CD of Rick's music and a DVD of his Celebration service. Both are well worth your time and money. We are asking for donations in order to purchase them which will directly benefit Rick's memorial fund. Lanny Donoho is heading up this project and we will put information from him up on the front page of the site so that you will be able to purchase these if you desire. This information should be available on the front of the site by Monday. Also, we do have a bunch of the PRAY FOR RICK armbands left. They are a great reminder of Rick and a reminder to pray for his family. They are $5 and ($.85 goes to the cost of the armband and $4.15 goes to the expenses of the family) If you would still like to get one of these, please email pray4rick@hotmail.com and we will get you set up. There are a few different ways to get them to you, so don't worry if you are not in the Atlanta area. There are so many ways to financially support the family during this time, please jump on board with one or all of the options presented! We thank you in advance for your support and are so pleased to be able to share these with you.

Jeffrey and Shannon

Thank you,
Elaine, Billy, Haley, Candi and Jonathan

What an emotional, yet AMAZING last few days! Last night was quite a comforting time as friends and loved ones streamed through the visitation line at Mountain Lake Church and shared with this family story after story of the impact Rick has had on their lives.

This morning dawned in a perfection that only our God could orchestrate as we gathered at the graveside for a service there. Louie, Uncle Keith and Shawn all spoke of God's sovereignty and goodness even in the midst of our pain. We heard stories of Rick's affinity for golf, fishing with Pop, competetive Playstation and of course, guitar. We also heard Shawn say that Rick could've died with more wealth and he could've died with more fame, but he doesn't know anyone who could've died with more purpose. We happen to agree.

After leaving the graveside, we headed to North Point Community Church for the memorial service and celebration of Rick's life. What a wonderful time of worship and remembrance! Shawn, Hannah, Rodney, Reggie Paul and Lanny all shared memories and insights. We were fortunate to have Rick leading us in worship through song and video and listened to the reading of Rick's last four journal entries. We experienced a powerful worship time and were comforted as Louie reminded us of one of the last things that Rick said while in the hospital. "I don't know what is going to happen to me, but either way, I win!" Louie reminded us that WE win as well...

"... so that now, as always, Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death. For me to live is Christ, and for me to die is gain." Phil 1:20-21

We all hoped Rick wouldn't die...
And in fact he's very much alive!

WE WIN.

We prayed and believed God would raise him up...
And He did!

WE WIN.

We wanted to see Ricky walk out the front door of Northside Hospital...
But instead he soared through the roof!

WE WIN.

Death tried to claim him...
But Jesus had already saved him!

WE WIN.

We grieve because Rick is gone...
But seeds of hope reside deep down in our souls because we know exactly where he is.

WE WIN.

We miss him...
But we will again embrace him.

WE WIN.

Jesus Christ is Risen today and He is the ultimate grave robber.
In Him we have the victory.
In Him WE WIN.

Romans 8:10

We've experienced many emotional highs and lows these last several weeks and days and your support and prayers over this website have made it a much less lonely place. We wanted you that were not able to be at the service to be included in our rejoicing over Rick's life. Please do pray specifically for Rick's family over these days as the realization of our temporary loss sets in. We are changed by this experience and are reminded that the important thing in life is not how LONG you live, but HOW you live.

Jeffrey and Shannon

This indescribable journey of seeing the will of God made perfect in Rick's life has come to a close. At approximately 11:00am eastern time, Rick entered into the presence of the One he has spent his life pursuing. I don't have to tell you the heartbreak or depth of mourning by his family this day. You are currently feeling it as well. We mourn as those who have hope, however, and are comforted by the fact that Rick is miraculously and gloriously healed and enjoying all of the beauty of Heaven and the majesty of his Creator. We rejoice over Rick awaking and seeing the face of the One who deserved and received all of the honor that Rick had to give Him. What a beautiful thought.

So now...we weep, we pray, we remember and we rejoice in knowing that we too one day will behold the splendor of the King of Kings.

We are indebted to you and will never be able to repay that debt. Your support and love and intercession for this family over these weeks has been beyond what any words can describe. We ask now for your sensitivity as this family mourns, and for your continued prayers as they settle into the arms of the Comforter.

Please check the front of the website again as we have added another taste of Rick's beautiful voice. Yet another song he recorded only months ago that God in his sovereignty knew would be blessing us now.

We are forever changed.
Jeffrey and Shannon