Greetings in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,
Thank you for this opportunity of making it possible to pay a tribute.
I first learnt of Pastor Francis was when I was courting my Wife Elisha. The glowing manner in the way she spoke of him and the way she described his stand with God and his character made me feel that this is a person that I certainly want to meet sometime.
I was thankful to have the opportunity in late 2005 in Church, but alas, that was just a short occasion.
In January 2006, after Church, Pastor Steve and his Wife Sister Jenny came over to our house for lunch and tea. It was an afternoon to remember, to say the least. Yes, what a tremendous afternoon it was.
I was still a Hindu at his point in time. It was a remarkable time as he basically shared his life story with me and spoke about the Word. I did the same but did not go into as much detail as him. I guess I just wanted to listen to him more and more.
I could sense that I was in the presence of a true man of God. His openness about his life was surprising but much appreciated. As much as I could perceive that he is really serious concerning the Word, he expounded everything in such simplicity, and for me that was really captivating.
I was always really happy to meet him many times thereafter and fellowship on the Word was always the main conversation.
A real highlight was when he preached at our Wedding. He preached on “The Perfect Marriage”. Simple, yet dynamic.
It was a real pleasure to be at his 60th birthday and to witness so much of love for Pastor Steve from all over the world. There are so many wonderful memories, and so much to say, but I am blessed beyond measure for every opportunity that I had to fellowship on the Word with him.
I certainly will miss him, but am truly thankful for the influence that he has been on my life, especially on the Word.
God bless you.
Br Sandeep Devraj
