By Randy Klawitter, Executive Director of Wilderness Fellowship Ministries and cousin to Tim Olson

Have you ever heard someone say, “He lived a fruitful life"?  I’m sure you have, but have you ever heard it said, “He had a fruitful death!”? Probably not!

Yet, if God is for us, who can be against us? When things go so bad, God has promised that He is able to turn it to something immeasurably more powerful for His glory and His Kingdom than the enemy ever had in mind. 

Just look at the Cross. Horrible, but I am quite sure that pretty quickly, Satan said, “Oh NO!”   

In God’s kingdom, things seem backwards or just the opposite from what we naturally think. If you want to truly live, die to self. If you want to be truly free, live out the commands of Jesus. It is more blessed to give than to receive. If you want to be great in His Kingdom, let him become the servant of all. In the midst of sorrow, cling to joy, humble yourself and you will be exalted, give, and it shall be given unto you pressed down shaken together shall be poured into your lap. 

All these things and many more can seem so profoundly opposite of what we would do in the natural. But let me come back to the reason for my writing. 

Tim’s Tragedy

I had a cousin who was just a little younger than I, named Tim. He finished strong at St. Olaf College and, before he went for another four years of school, the Lord laid on his heart the desire to serve for a year for a mission that would be in line with his chosen profession of architecture. So, the opportunity opened up to go build a church in the capital city of Central African Republic.

It was not easy those first months, but by God’s grace, he persevered and began making progress. 

Speeding up six months, his girlfriend came to visit over Thanksgiving. Desiring to see the wildlife of the area, they hired a guide and went to see the sites. On the way back, their vehicle was ambushed, and all three found themselves under gunfire. My cousin died on the lap of his girlfriend, praying together the Lord’s prayer.  As I understand it, his last words were, “Tell mom and dad that I’ll be waiting for them,” and he slipped into eternity. 

What a shock! What a tragic event!  So much pain and sorrow over the loss of a son, a cousin, a nephew, a brother, and so much more.  Any of us would be absolutely shaken to the core and ask,  “Why, God?”

A Fruitful Death

In the midst of tragedy, I witnessed all of the above, yet I also witnessd a firm resolve to place this situation and all the pain, loss, hurt and questions, in the hands of Almighty God and let Him be God.  It has turned into a story that only God could write.  A story of fruitfulness from tragedy.  A fruitful death. 

As a result of my aunt and uncle’s resolve to trust God in this horrible situation, things have been accomplished that would never have been, I believe, if my cousin had not lost his life.

It all started in a Prayer Cabin in Northwestern Wisconsin. Grieving the loss of their son while tucked away in a small, rustic cabin in the woods, pressing into and crying out to God, God showed up. Through this powerful time alone with Jesus, an idea was birthed that would turn this tragedy into fruit for the Kingdom. 

Out of this would grow a Prayer Cabin at the Wilderness Fellowship, and Lutheran Partners in Global Ministry, which marks 30 years in ministry this year.

There are great stories of God’s hand on finishing the church Tim began in Africa, taking on the sponsorship of hundreds of Dalit children at Lutheran boarding homes in India, building health clinics, beginning literacy programs for girls and women, funding scholarships for indigenous Maya girls in the Guatemalan cloud forest, and more.

Thousands upon thousands of lives have been touched as this tragic loss, by God’s abundant grace, was turned into tremendous fruit for the Kingdom of Heaven. 

Turning Sorrow into Joy

Have you a difficult or tragic event in your life that the enemy has been keeping you defeated in through the pain of the loss and perhaps even bitterness? Reassign a fruitful destiny to that thing and take it back for Kingdom Impact. 

We at Wilderness Fellowship would love to visit with you or even help you experience for yourself the Prayer Cabin in this story recounted above.  It is our desire to help turn sorrow into joy and anything the devil meant for destruction and harm, into Good or even outrageous Kingdom Impact. Through your loss or hardship, we invite you to let the Lord Jesus to do it again, thus impacting thousands and thousands of lives for the Kingdom by yet another very Fruitful Death.   

Wilderness Fellowship Ministries, located near Frederic, Wisconsin, operates by donation only to provide a place where God’s people can come away and hear His voice. To learn more about the Wilderness Fellowship and the Prayer Cabins, visit www.wildernessfellowship.com.