Marie Coetzee Nieman (South Africa)

Marie, Hendri’s mother, wrote this prayer for his Memorial in Uganda on 8 January. It was there printed and distributed to friends who were present.  It subsequently went viral as the core team responsible for the publishing of the book decided to include it in his book, Living the Best Day Ever

A Mother’s Prayer

Dear God Almighty Father, You are Love and You are Faithful. You are the Creator of all earth and of every man and beast on it. Thank you for the awesome person, Hendri, who you created for all of us to cherish, enjoy, admire and love. Thank you for allowing him the freedom to take his time to seek the Truth. Then after he did find You, as he confessed it to me and close friends that there is no more doubt in his mind that God exists and is real, You took him one morning by the hand to live with You in heaven. You create and bestow on each of us special gifts and the will to use it to bring Joy and Glory to You. Hendri showed us what a life looks like when you use each of those gifts to the fullest. He did not leave one of them semi developed or unfulfilled. You allowed and protected him all these years to live the dreams You had planned for him. As human being he was truly beautiful, inside as well as outside, he brought light and happiness to many and was blessed with a brilliant mind for all to enjoy. He was not merely another good human being. He was a ball of fire, passion and drive and had a zest for life uncommon to, but appreciated and admired by most. His whole life was a voyage to understand himself, other people and the world around him! Forever exploring, forever seeking and forever enquiring! Gracious God thank you for blessing me with this very special son! I will always cherish the exceptional relationship we shared. He made an effort to always make me feel so special and keep the bond between us strong regardless a personal journey of 35 years across the world. I am so grateful to have such fond and precious memories of my Hendri. I saw him grow from lively boyhood, through rough teens and restless twenties into an incredible person with an amazing mature mind and soul. He was at total peace with himself and the world around him when he left this earth! He told me this a few weeks before his death. It was as if he had successfully completed his search for the meaning of life and had shared his wisdom and love with each person who needed to cross his way in life. God you gave, and You took away, Praise the Lord because He is Good. Please bless and comfort each of us here today and may we find the Peace that surpasses all comprehension as we know and accept that Hendri is with You and that he is undoubtedly now LIVING HIS BEST DAY EVER!!

Amen