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Visions and Rememberences

Before the September 11th attacks had taken place in the States, I saw a vision of Mark in Heaven and he was sitting with a bunch of people teaching them and comforting them. I got the impression that these people had died suddenly as well, similiar to Mark, in some type of an accident. Later, when I watched the news about what had happened and the many lives that were taken, I got a strong witness that Mark was with some of these victims in my vision.

Mark had a very sweet and sincere and honest spirit. I remember when he was 13 and 14 years old, it's a difficult age, but he was already thinking about what the meaning of life and asking, “What am I living for”. He was only 13 or 14 and sometimes he'd spend hours at home just crying (questioning) and all he could talk to was my mother. At the time she couldn't tell him anything. I guess that was the time when I got saved, but it was still the last years of the previous (Communist) regime and I was advised not to witness to him--at first I had to take it slowly, slowly and slowly. So it was a whole year after I got saved that I witnessed to him. By that time he was really, really desperate just wondering what to live for.

I remember he was the easiest person to witness to, the quickest witness I ever had to do. We were walking home one evening talking and he was telling me his thoughts. I asked him, “What if there was a God?” and he said, “That would be nice.” I told him, “Well, you know, there is.” He said, “Really?” and I told him, “You can ask Jesus into your heart right now.” The next minute, he said the prayer with me. That was all it took. He was really hungry for the Lord's Spirit.

Even after that, for nearly another year, I couldn't take him to meet the Family yet. He asked me questions and I answered, but all he had was the Bible. And since that was all he had he was a really good sample of knowing the Word. He really got things straight even though he'd had no Bible classes. He got everything straight just from reading the Scriptures. Almost the way we believed and had been taught.

Later on he started meeting the Family and got classes, but he really knew the Bible. I remember sometimes having conversations and for the funniest little things he'd apply Bible verses or answering with a verse that sometimes wasn't applicable and just fit in the sentence, but he really was full of the Word.

He also had an incredible love for children. It didn't matter whose kids they were. Even before I had kids and one of my cousins had a baby, he was much more fatherly with him than I was. He really had a heart for children and loved them a lot.

I was just thinking of a couple of things to share about Mark. The first thing Faithy touched on a little bit was how it's funny what you remember when somebody, whom you've lived, with goes to be with the Lord. It's the little things that you remember that come flooding back. It takes a lot to live together and be a Home and you go through all kinds of things, but boy (when something like this happens) you forget the difficulties in a second. It's like it was nothing. It's the other things you remember, the sweet things, the little things that would make Mark laugh, the things we'd enjoy together, like how he really knew the Word.

I'd be in the kitchen making breakfast, and every morning he'd always come to Kelly (my daughter) who was always sitting late at the table eating her breakfast and he'd always pat her head as he’d walk past her. In the rush of your day you tend to minimize those things. They're just „small” things and you only think about the "big" things. You're so busy going somewhere, but when something like this happens, suddenly you appreciate those things and the people that you live with, to not be in such a hurry that you lose sight of all those little precious moments you share with each other.

It struck me that FSM about Africa where Aaron talked about going from Uganda to Sudan. He was pushing to get there, but for some reason he couldn't get a lift and then he ended up on a bike. They stopped by a lake and it just struck him that too often he's in such a hurry to get somewhere that he misses the precious little things the Lord has to show him along his journey. That struck me, having lived with Mark, as something that I want to take along with me from this point on: to have a renewed appreciation for the little things that you enjoy with people even if you only see them once in awhile.

One lesson I've learned through this is that small things are not really that small. Mark's personality was very small, simple, humble. It struck me that it's interesting that the Lord took Mark because those are high qualities in the Lord's eyes and that's one of the reasons I'm sure the Lord chose him.

We watched the pictures from the States about the WTC disaster and saw on the news a tribute to the heroes--the fire-fighters and police that died in the building when it went down. It was like that quote I get about Mark-- about the little guys on the frontline--they are the heroes. That was Mark. He lived his whole life in a simple field Home. There are a lot of "Marks" in the Family--people going on and doing as much as they can for the Lord.

We were talking (earlier) about how we wish we could've done more for the Lord and we don't feel we were as successful as we could've been. I said, “Yeah, but when Mark went to be with the Lord, his hand was on the plough. He was trying, he was faithful.” And it struck me that when the fire fighters were digging in the rubble in New York and they found a fallen fire fighter that everything stopped, it went quiet. It's like what we're experiencing right now. They would take the fallen fire-fighter out, showing their love and respect, then they'd go right back in and start looking for other people. That's what we're going to be doing. We're going to keep serving the Lord, but it sure helps you realise that, whatever we're doing, it's important to the Lord. One of our "fire-fighters" went down on the job--and we keep going.

