WARREN - God can comfort, and only he can answer why 4-year-old Javarie Crenshaw died in a fire last week at his Warren home, the Rev. Robert Stringer told mourners Tuesday during services for the boy.
Stringer, the pastor of New Freedom Missionary Baptist Church on Tod Avenue S.W., told the crowd that Javarie is now in heaven with the Lord and that they will see him again someday.
''We know your hearts are heavy and we know God is able to comfort,'' Stringer said just after the teddy bear-filled casket was closed. ''I know you have a lot of questions as to why. But only God can answer.''
Javarie died from complications of smoke inhalation just after midnight Thursday in the burn center at Akron Children's Hospital following the fire that broke out about 8:30 a.m. March 2 at the 525 Maryland St. N.E. home. An investigation into the cause is continuing, according to firefighters.
Javarie and his uncle, 22-year-old Mark Sheets, each were found unconscious in separate bedrooms. Mark Sheets and the boy's grandmother, Sharon Albert, were treated at Akron for their injuries. They since have been released, a hospital spokeswoman said.
Also home at the time of the fire was Javarie's 5-year-old brother, Jayqwon Crenshaw, and the mother of the boys, Brittany Sheets, 25.
Investigators say the blaze began on a mattress in an upstairs bedroom and produced a lot of smoke, which was lethal. How the mattress caught fire is part of the ongoing investigation.
During services, the 23rd Psalm was read as well as a selection from the 14th chapter of John, in which Jesus tells his disciples that his father has many mansions and that he has prepared rooms in Heaven for all who believe in him.
Stringer said he could understand the pain of the family, saying that he has buried a son himself and he knows they have grief and questions.
''I've sat where you sat. I lost my son,'' Stringer said. ''But God will give grace and sustain you even though you miss him. He's in the hands of God.
''If you feel like crying, cry. You don't have to worry about Javarie. He's all right. He's home in the presence of the Lord right now. He's there waiting for us.''
Stringer told the mourners the one point he wanted to stress is that nothing in life is guaranteed. Life can end at any time and we must all make sure we are ready because we do not know when that time will come, he said.
But death is not the end because of the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who conquered death, Stringer said. Those who accept Jesus as their savior are guaranteed that they will see Javarie when they die and go to heaven, he said.
''Every time something like this we ought to remind ourselves that our days are numbered,'' Stringer said.
