A young man's faith gives hope to those who mourn him

Dustin was a tall young man topped by a head of thick, curly brown hair. He was well known for his humility, kindness, outlandish sense of humor and desire to be like Jesus.

Dustin had met the girl of his dreams, a cute, shy jazz singer named Rachael. He adored this young woman and began pursuing her with honor and kindness. Rachael's family and friends quickly grew to love Dustin for treating her so well.

When I first met Dustin and Rachael, they were the picture of joy, holding hands, smiling broadly and rushing into the church for premarital Bible study.

As their wedding day approached, Dustin broke out with a rash on his hand. The doctor gave him a salve and expected it to go away quickly. When it did not, he was sent to a specialist, where he was given shocking news: This rugged, healthy young man had leukemia.

The couple postponed their wedding while Dustin underwent treatment. His condition worsened, and they postponed the wedding again.

Dustin and those who loved him prayed fervently that God could heal him. He fought valiantly.

Dustin and Rachael finally decided to wait no longer; they desperately wanted to spend however many days God would give them as husband and wife. They were married at the hospital in a simple ceremony.

Every night thereafter, family, friends and pastors joined Rachael at Dustin's bedside, praying for a miracle.

But Dustin's body was clearly losing. One of our pastors, Paul, who had spent considerable time at the hospital with Dustin, sent me an e-mail update and asked me to visit the hospital.

My heart broke as I entered the hospital room. There was Rachael staring at her new husband with the face of an angel while family and friends crowded around his dying body.

I'd hoped to remain strong for the family, but when I saw Dustin I could not hold back my tears. He was virtually unrecognizable; his long, curly locks were gone, his body was bloated, his eyes swollen shut.

He could not speak because a breathing tube was down his throat, but I do believe he could hear me, so I spoke quietly in his ear. I told him, "Jesus has been where you are and is where you are going, so do not fear."

I asked his mother if there was anything I could do.

"Preach his funeral?"

I agreed.

Dustin died a few days later.

His funeral opened with Rachael singing a tribute to her husband. I spoke from John 11 about how Jesus went to the funeral of his friend Lazarus, and how Jesus himself later died, which means that he alone can help both those who die and those who are left behind.

What I found most striking about the funeral was how few tears were shed considering the circumstances and size of the crowd. Even Rachael smiled as she spoke and sang about Dustin, remembering how well he had loved her.

As I spoke to those who knew Dustin best, the explanation for all the dry eyes became clear.

Nearly everyone said that though they missed Dustin, they knew he was with Jesus, because Jesus had risen from death to give eternal life to Dustin.

In life, Dustin was so certain about the resurrection of Jesus that he instilled that belief in those he loved, to give them comfort.

His gift of hope continued to serve them even after his death.

Pastor Mark Driscoll is founder of the nondenominational Mars Hill Church in Ballard. He and four other columnists — the Rev. Patrick J. Howell, Rabbi Mark S. Glickman, the Rev. Patricia L. Hunter and Aziz Junejo — take turns writing for the Faith & Values page. Readers may send feedback to faithpage@seattletimes.com