Friday afternoon, I drove my mom and children downtown to attend a memorial service of a special person. I knew Mr. O most through his family, who inherited his legacy. I grew up with his daughter, J, who was just like her dad. I met her in public school; she was in fourth grade and I was in sixth. I was amazed with her character, always cheerful and compassionate. If she saw a sad classmate, she’d share Jesus and pray with them. If I got my work done early, I got to help Mrs. O in her first grade class. I always thought it was neat that when they lined up for lunch, they’d pray. This was public school. A few years later, we started attending the local Christian school. This was a small school, so all of us were on the sport’s teams. Being my first basketball game and expected to play, J took me to her house, lent me her team shirt, and I rode with her family to the game. J liked algebra better than geometry. I liked geometry better than algebra. So when she got stuck on her geometry proofs, I’d go to her house and help her out. That meant I got to go to her house a lot! And I loved it! Sometimes on Sunday afternoons, she’d ask me over for lunch after church. Lots of us kids were asked. We’d have so much fun! I felt part of this huge family I had always wanted…laughing, talking, loving on each other, teasing, singing about Jesus, playing games…interacting with each other in a positive way. Those are probably my best teenage memories.

I don’t remember if the O’s became youth group leaders for our church, or if they just "happened" to have all of us teens over to their house one night. After dinner we were going to watch a movie. Mr. O kept smiling (the way he always does) and said it was a soccer movie. He was a huge soccer fan. Now soccer is not really big around here, but it was the autumn boy’s sport at the Christian school. Mr. O would meet the boys at the soccer field for extra practice. This movie also had Sylvester Stallone in it. This combination was not necessarily my cup of tea. But I like the O’s so much, there had to be something good in all of this. Well, the movie was wonderful! I saw it on tv one year and taped it. Of course my dh and dc thought I was nuts when I told them we were going to watch a great Sylvester Stallone movie about soccer. But we all love it. Called "Victory", it’s a WWII movie about POWS and the resistance. It also stars Pele, who choreographed the soccer moves and played one of the POWS. It also stars Michael Caine who is lead officer. Sylvester Stallone plays the lone American officer who only knows how to play American football and only cares about planning his escape. The movie was excellent. We were cheering at the end of the movie. I vaguely recall that Mr. O used the movie to present some spiritual applications. How I wish I journaled back then. Sadly, I can’t remember everything from over 20 years ago, when I last saw him.

When the prayer letter went out a while ago that he had cancer, I was heart sick. Sunday night he passed on to his new home in heaven. I know what he’s doing there. He’s smiling (as he always did) and talking to everyone he’s always read about. He’s hugging his loved ones who went before him. He made sure that the salvation message would be given at the memorial service. One of the men who spoke shared the directions for how to get to his new house in heaven. At the memorial service, I was reminded of a few things about him. When he’d pray, or in these days of sickness when friends would pray over him, he’d break out in song, singing to Jesus. There were more than a few worship services before surgery at the hospital. Yes, how could I forget that? His daughter did that too. She always seemed to have a song on her lips. He had a heart for missions. J would always tell me about the family traveling to his home in Guatemala to share Jesus. Today I learned that Mr. O was orphaned at the age of 3 in Guatemala. He was saved through a Baptist missionary worker. He devoted his life to missions, always sharing Jesus, in town or in Mexico or Guatemala. I knew he was in the National Guard. Now I know he was in the navy too. He retired from the military in 1998. He became a US citizen at the age of 17. During the slide show, pictures of the Texas flag, American flag and Guatemalan flag were shown at different points of his life story.

One day, in my senior year of high school, he asked me what I planned on doing with my life. I told him I wanted to teach in a Christian school. "Laurie," he asked, "why a Christian school?" I said because it’s nicer. He replied, "how do you know but that you’ll be the only Jesus the students in public school will ever see?"

People Need the Lord by Steve Green (sung at the service)

Everyday they pass me by,

I can see it in their eyes.

Empty people filled with care,

Headed who knows where?

On they go through private pain,

Living fear to fear.

Laughter hides their silent cries,

Only Jesus hears.

People need the Lord,

people need the Lord.

At the end of broken dreams,

He's the open door.

People need the Lord,

people need the Lord.

When will we realize,

people need the Lord?

We are called to take His light

To a world where wrong seems right.

What could be too great a cost

For sharing Life with one who's lost?

Through His love our hearts can feel

All the grief they bear.

They must hear the Words of Life

Only we can share.

People need the Lord,

people need the Lord

At the end of broken dreams,

He's the open door.

People need the Lord,

people need the Lord.

When will we realize

that we must give our lives,

For peo-ple need the Lord.

Although we talked many times, this question is the one that impacted me the most, the one I vividly remember. It wasn’t easy, but I did teach 6 years of public school. A few weeks into my first year at the public school, something came up and my principal told the parents that they should feel blessed to have me teaching my children, because I was a Christian and I really cared for their kids. God used a man from Guatemala to help me to see the need and to be aware of opportunities God puts me in. I’m not good at using all of those opportunities, but I think this is the best legacy he left any of us. All of his kids are like this. All of them are tenderhearted smilers, just like him. But J was the one that always seemed most like her dad. But maybe the boys were too, I just didn’t hang with them like I did J. Currently, her oldest brother is preparing to take his family into the mission field in France. It’s been postponed so he could be available for his dad’s final days and to help his mom in the next few months. He (D) spoke a little today. Of course his voice broke. They miss their dad. Mrs. O misses her husband. And I was overcome with tears when the flag laden casket was moved out of the chapel to the hearse. But this was a celebration of life…just the way Mr. O wanted it We sang his favorite songs. We watched a slide show of his love of our country, his service to our country, his love for his family, and his love for others as he reached out on missions trips, abroad and near. Someone got up and spoke about how their house was always full of the neighborhood kids, providing a haven and loving on them. He asked if any of the neighborhood kids were there. I was!

D opened the service by saying that their dad was a man of God who left them a spiritual legacy, pointing them to Jesus, living Jesus, and encouraging them in the faith. I know it wasn’t just talk. I saw it when I was with them; I was blessed to experience it first hand. This is the legacy that will last for eternity. Is this the legacy that I will leave behind. "How do you that you will be the only Jesus someone will ever see?"

Weak and wounded sinner
Lost and left to die
O, raise your head, for love is passing by
Come to Jesus
Come to Jesus
Come to Jesus and live!

Now your burden's lifted
And carried far away
And precious blood has washed away the stain, so
Sing to Jesus
Sing to Jesus
Sing to Jesus and live!

And like a newborn baby
Don't be afraid to crawl
And remember when you walk
Sometimes we fall...so
Fall on Jesus
Fall on Jesus
Fall on Jesus and live!

Sometimes the way is lonely
And steep and filled with pain
So if your sky is dark and pours the rain, then
Cry to Jesus
Cry to Jesus
Cry to Jesus and live!

O, and when the love spills over
And music fills the night
And when you can't contain your joy inside, then
Dance for Jesus
Dance for Jesus
Dance for Jesus and live!

And with your final heartbeat
Kiss the world goodbye
Then go in peace, and laugh on Glory's side, and
Fly to Jesus
Fly to Jesus
Fly to Jesus and live!