Vester part 3

"I realized that I had placed the story of 'Vester' part 1 & 2 on this site, but had forgotten to add the last part 3. The encounter that I had with Vester, is the circumstance that lead me to jail ministry. If you haven’t read Part 1 & 2 they are back in the months prior. Thanks for reading…hope you enjoy it."

When I entered the Hospital I was directed to a waiting room where his family was gathered. I knew some, his mom & grandmother I didn't know, so I introduced myself to them. When the grandmother heard my name she said "You're the one". "You're the one he said came to see him at the jail". I told her that I was & we proceeded to talk about what had happened to Vester. I told her that I had invited him to church twice but he never showed. She just looked at me… "He said that he wanted me to drop him off at that church, but I thought it was just an excuse to get out & get with his old friends". She felt really bad, but I assured her that she was doing what she thought was right. She went on to tell me that he had been shot in the stomach for trying to break in the door of someone's house. She also told me that before this he had been back on drugs & at night would call her to come get him, sometimes she would find him curled up under a pay phone, paranoid that someone was out to get him. We talked about the hold that drugs had on him. He had stolen his grandmother's car & checkbook the day of the shooting, he brought it back & told her that if he could steal from her like that that he didn't want to live, and then he left. The next thing they knew, he was kicking in the door of a person that had previously said that he would kill Vester if he ever came back to his home & that day announced to Vester that he was on the other side with a gun, but Vester continued on.
I left her with the letters that he had written me from prison & they allowed me to go in to see him alone. While I was walking over to his room I was going over all that had happened in my mind & growing very angry at God…"Why, Why did this happen! You told me that when he accepted You he would be new! He would be different! What happened, don't You care?…Is he saved?" I was more than angry, I was hurt. Hurt that I didn't know where this man that I told all this Jesus stuff to would spend eternity.
I sat down beside his bed; he was unresponsive & hooked up to a machine that helped him breath. He looked peaceful. I didn't really know what to say, so I started telling him that if he died I know that he will be with Jesus. He did just exactly what Romans 10:9 said to: "That if you confess with your mouth, 'Jesus is Lord,' and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved." He did that, I was there I heard him. So I told him again "If you die, Jesus will bring you home". Now I don't know if this happened because of the state he was in or if he heard me, but when I said those words to him, a tear ran down his face. I prayed for him & then went back out to see the family before going home.
The next morning I was still uneasy about his salvation, but I had to believe that God was true to his word. I was at work when I received word that Vester had passed. His mother called me & asked if I would conduct his funeral. I was a little taken back, I had never handled a funeral, but she put me in contact with a pastor of a church that Vester’s uncle attended & Vester visited a few times. The pastor told me that he would handle the obituary part & other technical things & I could just share the gospel & how I knew Vester. I agreed but I couldn't do this funeral not knowing whether or not he was in Heaven. So I asked God to let me know. And a peace that I had never felt came over me & I knew he was there.
The day came for the funeral & the pastor & I were seated behind a curtain waiting to speak. I couldn't even see who was out there, funeral homes are weird. When the pastor finished with the obituary he looked at me & nodded for me to come up. Now since I had accepted Christ I'd always wanted to get the chance to witness to guys that I had done drugs with, but had yet to get that opportunity…until now. When I stepped out from behind that curtain I recognize many faces. I told them about Vester's accepting Christ & how they could accept him too.
I also told them that if they accepted Jesus that they would see Vester again one day. There were several when asked if they wanted to know for sure when they died that they would go to heaven, that prayed & if they were honest, accepted Christ that day. After I prayed the funeral director came up & directed the people in what to do & where the site would be.
When I arrived at the grave site I was a little down. I had so much wanted Vester to come out, do good & live a changed life. I felt bad because I didn't do what I needed to do to disciple him. I acted like a two year old & sulked because he didn't come to church with me. I failed as a Christian & as a friend.
When the graveside was over, I stayed at the grave as the family was leaving. I had faith in God that Vester was in heaven, but little did I know that God was about to show me his true grace. As I stood there staring down into the grave, the pastor called out as he approached me with another man following. He introduced this man as Vester's uncle that attended their church. His uncle went on to tell me that he was called the night Vester was shot; they knew that he attended church & wanted him to go to the hospital. He said that as they took Vester out of the ambulance he ran along beside him while they rolled him down the hall. Vester was in bad shape, he couldn't talk but he was alert & could understand what you said. He said that he asked Vester if he died tonight did he know for sure that he would go to heaven. Vester nodded yes. He also asked him if he needed to get anything right with God before. Again he nodded yes, so they prayed.
I was shaking by this point as I thanked his uncle for relaying that. I told God thank you & felt that Vester was in God's hands now & the addiction of drugs will never touch him again.
I wrote this to tell the story of Vester, to say that when you sincerely accept Christ, even if you fall, God still loves you, & you will never be plucked from His hand.
God taught me some wonderful things through Vester, He taught me that those who sit in these jails & prisons, though they have committed a crime and do deserve to be there, they are still human beings that God created & are in desperate need of Him. He also taught me that no matter the circumstance, I can always trust Him to be faithful &true to His word. But most of all, He taught me to never give up on people…because, He never gave up on me.

"For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved." Romans 10:13

Vern