An Open Letter to My Brother

Dear Ray,

We’ve been doing camp together for a long time.  We started out with you taking Kathryn to camp, and then the next year others from our group joined you too.  Later the tables turned and you started bringing your kids to camp with our group.  We did camp with Penny in Ukraine.  And now here we are again, doing camp together.

You made such an impression on those who got to be with you here last week.  When we had the closing ceremonies we had a slide show.  Every time there was a picture of you, the campers all cheered and shouted your name.  It was awesome.  They got it, Ray.  They knew how much you cared about them.  And those of us on staff were pleased with the challenges you gave them to go and do good to those around them, and to love them as they were loved here at Camp of the Woods.  It couldn’t  have ended up any better.

We were both under great stress, me with the busyness of the camp program; you with some nervousness and struggles back at home.  I am in awe of how God took broken plans, chaos, and rusty vessels and made it into an awesome gift of love for those here at COTW.  To God I say, “Your works are marvelous and that I know right well.”

I know that you are struggling in many ways.  I’m thankful that you were able to share some this with me.  As I have in the past I’ll ask you again, “Do you listen to your own sermons?”  When you spoke of how God chose David and told Samuel, “Man looks on the outward appearance but God looks on the heart,”  I thought of you.  God sees your heart, Ray, and His measure of success looks totally different from anything we see in this world.  He knows your love for others, He sees your total devotion to doing what He wants you to do, even when you can’t understand, or it just seems really hard.  He looks on you, Ray, and He is pleased…I know He is.  And there is no greater success than that.

I was so proud for you to be here.  I am so pleased that you are my brother.  You are one of the biggest influences in my life, and any success I achieve in my life, you share a part in.  And let me add that I know that I’m not the only one who can say that.

I had a long talk about you with one of the other staff members here.   One of the last things he said to me was, “The world’s a better place because of Ray.”  I couldn’t agree more.  I love you, and I am praying for you.