A Prince Among Men
A Tribute to Our Friend Jason
Our friend Jason, traveling through Columbia to Ecuador
The week before Thanksgiving, we received an unusual visit from a friend we met a couple of times in Arkansas and Tennessee. Freedom had been following his daring journey on Facebook through Central and South America on a motorcycle. His goal was to ride from Tennessee to Patagonia on his bike alone, but with a following on social media, he was bringing many people along with him. Freedom took this opportunity to reach out. Eventually, he thought Jason would pass through Ecuador so we invited him to stay.
The only connection I had personally was when we visited Franklin, Tennessee, to undergo training with Artists In Christian Testimony, which is our sending agency. I was struck by the level of care and attention Jason and his family gave us during a church visit and lunch. His son also survived cancer, as our daughter Kayla had. He and Freedom had both worked at Dayspring, but the level of attention they gave us struck me as special. With this knowledge, I was very glad to be able to welcome him during his journey. When he arrived, I saw so much joy as Freedom helped him settle his motorcycle in the driveway. I imagined them both as little boys getting ready for a play date.
I went about the kitchen preparing dinner and, as is usual for me, became busy with extra things due to my shyness. But a gentle nudge from the Lord awakened me to something. It was this impression, “Go spend time with Jason.” I went to find him and Freedom touring the house. People love seeing the interesting architecture in old Ecuadorian homes, and visiting Freedom’s studio is a stopping point for all visitors. Jason expressed so much joy seeing Freedom’s art, and tears were common as he spoke of his journey or expressed the Lord’s care over him.
I went on with my duties, wanting to give Freedom space and time with Jason. Again, the Lord moved in my heart, “Go listen to Jason.” I thought, “Wow, this guy is truly an honored guest.”
Jason with our friends at Gringos Cafe in Quito, Ecuador.
We spent the night eating soup and listening to Jason pour out his heart. He shared openly about his life, the ups and downs, the hard and the painful. But also the way that God was working through his experiences. He took the time to listen to us. We went to the living room and turned on the candles; it was almost time for the country-wide power outage. We prayed over him. As I prayed for him, I said, “Jason, you are a prince among men.” He smiled humbly, but I knew it was a word from the Lord. For God always sees us as we truly are.
Jason at one of our ministry sites in Quito, Ecuador.
The following day, he visited our neighborhood friends at the Gringo’s Cafe. Jason made a great impression on our friend who was eager to see him again, and we went to our ministry site together. At our site, Jason helped us, spent time with one of the nonverbal autistic kids, and made magic tricks to wow the crowd, using a fake thumb that lit up. When we left, one of the girls wouldn’t let go of him and wanted him to adopt her.
Before he left the next day, we seized the moment and lingered in prayer. I said again, “Jason, you are a prince among men.” There were so many tears as we blessed him. Some of the words we gave him were of victory, newness, finding God, and breakthrough.
As he left we were encouraged and excited to see him upon his return through Ecuador. But only a few days later Jason was in a motorcycle accident and shortly passed away.
Stunned, we watched the news report from Peru. He went through a roadblock. The wonderful story of who Jason was unfolds, little by little, in his last posts, posts from dear friends, and the stories told by his children during his memorial service.
Certainly a prince among men.
A passionate father and lover of the least, a man who was a missionary kid and loved Spanish. A person who brought joy, wonder, and adventure to everyone around him. His emotional pain was big, but so was his heart. He was so talented and yet incredibly humble. His 6-foot-something frame was able to hold the humongous heart that he had. He had been forgiven much and so he loved much. And God healed his childhood trauma in the Amazon jungle right before he came to us. I thought, “he accomplished what he had to for Christ. Abba wanted him home.”
It has taken me and Freedom a long time to process this. He left us a thank-you card with the words written, “May God repay you.” His cologne scent lingered in our guest room for a while and we couldn't think of him not returning for his visit on the way back. His children found countless notes hidden in books, telling them how proud he was of them and that he loved them. Stories still arise from people who were loved intensely by this servant of the Lord, even if just for a moment. What an impact.
Truly, what remains is how well we love.
The greatest gift we can give people is to care about them, pay attention, and be gentle; the greatest gift we can give our children is unconditional love. If Jason had met you, he would say, “God has a calling on you and He loves you.”
With gratitude in our hearts for Jason and with gusto for the journey ahead,
Freedom and Nancy
Prayer Requests:
Traveling safety and provision. Freedom is going to the States for 17 days in January. He aims to fix a few things with our house, decide whether to keep renting it out and fly to Kentucky to help our son Jonathan drive up to his school in Ohio.
Rest and Restoration. Nancy will take a Sabbatical from ministry sites for a month starting next week and while Freedom is gone. Please pray for her eye condition to be healed. It is not serious, but very uncomfortable.
Sons’ wisdom and protection. Our sons are both working incredibly hard to be independent. Jonathan will start school full-time and will put in a big chunk of his earnings. It is an expensive option, for this school. But nothing is impossible for the Lord. We prayed and prayed over this decision. He is called to be creative and will pursue his education.
Our son Joshua is doing his best to juggle school and community college and it has not been easy. He can only take one class a semester but he is hopeful in this trajectory since he feels great being independent.
Ministry. We end the calendar year with joy having served youth, young adults, and the staff in our centers. We have shared creativity and our lives, along with the Gospel and we feel satisfied with our efforts. Our only challenge is that we are limited by time because we hope to bring the hope of Jesus to children and youth who have not heard the Gospel.
