Ron Weidner woke up in the middle of the night with the stern command — “Write this down” — ringing in his ears.
What was he supposed to jot down in the dim light of his bedroom? The words: “A Room Full of Tears I Never Cried.”
Weidner had been contemplating writing a book to share the struggles and triumphs that he and his wife, Paulette, have faced over the years.
This odd occurrence seemed to be not only confirmation, it also became the title of his new autobiography that he expects to finish by next summer.
“I was looking for ways the Good Lord could use me when people started telling me to write a book,” Weidner said. “I’m 74. I was vacillating. I asked, ‘Lord, does anyone want to hear this story?’
“I was peeling potatoes two weeks ago when the Lord said, ‘I didn’t allow you to go through life and experience all you have to waste it and not share it with others to encourage them,’” he said.
The idea of writing a book about his life actually came through his involvement in The God Pocket, a program of the MB Foundation where you carry extra cash to give to someone in need, along with the message that God is the ultimate giver.

He would speak to everyone about The God Pocket, sharing his own stories and hoping to encourage others to become involved.
“Over the last three years, people have said, ‘you need to be writing those stories down and telling us about your life,’” Weidner said.
“As I began to study and share with people and think about my life, I had to go back and revisit a lot of things that happened in my youth,” Weidner said. “A lot of things brought back painful memories; like ‘a room full of tears I never cried.’”
The title of his first chapter, “Conceived in love but born in tragedy,” talks about his father, who died two months before he was born. “You have to believe that somewhere through it all, God has a plan,” he said.
His story started in poverty as his mother struggled to provide a stable home for her children. It was through God’s providence that he rose above his circumstances in all phases of his life, he said.
Weidner, who has gone through a total of 30 surgeries, is also primary caregiver for his wife, who suffers acute pain and endless ringing in her ears since a radical mastoidectomy because of cancer 26 and a half years ago.
“With my 30 surgeries and caring for my wife who has suffered for 26-plus years, I certainly understand turmoil,” he said. “My story is turmoil to triumph.
“Oftentimes we ask where God was in each trial, and I was no different,” Weidner added. “But I know now that He was walking beside me through every speed bump. I hope that I can help others turn their turmoil and tragedies into triumphs.”
Weidner has been invited to speak about his life and his experiences with The God Pocket to the MB Foundation corporation and local churches in Kansas in the near future. It’s something he is looking forward to.
“I love talking about what the Lord has done for me,” he said. “I call it my story for God’s glory.”
Weidner can be reached at 352-7788 or 354-7788, or rgweidner@hur.midco.net.

PhOTO COURTESY OF LakeHaus Productions
Ron Weidner of Huron holds his Bible in the pulpit at Bethesda Church in Huron, where he is a member. He is in the process of writing a book, “A Room Full of Tears I Never Cried.”