The envelope

Christmas Day has come and gone. The kids and I sat on the couches after all of the Christmas presents had been unwrapped. But there was one item let unopened. It was an envelope sitting in the branches of the Christmas tree. Sabin volunteered to open the envelope and read what was inside. Last year I started a new tradition. Since I could no longer buy Ben a Christmas gift and he wouldn’t be buying me one, I decided to gift the money we would have spent on each other to a charity or other cause that Ben would have supported.

Last year the money went to Pleasant Valley Bible Camp. I asked them to use it for scholarships for the men’s retreat or for summer camp whichever was needed. As I was thinking about where the money would go this year there were several things that came to mind. All of them were worthy causes or organizations. I knew I could always send a donation to PVBC again which held a special place in Ben’s heart. But as I was considering options an idea came to mind. When Sabin and I planted the buckeye tree at Lakewood, Ben’s boss mentioned that he and his family were going on a missions trip to Costa Rica in January. I know for a fact that if Ben were still here, he would have made a donation to his boss’s family for their missions trip. I immediately knew that the money needed to go to him.

I requested a prayer letter or something regarding the missions trip from Ben’s boss. Here is an excerpt from the letter that his boss sent me:

Your father was a wonderful friend who was so fun to have around and we were able to talk about our faith weekly. I always loved the fact that Ben was so active in his Church and would take his vacation time to help out at a camp. His confidence in sharing his Love for God was inspiring and has encouraged me to be more open about my faith. I am indebted to the time we had together at Lakewood. I wish we never lost Ben. . .

Upon reading this portion of the letter I had tears. It is encouraging to hear of ways that Ben impacted people’s lives. I also wish that we had never lost Ben. Although I didn’t lose him because I know exactly where he is right now. He is in heaven in the presence of the God he served in his time here on earth. I will probably never understand why his life was so short. But I will always be grateful for the time I had and for the impact he had on others.