Grandpa.

Dear Loved Ones,

Thank you all so much for your prayers and thoughts during this time. I have received many very kind words and much support from many people. Thank you so much for all of your love and support. This is the letter I sent back to Minnesota that was read at Grandpa's ceremony.



Grandpa's Remembrance Letter

I am just going to be honest here; it is hard to, with just a few words pay tribute to or in some way fully expresses all that is going through my mind. No doubt I am going to miss grandpa like crazy, I'm just thinking now about being wrapped up in one of his big warm hugs. I have never grown too big for those, and every time I saw him I was always greeted with that loving embrace. Just that memory alone brings tears to my eyes. I know that there is something very special that is in that relationship between a grandson and a grandpa. I know that because it is something that Grandpa showed me. It was in the way he lived. I have a lot of great memories about Grandpa, but I want to share a bit about the last conversation I shared with him. I called Grandpa up on my birthday, said "hey Grandpa" and was greeted with a joyful, even surprising.. "Andreeeeeeeeeew!". It was just filled with love. After his traditional "Hey ma, get on the phone… it's Andrew" We talked for a good while. We talked for a bit about where I am at, which was Panama at the time, and what the plans were from there. I got the latest on how he was doing and how everything has been. It was such a energetic, refreshing and happy conversation. I remember Grandpa saying how proud he was of me for being in the mission field and serving God this way and how important this work is. His words were so genuine and just touched my heart deeply. To hear him say how proud he was of me gave me this sensation that is hard to express. It was like I began to understand how deeply important what I am doing was to him, and I was honored to be able to be his grandson and serve our God in this way. I was thinking how proud I am to be a "Reuss". Grandpa knew how important that salvation in Christ is, and he knew what it meant to live as a child of God. Now he is in the complete presence of the most holy God and rejoicing with all the company of Heaven. Like it says in 2 Timothy 4:7... "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith." That is what Grandpa has done. He was created for something far better than this world, and he is now united with the Heavenly Father of Creation. He fought the fight on earth that tries to pull us away from our loving God; he finished the race that has lasted for so many wonderful years, and through all of it He has kept his Faith and by doing that found life in Christ. In Proverbs 16:31 it says " Gray hair is a crown of splendor; it is attained by a righteous life".. Grandpa had a lot of Gray hair. A lot. Just ask my sister Adrienne, she always seemed to point it out. Anyway... Wisdom does come with age. Grandpa lived a good long life and was very wise because of it. A big part of that wisdom was his faith in Christ as Savior. Grandpa knew that he was going to see The King. He knew that life did not end in this world but it was just the beginning of a new life with Christ. So let us join in that knowledge. Let us celebrate the life that Grandpa had, but even more so celebrate the new life that he has in Heaven with our amazing Lord. Through Christ, Grandpa has conquered the grave. He is in a place free from pain, free from sadness, experiencing the glory of God firsthand. Let us rejoice in this victory together and celebrate the life that Grandpa has in Christ. I Corinthians 15:55 "Where, O death is your victory? Where O death, is your sting?". God has the victory, because he has brought another child home, and into His loving embrace.

Andrew David Reuss