One of my Prayer Warriors

One of the founding members of my home church, Art DeJong Sr. passed away on Tuesday. This is significant to me because of who he was to me the last 10 years or so. I never really had much contact with him growing up. He was my friend's grandpa, and that was about as much as I knew about him. He was an elder in the church many times and I knew he would lead a lot of Adult Education classes at church. That is all I really knew about him.

Until I was thinking about going into Seminary. While I was away at College, he had talked with my dad about the possibility of me attending Seminary. When I got home, he contacted me to talk about this, because he was the Classis Treasurer and said there was some funds available to help me. So of course I was interested. In the interview with the committee he was very wise. I had not yet decided on what seminary I would attend. One of the committee members was not in favor of me going to a particular one, and he stated it. So Art asked him to share with me his reasons. It was very insightful.

Now, I dont only appreciate Art for his financial assistance. What I really appreciate about Art was the fact that he was one of my biggest supporters. When I went through a tough time personally, he encouraged me. While at seminary, I had to send my grades to him all the time. He constantly encouraged me. Often times while I was home, he would ask for prayer requests for me as I was studying for ministry. Knowing that he was so supportive and knowing that he was praying for me really meant a lot. I felt that every time I was home, I should talk with him to let him know how I was doing.

Art will be missed by many people. I know for a fact that I will miss talking to him when I go back to my home church to visit. One thing that I know for certain, the Lord has called him home, and I am confident that he has said to him, "Well done, good and faithful servant."