He never earned more than $5,000 US a year, he lived in what we would call poverty all his life, his job was boring and mundane – a gate guard for the UEBH mission in Bolosse for as long as I can remember (over 10 years). In the world’s eyes he was not a man of importance and had very little in the way of material goods. But in the eyes of his wife and children, and I believe in the eyes of God, he was a man worthy of honor and many tears were shed at his passing. He wasn’t perfect, but he was loved by those most important in his life. He died in peace, surrounded by those who loved him – he died a rich man!

Frere Levy (Brother Levy) was a wonderful Christian husband and parent. He and his wife, whom we have known for many years, raised 5 children and instilled in them a love for God, for learning and for each other. He was a gentle man and a beautiful Christian example of praising the Lord in spite of difficulties.

Last week I was upset because I had an appointment to get a check, but the person who had to sign it had forgotten about it. I now had four hours to spend until he would come. God directed me to spend two of those hours with Frere Levy and his family, and now I am so glad I listened to the small, still voice of God.

When I got to the house I was greeted by Naomi and her newborn daughter: Frere Levy's only grandchild. I peaked in on Frere Levy to see if he was awake, but he was sleeping. So I took some time to hold the baby and talk to Naomi and her Mother. Their house had been damaged during the earthquake and thanks to the generous gifts of our supporters, we had been able to help them reinforce the house and enlarge it. So they took pride in showing me all the work that was done.

But Madame Levy was honest about how hard it was to care for her dying husband. She said he would sleep during the day and moan and be awake most of the night in extreme pain. He could do nothing for himself. This had gone on for over 3 months as each day he became weaker and weaker. There are no “Hospices” in Haiti that I know of. No “Nursing Homes”. Frere Levy spent a month in the public hospital in Port-au-Prince, but when there was nothing more they could do for him, he went back to his house, and it is there that he died.

During my visit the other day, four out of his five children appeared one by one. Joshua had come the farthest. He was studying Spanish in the Dominican Republic in the hopes of attending University there next year. He would like to become a Doctor. Then David and Moise came in from the local High School they attend where they are in their last year. Elysee, the oldest son, was not there, but has been with his father a lot. I had just seen him recently so I knew how he was struggling with his Father’s illness.

We all went into Frere Levy's room where he lay on a simple cot. No rich bedding, lizards running though the rafters, a bare cement floor, but it could have been the bedroom of a King as the love and respect his children and his wife had for him was palpable. We started singing hymns in Creole and French and his eyes fluttered open and he started to wave his hands. He was too weak to really move or sit up, but he recognized me during a break in the singing and then we prayed with him.

I will never forget the sight: His loving wife of many years on one end. Naomi holding the baby in the middle, three of his sons beside her, and an extra cousin and a young neighbor boy for added measure. They were all there showing their love and respect for this man who had provided for them and taught them so much about God and life. I realized that this is how I wanted to go.

Sadly, Frere Levy died of Prostate Cancer which in the US would might have been found early and have been treated. Unfortunately, by the time it was detected they had to operate right away and did not get all of it, so it spread rapidly throughout his body and he was literally a skeleton when he died. He suffered much over the past few months, but still kept his faith and would even try and sing along when we sang hymns for him.

But “Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints”, and Frere Levy had shown his love for the Lord by being a diligent student of the Bible. Even though he had nothing more than a High School Education, he knew the Bible very well and had won a number of “Bible knowledge” competitions at his church of over 1,000 members. He had also been the President of the parents committee of the Lemuel Football Club that three of his sons were involved in. He encouraged the parents on his committee to visit the Moms and Dads of all the players and talk to them about Christ. In this way many parents of our players trusted in Christ.

So, farewell, Frere Levy. You will always be a great example to me of a man with spiritual riches, put poor materially. Rich in family love, who left a wonderful Christian legacy for his family, friends and church.