You see what we long to see, Abe.

God made Abe beautiful inside and out. After a life changing mission trip with his junior class, he began to grow in the Lord as never before. He loved to see God work through him, and he loved to share his faith. He was intelligent and witty, and he was a loyal friend to have. He enjoyed the company of others. He was good at bringing you back down to earth with a matter of fact wisdom, sprinkled with humor. He had a creative mind and a keen eye for beauty. He loved the beautiful earth that God gave to him, and the people God put in his life.

Abe wanted to do the right thing. When asked why he wanted to be in the front of the fight, he said, "I'm not going to stay behind, sending somebody else to fight for me, a fight I can and should be doing myself." He also did not fear death, should it come to him. He was confident in His Savior's words that he would one day be in paradise with Him, and even said it would be better if he were the one to die instead of one of his comrades who did not yet know God. I told him that if something should happen to him, don't worry about us, we would be OK, and we knew we would always see him again someday.

Every remaining day I have left on this earth, I wait for that reunion, because death did come. He left this earth abruptly at the hands of evil men. However, what the Devil meant for evil, God continues to use for good.

Maria Simpson, Mother