When I was a teenager, I had an aunt and an uncle that reached out to invest in my life. The summer I was 16, they invited me to come spend a couple weeks with them in their Michigan home. I took my first flight by myself and headed off for an adventure!

They had young children at the time and I joined into their family routine during my stay. I remember watching them love their son and daughter, teach them about the Lord, take them to church and just spend time with them. They also spent time with me. We went swimming, out to dinner at a Mexican restaurant, and played games. They also went on a date while I was there and they trusted me to watch my younger cousins for the evening. When we were in their church services I loved singing the alto part along with my Aunt Jan as the congregation sang together. My aunt talked to me and really listened. She was interested in me and let me know so.

That visit was really just the beginning of them pouring into me. It was because of them that I visited a Christian college where I would eventually attend. They came to my wedding, and also kept up with my life and invested in me many times over in my adult years, always letting me know that they cared. We weren’t in constant contact, but often enough that I was well aware of their love and support.

Two years ago my sweet Aunt Jan entered the presence of the Lord. Before she died, she called to tell me she loved me and she would see me in heaven. How precious that phone call was to me! Her daughter had passed a couple years before her, and I imagined the sweetness of their reunion in the presence of Christ. I got to see my aunt on her death bed and she was ready to meet the Lord. Her body was tired and so weak, and she knew she would soon be getting a glorified one! As she spoke to me about leaving her husband, my Uncle Jim, she said, “I just hope he doesn’t sit around and mope after I’m gone. I want him to go on living.” I’ve prayed for him many times since her passing, asking the Lord to help him do just that.