Mike Sanden – Matthew’s Brother
Here is the text of Mike’s message read at the Memorial -
Memories of My Brother
My brother used to always say he paved the way for me, and in the last few weeks I realized that he did. As many little brothers do, I followed in my brother’s footsteps in many different ways. I watched him riding bikes down our street, so I wanted to learn how to ride. I watched him play basketball and soccer, and I wanted to be more like him so I took up these sports. Of course there are too many memories that I could possibly share today to celebrate my brother’s life. But I wanted to share with you the most important thing that I got from my brother, and that is the Lord, Jesus Christ who has helped me through this almost unbearable time.
I was in the back seat of my mom’s car listening to my brother discussing and asking questions about God with my mom. Listening to what they were saying I decided I wanted what my brother was talking about in my life. I was only about 4 or 5, but I remember pulling over next to Hemet High School and being lead by my brother and mom in prayer. God was using him even in his last days to bring me closer to the Lord. The last words I heard my brother utter was a cry to our creator. He was suffering on the other side of the bathroom door at our house in Idyllwild. As I was leaving I said I loved him and he was able to say, “I love you too.” Then I stalled next to the door because I was hurting with my brother. As he was laying on the bathroom floor he cried, ” Oh Jesus, oh Jesus, oh Jesus.” Today I am crying because I miss my brother, but I know that my brother is being embraced by Jesus Christ and his love…and for that reason alone I have peace.
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Now that the service for my brother is complete I want to thank all of those who have been praying for my brother and my family. We appreciate all the love that we have been surrounded with in this time of suffering. I also wanted to say thank you to everyone who came to the service to show honor to my brother. I now have a glimpse into how many people’s lives he touched in his 29 years here. If you were at his service you saw that we were blessed with so many friends and family that we could not provide enough room to occupy everyone. I want to send my apologies to those who did not get a seat, but I hope you were blessed with the sharing of memories of my brother. The astounding number of people that were standing in the parking lot when I exited for the last part of the service brought tears to my eyes. I truly cannot voice how thankful I was to see each one of your faces. I wish I could have spent much more time sharing memories of brother with each of you, and feel free to continue sharing these memories with me in the future. Please keep praying for my family and I as we are still suffering from our loss, but we will continue to trust in our Lord!
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