The Impact of One Life - In Celebration of David Wagner
From Pam Harmon, Director of Strategic Partnerships & Learning -
As I remember David Wagner, I want to share with you how David’s birth and life had a transformative impact on Young Life as a mission and on me and my life. Mark and I have known John Wagner since before any of us were married or had children. John’s desire was that some day his kids would have the experience that he had as a teenager with YL - that feeling of being known and chosen, of experiencing fun and adventure, and of being introduced to God who created us and loves us just the way we are. When David was born, he naturally wanted that for him.
To make a long story short, in the spring of 2000 John and God began to convince me to start Capernaum in Washington, DC (where we were all living at that time). There was zero Capernaum in the east, and the goal was that by the time David was in high school there would be YL club and camp for him and his friends. That same year Suzanne Markham (later Suzanne Williams) was hired to begin Capernaum in Baltimore, just 1/2 hour away!
God showed us favor, and Capernaum grew and grew in the eastern division. David had wonderful YL Capernaum groups in both Montgomery Co., MD and in New York City. He went to YL Camp as a camper multiple times, and he loved it.
The mission of YL learned a great deal during those 20 years about teenagers and families affected by disability and about growing ministry. I want to mention 3 things we learned through David that have been transformative:
1. It is good for us to create spaces where kids feel like they belong before we expect them to be brave and vulnerable.
David knew what he liked. And when you did what David liked, then he could be very brave.
I remember one of the first times he arrived at camp, and he wasn’t excited about getting out of the van. It was a new place and he was not sure about it. YL leaders tried coaxing him out of the van and finally began to welcome him by singing songs from his favorite movie. Slowly but surely he emerged ready to explore! His eyes sparkled when he felt like he belonged.
In YL we’re learning how good it is for us to create spaces where kids feel like they belong before we expect them to be brave and vulnerable. We’re learning that slow, creative and individualized ministry works best. I’m glad David began to teach us that truth.
2. Jesus has time and provides friends to sit alongside us for as long as it takes to experience his presence.
David loved to dance, but he didn’t love loud noise.
I remember sitting on the floor in the hallway outside the club room with David at camp. There were hundreds of people inside the clubroom and it was noisy. So he and I sat and listened and played with some toys from a distance. Gradually the laughter, excitement and dancing captured his attention, and he scooted closer and closer until he was in the room. That’s all it took - by the end of the week, he was up on the stage dancing with his friends!
David reminded us that it’s okay to observe and to take our time before we participate. David reminded me that Jesus has time and provides friends to sit alongside us for as long as it takes to experience his presence. Jesus is not in a hurry.
3. We can see the power of the Holy Spirit and the power of friendship in the life of teenagers who live with so many challenges.
For many years David did not like to eat meals in the dining hall. At YL camps there are a lot of people and loud music when we eat together, so David preferred to eat outside. At a number of gatherings, David and his dad or his YL leader would be found eating their meals at a picnic table outside, even in the rain.
One summer David’s YL leaders convinced David to try again to enter the dining area - this time attempting to enter in after everyone else was seated. By then the chaos had quieted, and David could walk straight to his table to eat sitting with his friends. I remember standing outside the door praying for the Holy Spirit to give David the courage to take each step into that space that seemed so unpredictable to him. He did it! We saw again the power of the Holy Spirit and the power of friendship in the life of teenagers who live with so many challenges.
David was brave, he trusted his friends, and he continued to try new things even when they were scary. David loved his family, his smile was contagious, and the sparkle in his eyes lit up a room.
David was a little boy who grew into a young man who was well-loved by his mom, by his dad, by his sister and brother, by his grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, YL leaders, church community, teachers, and many friends.
God used David’s impact and influence to grow Capernaum exponentially. David gave us many gifts. He insisted that we be creative, that we pay attention to each individual’s needs, and that we ask for the Holy Spirit’s help in ways we may never have had to depend on before. When we did those things alongside David, we saw the glory of God in his smile, in the way he said our names, in the sparkle of his eyes, and in his fantastic dance moves.
David’s birth invited and launched me into the most interesting, amazing, transformative, challenging, absolutely unbelievably full-of-gifts career, beyond anything that I could have ever imagined. I am so grateful for David’s birth, his life, and the impact he has had on my life and on Young Life as a mission.
Thanks be to God.
.......................
His leader and friend Paul Johnson also put together this wonderful slideshow to share David's impact on his own life. Take a minute to read and reflect with him.
.........................
This kind of loss is unfathomable, but we are forever grateful for David and how he changed the world! We are all invited, celebrated and needed!
You can read more about David's life through the book written by his dad, John Wagner in 2015 - Perfect, Sacred Stories from the Heart of a Dad.
Comments
Post a Comment