“When I was younger and my dad passed, I was mad because he left without saying goodbye.”
Recently, while going through previous Defending the Cause Newsletters I came across a story that we covered in 2019. (Doing Life Together a Twin Story)
The Newsletter covers twin boys whose father died and the Mentor Fathers who boldly stepped into their lives; I wanted to know where these boys are today. Field Buddy Ethan caught me up to date and I wanted to share the conversation with you.
“After my dad died, I was filled with a deep pain that I couldn’t understand, let alone deal with. I dealt with this pain by running away from it and allowed anger to fill the void he left in my life. When Andy stepped into my life, I found something else to fill that void. Through Fathers in the Field Andy made a commitment to me and then threw himself completely into fulfilling that commitment. Andy and the Fathers in the Field ministry was the greatest blessing to me.”
Intrigued by that statement I asked Ethan how Andy had blessed him.
“I learned about life with Andy. When my dad died, I had gone through so much pain that I ran from difficult times. Andy taught me to fight through the pain, to work through my problems and not run from them. He demonstrated the love of Christ to me in everything. His commitment to me helped me to mature and to heal the wound caused by losing my dad. It changed my outlook on life and gave me relief that I desperately needed at the time. It blessed me in ways I can’t explain.”
As we continued our conversation Ethan pointed out the bond that he forged not just with Andy but his whole family. Holidays spent together, a place for him at the table, the ability to reach out and ask for help or to share a victory. Ethan is blessed with two families that love him and see the value God has placed in him.
We need more men like Andy to step into the lives of boys like Ethan, so that this story of blessing is the norm for the 14+ million fatherless boys in our country.
I asked Ethan to describe Fathers in the Field from the perspective of a former Field Buddy.
“Fathers in the Field helps a church put a Christian man into the life of a boy in need. That Mentor Father pours love into that kid and builds core memories about life and their relationship with God. In short, he blesses that boy the way a father is supposed to.”
Join with us today; together we can be the blessing Ethan describes.
Standing in the Gap,
John Smithbaker
Founding Servant
P: 1-844-472-4241 e: info@fathersinthefield.com