There's also the song “If there's any good that I can do, let me do it now, for I may never pass this way again.” We've been living together for six years and you don't think about that--your deeds and interactions--then all of a sudden it can happen.

The very first thing I received when first hearing of the accident was that it was an honour and reward for Mark that the Lord took him at that time while he was out on the field just after having completed a road trip. After we heard the news and were trying to understand all that had happened, there was a beautiful rainbow in the sky which instantly comforted me, reminding me of the Lord's love and care.

The same evening while I was praying, I saw a vision of Mark so radiant and happy! His heavenly body was so beautiful. He was very muscular and handsome and his face was just beaming! Then a few days later, on our way back home, we had just driven past the place of the accident--a last "farewell" to the place where he died and of course it was quite emotional. The day before, the girls had laid a little wreath of white silk roses and some red roses there. A little while later I was sitting in the back of the car praying and I thought, “I wonder where he is now?”, and instantly I heard him say, “I'm right here with you!” He was sitting in the car with us with a big smile on his face and his arm resting on the back of the chair looking real relaxed!

Some minutes later, I could feel that he had left the car. (In my mind) I questioned if he was leaving us and he said, “Don't worry, I'm not leaving you. I'm just going out in front of the car ahead of us.” Then he said to slow down as there was something up ahead. Lord help me, I didn't share this with the girls at the time for my lack of faith wondering if I was really hearing from the spirit world. Then minutes later the cars in front of us started slowing down and bunching up and a red car directly in front braked quite hard and we slowed down. It was quite an experience and lesson to me on having more faith in hearing from the spirit world and sharing it! So dear Mark was our Guardian Angel for the trip Home and out there in front protecting us.

Another very personal thing I got from the Lord was that the place where he died was called Edenbergen (we believe that means Eden's mountain in German). I thought, “What a coincidence that the place where he went to be with the Lord has part of my name in it!” But then I got that it was a sign of his love and respect for me and Jude, his parents in the Lord. Mark had joined around the time of the Charter and had been with us his whole time in the family. I've gotten lots of verses about his Homegoing, like “Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints.”

Another amazing thing that happened the day of the accident was that at about the exact time of Mark's death, Eve and I met a store owner who had met Mark and bought some tools from him a few weeks earlier. He was very sweet and remembered Mark and Faithy with fondness as they presented the work and he then gave another donation to help the work.

I was looking through some photos we have of him the other night and in almost every picture he is surrounded by orphan children at the CTPs, or poor people in Eastern Hungary who he went to visit with food, clothes and blankets after they had lost their homes in the floods these last few years. Mark's life touched so many people, from the kids and poor in our CTPs to his witnessing and provisioning contacts, even the neighbours who he would often go to with extra provisioning.

I feel very honoured to have worked side by side with him all these years. He was a very sweet and precious disciple. I look back with real fond memories of our times serving the Lord together. I wish I had told him I loved him more and how thankful I was for all he did for us and the Home, but I know he knows that. Another thing I got clearly was how touched he was at our tears and grief and how much we all loved him.

When we lived together at the Lighthouse, he and Steve were outreach partners and Steve would always say, “God bless Mark, he's a really sweet brother.”

I was telling someone today that Steve had just passed his driving school but he hadn't fully gotten his driver's license yet. The only vehicle we had was the big white English van (with the steering on the right). Mark knew how to drive it and he was trying to teach Steve how to drive it. On the days after outreach they'd try to find some little deserted roads and Mark was trying to teach Steve how to drive it. They'd come home laughing and Mark would be like, “Okay, Steve, you're doing better.” It was really sweet.

Mark was just a sweet happy "holy hole" willing to step in and help out with whatever. Like Jude was sharing, he had the makings of a saint. That's what a saint is, someone who lets the light of Jesus shine through. I have to say for myyself that's the thing that stands out most about Mark's life and his service in the Family, he was nothing of himself and that's what made him wonderful. That's what gave him that shine and that light. He was willing to let the Lord's Word soak up and permeate his being and he shone the Lord's love and the Lord's light. We're so thankful to have him on our side.

That night I couldn't sleep much after hearing the news (about Mark). I was praying and trying to get something from the Lord. It wasn't a vision, but I could see Mark smiling and happy. For a good part of the night I really couldn't sleep and the strongest impression was that his home-going is real significant for the work in Hungary.

