I Finally Wrote the Letter

I finally wrote the letter. It was to a woman I worked with at McDonald’s in high school. Leslie would witness to me about Jesus Christ and I was at a rebellious point in my life when I was trying to convince myself there was no God. I heard enough religion at home and certainly didn’t want to hear it from her. Even though I had a reputation for being a big part of the party scene, she had let me take her daughter to my senior prom as long as I promised to not drink alcohol the entire night. Leslie was a very Godly woman and it showed in her life and her countenance.

Nearly 20 years had gone by. I had accepted Jesus Christ a few years after graduation and for a long time felt like I needed to mail her a letter. Through the years, I had thought back to how I had likely not responded to her witness very politely. Knowing me, I had probably answered with sarcasm. I knew they have moved to Arizona but didn’t know how to find an address. Fortunately, with the new Internet I was able to easily find a mailing address for Leslie.

While deployed to Prince Sultan Air Base, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia I finally put pen to paper. In the letter I shared with Leslie how her words had always stuck in my mind and was definitely an ingredient that would lead to me later accepting Jesus Christ. I apologized to her for making fun of her behind her back. It felt great completing an assignment that the Lord had been prodding me to complete for years.

God blessed me immensely for writing that letter. On Christmas Eve of 1997, I was still in Saudi Arabia living in an 8 man tent. I was feeling very sad and lonely being 7500 miles from family. The First Sergeant was making his rounds from tent to tent delivering one last mail call before midnight. They stopped at my tent and I was handed an envelope from Tucson, Arizona. It was a delightful letter from Leslie thanking me for sharing my testimony of how I was saved by Jesus Christ. I had told her about my radio ministry and she was genuinely delighted that I had gone into ministry. It was such a heartwarming letter to receive on Christmas Eve and somehow didn’t make me feel near as far from family.

What about you? Is there a letter that you should write? Has there been a situation in your life where someone had a great influence on your life? Is it time that they hear from you? Maybe it was a teacher, a minister or simply a neighbor. Imagine after many years if that person were to check their mailbox and find a card or letter from you. Think about how their eyes would tear up as they read your words. Take time this week to write that note, send that letter or make that phone call. Regardless of what you have scheduled this week, writing that long postponed letter will likely be the most important thin you accomplish.


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