Losing A Friend

Gina and I lost a friend last Thursday. His name was Ernst, and he was an older man who ran a leather workshop a few doors down from the EuNC campus and Eurasia Regional Office.

Gina phoned me Thursday morning to tell me he was gone. Neither of us could believe it as he always seemed more or less in fine health.

We received information today confirming his death, and that he had been to see the doctor that week. The doctor ordered him to immediately go to the hospital, but Ernst (stubborn and independent to the end) refused to heed the doctor's advice. Instead, he went back to his shop, locked the door, and decided to lay down awhile. When he didn't come home, his lady-friend tried to get into the shop to see if he was there. When she couldn't get in, she called the police. They broke into the shop and discovered his body. He had died from kidney failure.

Gina and I were still in the process of getting to know Ernst, but here's the little we do know. He grew up near a U.S. military base in Germany, and learned English from the soldiers he met there. His American accent, laced with a slight East Coast flavor, was flawless. He lived in Büsingen for a long time before leaving for awhile, and recently returned within the past year and opened up his leather shop where Pastor Ludwig (our local church pastor) used to keep his office. Gina engaged him in conversation at one point, and told me what a sci-fi nerd Ernst was. Within days, I also walked down and began talking to him. If there was one thing about Ernst it was his ability to hold up his end of a conversation.

He was great fun to talk to about a wide range of subjects. He gave me a CD of a number of sci-fi books I could read on the computer, and we enjoyed sharing book and film recommendations. He had some very strange ideas about politics and religion, which he seemed to mix up together with a generous dose of occult prophecy and conspiracy theory. He was quite convinced about the evils of the Catholic Church, with which he tended to lump all streams of organized religion. He could talk on and on about such things, unless you found a way to politely change the subject.

Strange ideas aside, he really was very enjoyable to talk with. Sometimes, he might be too eager to talk for a long time if we were on our way somewhere under a time-crunch. For the most part, however, it was pleasant to stop by his shop for a few minutes and talk and laugh with him. Gina and I both tried to "test the waters" and engage him in spiritual topics, but these would usually degenerate into his conspiracy theories and memorized occult prophecies. We could talk about anything else in a rational way, but religion and politics were definitely subjects to avoid. He was so kind and friendly, but filled with distrust of the Church.

Despite his oddness, he was a recognizable part of the community. Many people from Büsingen, as well as Gina and I, would stop by his shop to talk. He was very friendly with everyone, always had something good to say, and appeared to be a popular figure among the locals. He repaired Gina's winter shoes free of charge, and was going to teach me how to do simple leather projects which I was planning to give away as Christmas presents.

It's not the first time someone in my sphere of influence has died before I could directly share the Gospel and invite them to make a decision. It's not the first time that I question whether or not I did my job as a Christian. His death brings questions to our minds: Did we do enough? Were there missed opportunities? Could we have been more deliberate about sharing Christ with him? Could he see Jesus in us at all, despite his distrust of the Church?

We can only trust in God's love and mercy, and His greater knowledge of Ernst's heart and life. We had no idea time was so short.