I was trying to remember when Mark met the Family. He was going to the club we had on Mexikoi street and I was helping there. He was so unassuming, humble, sweet, one of the easiest to take care of. Quite soon he was, what we would say in our lingo, becoming a dependable brother in the Lord. He really liked coming and going out witnessin, and a few things that Aaron shared about him being so receptive I remember quite well.

There is no value in anything else but in living for others and I guess it was right after his homegoing, right after I got the message his life was already touching my life in a way I could never have dreamed of because we just don't think about these things until they happen. I kept thinking also about silly things we also sometimes argue about in our home, pointless. I wish I could be more loving to others and do something that will last forever.

I knew Mark mostly around the same time that Lucas did, around the time that we had the club. What stands out to me about Mark and what I remember him for is the word “faithful”. When I think of him, I think of “faithful”. And I never heard him complain about anything. I'm sure he did sometimes, but I never saw him do it. He always stood out in that way to me.

Another little thing I wanted to share is that since his home-going, every time I think about him, without fail, I get this picture of him in white, glowing and with a big smile. It always comes to me every time I've thought about him since that time which has been very encouraging.

I've known Mark from the beginning of my meeting the Family. He was the 2nd Family member to give me classes. Afterwards, we were catacombers together for a long time, so I'm really close to him.

What I wanted to share about him--positive things--Mark was always really considerate and his prayerfulness always amazed me. When we went out witnessing he was not going for the quantity, but he was always thinking about the quality. He was willing to spend the whole time, a few hours with only one person, witnessing to the same person and their lives were really changed. Of course we believe the Lord will change that person's life too if we're quickly witnessing, but he always took his time. I wanted to tell this because lately we were going to the market together every week and he was doing tremendous witnessing there too. It was really amazed me.

After this accident, I really had a hard time going to the contacts, to see how they would react. But what amazed me was their reaction. I saw the fruits of what Mark had been planting (in their hearts) all these years going to the market witnessing faithfully. All these people had faith and their reaction was that nobody was freaking out or (questioning) why it happened. Some people said, “Well, the good ones go first.”

He was always witnessing in every situation. He even spent lots of time with people who were not so favourable and tried to give them the Lord's answers.

I guess like David, I saw Mark when we went to the market and we would spend time together and push the fruit and veggies around the market. That was lots of fun. But I guess because I'm older he would help me. He never made me feel like I was letting him push the heavier part of it, which I was doing. But Mark was very, very, very sweet and humble and meek. I often saw him at different functions, like somebody mentioned at Pepsi Island, witnessing.

He was always smiling whenever I saw him around which made quite an impression on me. With Mark I never heard one negative word about anybody.

I teach Bible classes once a week and after hearing about the accident, about a week or so afterwards, we had a class and I pulled the guitar out and sang a few songs, then read the Word. But on this occasion I felt that Mark was there in the Spirit and it touched me because I hadn't experienced that before in the classes. I felt that he wanted me to sing a (particular) song to the guys there, so I sang it.

Afterwards, I learned when I shared this testimony with the folks there that this was actually a song that he sang to someone when they were going through it, something they remembered that he did for them. Of course I didn't know that. But it also impressed me because he's a national, and he had a real heart and love for the Hungarian nationals. He was a very faithful class-giver and feeder of the sheep.

(Vision:) I had a vision of Mark showing me his wings. While in Germany finalising the different things with the Police and the hospital there, we stayed at a campground in the same town outside Augsburg where the accident happened. I was sitting by myself outside the tent at dusk just thinking about Mark and praying for him and in my "mind's eye" (my spiritual eye) there he was about 20 metres in front of me. He was so radiant and strong looking, so happy and he was showing me his "tricks" how he could fly, flip over and he was just thrilled with his new powers! I was just sitting there smiling. It was like he was putting on a show for me. And then he said, almost cheekily, "Would you like so see my wings?", whereupon he promptly turned around and showed me his strong broad shoulders, normal build, though a lot bigger and stronger looking than Mark had here on earth, and then all of a sudden this like fan-tail of layered metalic leaves spread out from the place where his shoulder blades would normally be! He was so pleased with them and he turned around so that I could get a better look, and it was the neatest thing because they somehow folded accordion style right into his shoulder blades so that at one moment his back looked completely normal and then all of a sudden they just fanned out and there were his wings. They weren't as big as you normally expect an angels wings to be and they weren't big and feathery, but in a way more "modern" or dynamic looking - it's difficult to describe it, but that's the way I saw it and he was just so happy! (end of vision)