Unashamed of Christ

Last January, a young member of the Linden (Alta.) MB Church, Ryan Wiens, died tragically. His father shares what was revealed about Ryan’s life at school and the legacy he left.

This photo of Ryan Wiens was taken a few hours before the accident that took his life.

That wintry Thursday evening, things were not going to be the same as other times we had gone to basketball games. We dropped Ryan off at the school van – he wanted to bond with team members. Usually he went along with us.

As we neared Strathmore, where the game was to be played, we met up with three ambulances and other emergency vehicles. Before the long evening was over, our worst fears were realized. Ryan and a good friend of his had been killed in a traffic accident. They were the two in the van most ready to meet their Maker. The other 11 people were injured.

Ryan was 17 years old and hoping for a basketball scholarship. He was a star athlete and the top student in his grade. But his life was much more than basketball. A month before Ryan’s death, a friend who had given up on Christianity a few years earlier asked him, “How do you, a star athlete, face winning and losing?” Ryan’s reply was, “Regardless of how hard I play, in the end there is only one thing that matters – where I will spend eternity.”

This fellow turned his life over to Christ at the memorial service and is now a radiant witness for Christ. Together with seven of the eight young people baptized in the spring, he thanked Ryan and his witness.

We learned that Ryan had been regularly challenging his peers to be ready for eternity. A frequent message in his e-mail chat room was, “I am ready to go, are you?” As people from across the province phoned, wrote and visited us, they told us that Ryan was different from most other players. He may have met these people only once at a provincial basketball tryout or a few times at a tournament but a witness was left. One person said she received help from him working through problems she faced that she hadn’t gotten from her pastor or youth worker.

Why do I mention this? Yes, we were devastated by his death and this conversation will always bring tears. But that’s okay. The fact that baffles me is that a non-conformist in outward appearance, a person with an unashamed witness, could make such an impact in the non-churched society. Our church holds a maximum of 400 people. At his funeral there were 1200 people in various places in the church and in a neighbouring building. Basketball players and coaches from around the province were there and people we had known in our communities for many years. They came to share a memorial service that included songs of praise sung with a passion.

One of Ryan’s fellow students mentioned how he had been drifting away from God and Ryan challenged him with Scripture references and encouraged him to get into the Book. This friend also mentioned that when they were coming home from Calgary after going to a movie, Ryan had stopped the car and had everyone get out to worship God as they gazed at the northern lights.

Just prior to going to the game that Thursday evening, as we waited for supper, Ryan prepped a fellow student who was facing a math exam. Helping other students was the norm for him, especially if a substitute teacher was in the class.

Many pictures have surfaced of Ryan pointing to the sky with his arm fully extended. We asked a friend if he knew the significance of this. We were assured that he knew Ryan was pointing to his eternal home.

We often think that we as adults should pass the baton on to the next generation. Ryan passed the baton of fearless witness to us and many others of all generations. An honest, clear and unashamed witness is still recognized in our society; our son showed this to be true.