Jason Troy Pferdeort

I wanted to take a moment to tell you "who" my brother truly was to me(It's a long post but so important to me) Jason Troy... He wasn't just my little brother, but one of my very best friends. He was so creative and had so many ideas. He was always a big encouragement to me and so many others. He loved BIG!!!!! One of his biggest desires was to serve the Lord. And boy, did he! Just this past year....he was called to serve the homeless community. Jason was the type of person that would not only give you the shirt off his back, but anything he had would be yours, if needed. He recently lived at a homeless shelter for a period of time. (Not sure if everyone knew that) During that time, he befriended so many. He shared the Gospel and the Word of God with so many others. He gave rides to whoever needed to get somewhere. The others even gave him a hat and they called it his "cabby hat". He even drove car loads of people to church with him. He stood by a friend who had a court situation and helped him through it. Another, he drove to a rehab facility..... which turned into a long day with lots of moments where most would just give up or quit. Even after realizing, that he would not be back to the shelter by curfew and would ultimately lose his bed and be kicked out.... he stuck by his friend. I told him that he did the right thing. I know many situations where he would put others first, no matter the consequences to himself. "COB" Consider Others Better was one of his mottos. Another was "Love Always Triumphs" !!!!! What a beautiful soul! He loved the Lord more than anything. He knew the Word of God so well. If I couldn't find a scripture passage, I'd just call/text and ask him. When I didn't understand a message or had something weighing heavy on my heart... we would talk and discuss it, study it or pray together. One time we both made a prayer journal for each other for Christmas without any knowledge of the other doing the same. We always said that we must have been in one accord with the Holy Spirit on that. I know many stories of times that God used his willingness and obedience to bless someone even when Jason himself was enduring some very heavy spiritual warfare. That warfare ... is not for the faint of heart. He endured such dark, deep, depression and despair. He fought hard against all the substances and fleshly desires of this world. He dealt with loneliness, anguish, torment, and a feeling of not belonging. He wanted acceptance. He wanted to feel loved. He once built a large wooden rugged cross, along with a friend, to put up in the garden. He felt a need to do it.... a prompting from the Lord. He once told me about these special moments where he would go out and stand on this stump, and gaze up at that cross. That's when he fully understood the unconditional love of Jesus!!!!! And he wept. Jason was happiest when he was actively serving God and others! He would get so excited about it all. He would call and tell me about so many holy, appointed moments. We would cry & laugh, and praise the Lord together. He always asked me what he could pray for me. And then, He prayed, right then and there with me. He had these four hiking sticks.... He placed each one of his siblings names on one and his own name on one too. Then he tied them together as a symbol of unity. He prayed for each of us, our marriages, our families & our walk with the Lord Jesus. He loved our mom, Momma Steel, so much.... he gave her a beautiful chalice cup as a gift and called her his 'champion of love". There is so much to tell. He was a light in my sometimes dark life. He knew a bunch of my deepest struggles and worries. He never judged me. Just gave me grace. The truth was very important to him. To be open, trust, share, and take each other at our word. To not be afraid to say the tough things to each other, if they needed to be said. And there were times we both did say those things. Jason, Thank you for being ..... A son, a brother, a true Jesus follower, a friend, an uncle, a speaker of encouragement into people's lives, a risk taker, a confidant, someone who cares, gives, loves, takes action, an intercessor, a passionate man and so much more! I love you so much! I miss you terribly! I long for the day we will see each other again!!!!!