As he got off the plane, Ron knew this was probably going to be the last time he’d see his brother, Jeff, who had been fighting cancer for nearly a year. A few days earlier the call had come from Jeff’s wife, Cindy: “If you want to see Jeff one more time, you’d better get down here fast.” Ron had quickly arranged for time off work and headed off to see Jeff.

Ron was quite apprehensive as he walked into Jeff’s room. He hadn’t seen his brother for six months, so he was sure Jeff had declined physically. Even more, though, Ron worried about how his brother was holding up emotionally.

Expecting the worst, he was pleasantly surprised. “I could definitely see the physical deterioration, but he greeted me with a warm grin,” said Ron. “He was tired and weak--but in good spirits.” Right away Jeff introduced Ron to another man in the room--a Stephen Minister named Cal.

“I hadn’t ever heard of Stephen Ministry, but I learned a lot about it just by watching Cal. He was so obviously a source of strength for Jeff just by being there. I could see right away what a difference he was making in Jeff’s life. I figured he must be a pastor. So I was a little surprised to learn he was an electrician, who had been trained at Jeff’s church to be there for other men who are going through a difficult time.”

During the next three days Ron was able to spend precious time with his brother before Jeff died. He also saw Cal a few more times, as the Stephen Minister was stopping by every evening during those final days.

“After Jeff died, Cal was concerned about how I was doing,” said Ron. “He checked in with me and prayed with me a couple of times during the days between Jeff’s death and the funeral. Cindy also had her own Stephen Minister, and introduced me to her at the funeral. So I felt good knowing that Cindy was well taken care of, too.”

The day before Ron flew back home, he received one more call from Jeff’s Stephen Minister. “Cal told me his pastor had learned that there was a church with Stephen Ministry not far from where I lived. He wanted to know if I’d like his pastor to call to see about my getting my own Stephen Minister back at home,” said Ron. “The thought hadn’t crossed my mind until that moment, but I had just seen two Stephen Ministers in action, caring for my brother and sister-in-law, so I said yes.”

The day after Ron returned home, he received a phone call from a Stephen Leader at the nearby church. The next day he met with that Stephen Leader, and two days after that Ron began meeting weekly with his own Stephen Minister.

“I can’t tell you what a difference he’s made in my life,” said Ron. “Not only was I grieving for my brother, but I had been struggling with the whole ‘God-thing’ for a long time. I believed in God but had just been too busy to make room for him in my life. Jeff’s death brought all of that to the forefront. My Stephen Minister did a great job of just listening to me and letting me work through the issues without judging me or pushing religion on me. Through him I discovered God in a new way, in a very personal way. I saw that my brother died with ‘the peace that passes all understanding,’ and I’m quickly discovering that peace myself. I’m so thankful for Stephen Ministry--for my brother, my sister-in-law, and for me!”