Can you imagine being able to sit down with an angel in order to talk about the issues of life that really matter? Conversations with an Angel is a father’s recounting of conversations he had with his daughter over her thirty-two years. Her miraculous healing from childhood cancer, her career as a pediatric oncology nurse, and her brave battle against terminal cancer are only a few of the topics that were discussed. You will laugh and you will cry as you read the story of a life well-lived.

Bonie Sue Mullins was born on September 30 in the same year I was. She arrived at Ponca City Memorial Hospital in Ponca City, Oklahoma. She was the fourth child born to Jennie Bernice (Isaacs) and Harold Mullins. Bonnie hails from the Mullins Ranch, located almost halfway between Ponca City, Oklahoma and Stillwater, Oklahoma.

Because Bonnie, like me, was raised in a wonderful Christian home, preparation was a vital key to being ready for church and church activities. The Mullins family went to Sunday morning, Sunday evening and Wednesday evening services every week. They attended all Revival Services plus any teen activities and other church gatherings. They were an “every-time-the-church’s-doors-are-open” family whose faithfulness could be counted on like clockwork. The family car left for church at exactly 8:30 a.m. on Sunday morning. If the women were not ready on time, Harold would begin honking the car horn. Three women trying to get ready with one bathroom made schedules tight quite often. Frustrated, Bonnie and her mom came out in their slips one morning to make their point. The honking continued.

Bonnie learned a good work ethic on the farm. There were always meals to prepare for the workers, especially at harvest. There were chores to be done, like cleaning the house or washing dishes. She learned to not stop until the job was completed. Bonnie’s dad taught her how to deal creatively with problems (baling wire is a farmer’s duct tape, for instance). Bonnie’s mom taught her how to be prim and proper. Immodesty would not be tolerated.

Dr. Randy Schuneman is a minister at large who has pastored and taught as an elder in the Church of the Nazarene for thirty-three years. He has pastored in Wichita, Kansas; Flint, Michigan; and Bartlesville, Oklahoma. He has also served as an adjunct professor at Oklahoma Wesleyan University, Southern Nazarene University, and Spring Arbor University. Dr. Schuneman is a graduate of Drew University, Nazarene Theological Seminary and Southern Nazarene University. Randy is a die-hard Yankees and Celtics fan who loves baseball memorabilia, lighthouses, and a good story. He and his wife, Bonnie, now reside in Edmond, Oklahoma. Their son, Robb, resides in Edmond as well.