Howard Fisher
(December 29th, 1985- February 3rd, 2010)
Athlete, Beloved Friend, Brother in Christ
You will be deeply missed.
I'm reading this book called 'A Quest For More' by Paul Tripp. In it he speaks about the groaning that takes place in this world. It comes from Romans 8:22-25. It states:
"We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what he already has? But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently."
Yesterday at 9:30 in the morning I was informed that one of our student-athletes, and friend, on the soccer team passed away after battling a-plastic anemia for a month. This is a condition where the bone marrow fails to produce red blood cells, platelets, and white blood cells. I read about this and learned that this is a very serious and rare condition. If this condition is treated promptly then the survival rate is good. The problem in Howard's case is that he was from Jamaica and when the symptoms started he was in Jamaica. Health care in Jamaica is poor, in fact the first hospital Howard was in, from what we hear, didn't even have running water. Efforts were made to bring him back to the U.S. to treat him. A doctor at Duke said he would take the case, a student and friend named Stephen went to Jamaica to get him and bring him back, donating much needed platelets in the process, and several organizations had stepped up to pay for a medical flight for him to return to the U.S. Howard's health deteriorated too rapidly during this process and he succumbed to the disease on February 3rd at 7:10 am.
This is what happened to Howard, now I want to try to tell you who Howard was. First and foremost he was a believer in Jesus Christ and a child of God. Howard was a very rare and special person. There were over 500 people at his memorial service today, all people who Howard had touched in one way or another. Yesterday Montreat's chaplain talked about three groups of people who were affected by Howard. There are the close friends and loved ones, the people who had a relationship with him through sports or school, and then the people who didn't have the chance to build any kind of relationship with him but knew who he was and what he was about. I fell in the second group of people. I didn't, until today, realize how deeply he has impacted my life. He was the type of person who always saw the positive in situations. I never heard a complaint come from his mouth. He grew up in poverty, while in Jamaica, with no bed to sleep on until coming to Montreat. He never once took for granted the chance he had at a college education. His smile was contagious and it was always present. He always took the time to say hello and ask how you were doing. He had a genuine care and concern for each person he encountered. He was truly a larger then life type of person. He stood 6'6" and needed every bit of that to contain his huge heart. Our lives are truly better for knowing him and I am deeply honored for the times I was able to spend with him. Chaplain Steve shared a message today at the memorial speaking about when Christ returns. It comes from Revelation 19:13-14, "He is clothed in a robe dipped in blood, and the name by which He called is The Word of God. And the armies of heaven, arrayed in fine linen, white and pure, were following him on white horses." Steve mentioned that one of these people arrayed in a white robe riding with Christ will be Howard, with his huge smile welcoming those who believe into heaven.
This brings me back to Romans 8 and the groaning- This verse became very real for me with the passing of Howard. Paul Tripp says, "We are supposed to groan because in every situation and circumstance we see the damage that sin has done and is doing." Sickness and death came because of Adam's sin. Something far worse than physical death occurs: eternal separation from God. There are so many people who don't have a personal relationship with Christ and this needs to make me groan. This needs to make me pray and work passionately for God's kingdom and not my own. Howard taught, with his life and his death, the importance of relationships. Paul Tripp says this about relationships, "For many people relationships are an end, not a means to an end. People in our lives are more a source of personal happiness than a tool God uses to continue the good work that He begun in us and in others. Most relationships have little or nothing to do with God, and His plan on earth. Our short-sighted satisfaction is exposed by the fact that when we look at our relationships, we do not groan. If you pursue God's plan for your relationships, you will groan, because you will be confronted with how far you and others are from what God says is good and best." Howard taught me that I don't always take advantage of the time given. At one point Howard had hurt his back and I worked with him for about a month to get him back into playing shape. If I had known the future I would have made a point to make our conversation deeper. The point is that I can never know the future so I need to be real with everyone I come into contact with. Thankfully, because of God's grace, I will see Howard again someday and continue our conversation in eternal fellowship.
I wanted to finish with a couple of poems written by Howard that were shared at his service today:
Life
Life is not measured by how many
Breathes you take but by how many
Times life takes your breathe away
Stop complaining about things you
Don't have but be grateful for
Things you do have
Live every day
Like it's your last for
Time wasted can never be regained
For experiences in life are not
Counted by your age but by
The number of encounters you have had
A Place To Rest
Finally a chance to rest
A chance for me to take
A leap of faith and be the best
Finally I can now occupy that
Wide and open space
To catch a nice clean and crisp breath
A space where I can laugh chat
And be myself
Finally a chance to rest
I have been in a bible study with Lyndsey and Erin since we arrived here in Dec of 2006. These are two Awesome women of God that will be doing great things for His kingdom. I have learned so much from them!
Howard's family was able to come from Jamacia. They were presented an honorary degree during the graduation ceremony and were able to speak regarding this honor. They also spoke of Montreat and all the people that have reached out to them during this time and what that has meant for their family.
We will also miss our good friend Sami. He has decided to transfer to another 'bigger' college, possibly Syracuse for soccer and business. We have tried to convince him to stay, especially because he is one of Zaba's favorite athletes, but he feels it is time for him to go.What will Mark do during soccer season without Sami around to fake injuries? :)
