Lake Yarina shimmered in the afternoon sun as I sat beside my girlfriend. Half a mile across it cut between curves of the Ucayali River in front of our Wycliffe Center, and allowed float plane access for miles. In rainy season it would rise twenty feet and connect the two ends into the river. A great number of fish and fresh water dolphins would enter and play, feed and have their young.

The young woman I had met just two days prior spoke to me earnestly. "Wayne, I love you, but you have to choose. You are having problems with anger and it's scaring me! If you can't, we can't stay together!"

The words severed my senses and brought me face to face with my own sins. The change which came over me brought the two of us closer, caused me to become a young man of prayer and to begin to memorize the Word of God passionately.

Just eighteen months later, we were married in a private chapel in northern Michigan and she gave me thirty eight more years of joy, children and a partnership which held us together through illnesses, anguish and trial. We laughed and cried. We loved one another and taught our kids about God and gave them an education of many earthly things. They like to call it their McGiverism. When I could afford the tools, we'd build, repair and craft things which we either used or gave to others to utilize. My reward has been three children who love God and enjoy creativity.

God's reward to us is heaven and eternity with Jesus. All things which came to me were a direct result of humbling myself before Him. That little secret brings a life of reward to all Christians. Reward and on this earth, persecution. But I rejoice that I had a life of great adventure with the woman and family God gave me...and will enjoy eternity in heaven with Jesus! Indeed our reward is great in heaven!

Lord, help our faith to cover the inadequacies we have in our imperfect spirits here on earth to have confidence in our salvation through Christ of that reward!