Letter by Gerrit and Connie deJong
This summer, Larry Antler passed away at the age of 71. We have known him as an M2 friend for 17 years, and we were saddened to hear of his passing. The Saturday prior, we were privileged to take him out for lunch at McDonald’s where he ate a hamburger and a sundae. We were shocked to see Larry looking so emaciated. He must have had a premonition of the end of his life for he had made a will and left money for others in need at his halfway house.
One of his dreams was to visit the grave of his daughter who passed away at the age of 16. When she died, he was not allowed out to attend her funeral. This was painful for Larry. He never had the chance to say a final farewell and felt that he had no real closure.
As his friends, we felt his pain and desire to visit that gravesite. And we imagine ourselves being in that same spot where Larry was. We were his only friends. Larry did not have contact with any of his children or family members for years and years. Forsaken and all alone.
We first met Larry in 2005 through the M2 program, and we developed a friendship over the years. Larry made us feel very comfortable and he had a good sense of humour. This always made for an easy visit. We looked forward to our coffee nights together where we mutually shared something of each other’s journey.
These visits are indeed highlights in both our lives as these were also times of encouraging one another. He impacted us when he made a good, determined decision to stop smoking. As a result, he felt better. This makes us realize that our lives impact each other in more ways than we often know.
He appreciated our visits very much as we were the only contacts he had with the outside world. Larry lived with his hopes and dreams, as we all do. But he also realized that life is short.
Larry often reflected on his past life — on what was and what could have been. But incarceration was his reality. His short-term goal was moving to a minimum-security institution. In 2021, he was instead granted day parole on humanitarian considerations.
This is just a snapshot of Larry’s life. He was a person who sought to find meaning and purpose. He was a fellow human being. Thus, Larry was always on our prayer list. It was our privilege to walk with him through this stage of his life and to share with him the gospel, our only hope in life and death. We all need to find Jesus Christ, our Creator. We need to connect with Him and walk with Him by faith in our everyday life.
We are not the Holy Spirit, so we can’t make that change happen for others. But we are agents of God’s Kingdom, and we can share hope and point people in the right direction. God works through us in His way and in His time. All we need to do is be faithful and true in our calling.