A life well lived...

On New Years Day 2022 I received a call letting me know one of my donors had passed away in early December. As I listened to the voicemail my heart began to hurt. I had only met this donor once face to face but the time we spent together has impacted me more than anything else.

During a trip to Virginia in October 2021, I had the opportunity to meet with Bill and Norma Overton, long time donors of Prison Fellowship.

Meeting donors face to face is not really in my comfort zone - not because I don’t want to honor them (in fact I love meeting my donors in person) but because I don’t want them to feel like it’s a ‘sales’ call.

As I drove up the driveway of their Virginia home, I was praying that God would guide the conversation, that they would feel honored and appreciated and that I would be able to show them the impact of their generosity.

Little did I know that the hour we spent together would change me forever!

Bill greeted me at the door with a smile and invited me into his home. Norma was waiting for us in the sitting room and I was made to feel very welcome as we spent time getting to know each other. We discovered our shared love of travelling and seeing new places. They asked me what brought me to America from Australia and remarked it was one of the places they had always wanted to visit but it was just too far - I totally understood that!!

They shared with me about their long successful careers and the joy of raising their children, grandchildren and now great grandchildren.

After a short time Norma excused herself to allow us to talk ‘business’. Bill asked me the question, ‘What do you have for me today?’. I realised that he was expecting me to present him with an opportunity to make a donation.

My response was ‘Actually I came today to meet you and say thank you in person for your generous support of the ministry for so many years. I also wanted you to have a copy of the new bible studies that have just been published and are being distributed in prisons across the country because of your generosity.’

As I presented the bible studies to Bill, I watched as the smile spread across his face. Bill allowed me to share some stories about how their generosity was making a difference in the lives of families affected by incarceration.

As I watched the joy in his face as he heard about families being restored, about returning citizens living out their second chance in a God-honoring way, I was so humbled to have the opportunity to say thank you for being obedient to God’s guidance.

Bill shared his joy of seeing people come to know Christ. He shared about his family with enormous pride and his greatest wish was that his children, grandchildren and great grandchildren would continue to follow the Lord as he had his whole life.

‘Emma’ he said ‘The Lord has been so good to me my whole life. He doesn’t owe me a thing.’

That sentence continues to replay in my head. This man, who you couldn’t help but respect, just shared the secret to living a life of significance!

Bill was an incredibly successful businessman, he was well educated and worked hard all his life but for him, at the end of his life, it’s what he did for God that mattered. The legacy he leaves behind is one of great faith and obedience to a God that is trustworthy and faithful.

At the end of our time together I had the privilege to pray for him and his family, for the Holy Spirit to lead them and guide them as He has done for Bill and Norma for so many years.

As I was getting up from my seat to leave, he looked up at me and said ‘You’ve impressed me’. That is a moment I will never forget and it’s so much more precious after hearing of his promotion to heaven. You see, I hope what impressed Bill that day was not my abilities but Jesus being reflected in me. I hope he saw and felt the gratitude of thousands of people that have been impacted by his generosity, his faith and his love for Jesus.

In Ephesians 4:1 Paul says ‘I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received.’ Bill lived a life worthy of his calling!

I look forward to the day I can continue my conversations in heaven with Bill but for now I honor him for the life he lived - He fought the good fight, he finished the race and he kept the faith (2 Tim 4:7). I know that he has now heard the words from Jesus ‘Well done good and faithful servant’ as he was welcomed in heaven.

William “Bill” Overton

December 7, 1934 - December 6, 2021