Matt

The majority of you don't know this story...

Matt Maupin, was one of my good friends from high school. We met my junior year when he joined my rowing team. Matt was always there for me, when I needed someone. We rowed together (which meant that we spent 4 hours a day plus almost every weekend during the spring and summer together going to races all over the country). We were great climbing buddies too. We stayed friends when I went off to college and visited together when I was home.

Almost 4 years ago, April 9th, 2004 my mom calls me at 6:30 am telling me that Matt was captured while his convoy was attacked, and they don't know where he is. 1 week later I'm at PGIF (Praise God its Friday) worshiping, and all of the sudden I begin to sing "he's alive, he's alive, he's alive" it was so surreal because I wasn't controlling the words coming out of my mouth, but as I sag I got an overwhelming sense of peace. Immediately, when I get back to my dorm, I get a call that he was found, it wasn't how I wanted him found, but at least we knew he was alive!Then we go 2 months without a clue where he is. Now I'm in Fraiser Colorado working at a Younglife camp, and a new tape comes out. They claim that it is Matt under the hood and then the man is decapitated. The army could never verify that this man was Matt. There was no evidence that it was actually the man they claimed it was. So now we have lived the last 3.5 years in mystery. Hoping a praying that Matt would come home. The community has been amazing to the Maupin family... and to this day you can drive around Cincinnati and Batavia as see signs, poster and ribbons supporting the Maupin family.

It is so strange how God puts things on your heart at just the right times (like the "I'm alive" singing). This past week I have thought about Matt everyday and every night I meant to sit down and write a letter to his parents, telling them that my entire senior thesis show was center around Matt, but I never did get around to it.

Yesterday my parents call me to tell me that he has been found! Although not in the way that we had hoped for. They found his remains. They had to be Identified through DNA so he must have died a while ago, and there was a shirt that he was seen wearing in the video near by.

Although this is awful news and no one wants to hear that their friend is gone, but I can't help but be uplifted. Matt is finally coming home, and ours hearts can be at rest. We don't have to fear that he is in pain or suffering.

Everyday that Matt has been gone, God has been working and I have seen it. I know that from the day he set foot onto the convoy across Iraq to the day that he is laid to rest God has been at work through Matt. He had changed 100s of lives and he will never know how much he has changed mine.

God Bless you Matt.