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I felt like I should tell you about ths guy, someone who helped me a better christian. He inspired me and I was like a brother to him.

His name is Lnace. He showed up one day at church with someone who had been coming for quite a while. I didn't really take much note of him at first. He kind of seemed kind of sports obsessed, wasn't that much of an intellectual, and he was three years below my age. He got saved just the following week or so. And one day while talking to him before Youth Group started I found out we had a lot in common We both liked video games, animals, had younger and older siblings, stuff like that. I was always a good friend to him. I spent most of my time before and after Youth talking about video games nd stuff like that. He got me hooked on Metal Gear Solid and I let him borrow FFVII. Then one Sunday, he wasn't their. He rarely missed any church relaetd activities. I was kind of suspicious, but I didn't let it bother me. I figured something had come up or he was sick or something. But then week after week he didn't show up. Later I found out, he had moved away to where the people who picked him couldn't get him without going way out of their way. So they set him up to go another church. (He liked it okay but as he constantly reminded them "You are okay, but you aren't Star Church.") Then after six or so moths, he showed up again. I was happy to see him again and I talked with him a lot and caught up with him. Then, that Tuesday, we got a call from Myra, the Middle School Sunday School teacher.

You see the reason Lance moved away is because his mom had moved in with her boyfriend who she later married. He started getting crazy and doing weird things and saying weird things. She moved out as fast as she could and tried to get away from him. She tried to get protection from the police, but they didn't bother. When they moved they got in proximity of the people who picked him up.

The call was that Lance's mom and 19 yar old sister had been shot and killed by his step-dad. Lance had been in school at the time and was took into the principal's office and police protected the school. The whole time, he didn't have a care in the word and just did his homework and talked with Mike, the principal and member of my church.

I never got to see him again because I could never find out where and when the funeral was, but I wish I could have. The following Sunday, Vallisa, the person who gave him rides talked about him. The night of the funeral after most people had left he called her. People solicing each other could be heard in the background. He spoke in his same old calm cheerful tone of voice and asked "Where in the bible does it talk about death?" It was about 10:30 and she was in bed.
"I don't know."
"Where does it talk about death?"
"Well, it takes about it a little in--"
"I need a book, a chapter and a verse."
She found him one and he went into another room and read his bible and he read. In a time most people he would have turned away from God, he stayed with Him.

There... that's the perfect example; God was obviously working in his life... so much so that even something as traumatic as his family's death didn't crush his faith. That's what non-believers don't get about Christianity: God has enough strength to hold up against anything this world can throw at us: even death.