How One Young Man Helped My Hometown Rally Together

I come from the small town in Michigan- population 10,000. Your parents either worked at a shop, the school, was a farmer, worked at a local business or traveled miles everyday to another job. I am related to a good amount of people in my town so if I ever was to get in trouble, someone was calling my parents. You knew everyone’s name that you graduated with and if you were lucky you went to prom all four years. We had the number one ranked volleyball team but our other sports lacked the dignity they deserved. Whenever anyone asks me where I am from they always ask if I came from the town with the huge school district but without a stop light. They stand right every time.

I couldn’t wait to leave that town when I graduated from high school, just like most people in small towns, you want to see what else is out there. Sometimes I still have a hard time visiting because I find lots of old memories that I want to forget about. However, I do remember so many great times on the farms, back roads and great adventures in a small town. One thing is for certain. My town is one big community. We are very compassionate and very loving community. We rally together through some big events.

One event, including the loss of a very amazing student Elliott Orr. Elliott was a student that graduated with my brother who was two years younger than me. I knew of him throughout my middle and high school career due mostly to his good reputation. He was an amazing spelling bee winner when he was younger, one of the smartest people in the school, so caring and a great soccer player. As I did not know Elliott personally, I have followed his story thanks to social media and my mother.

What I have read about Elliott and what he has done for others, I can tell doesn’t do justice to the person he was outside of the documented story. However, he has made a huge impact on others without even realizing it.

Elliot graduated from my home town in 2010 and went to Michigan State University in the fall for college. At the end of his freshman year he was diagnosed with osteosarcoma, cancer in the bone. After months of chemotherapy and radiation, he was cancer free, but only for a little bit.

In the summer of 2013, doctors discovered the cancer had come back. This time it was worse than before. Elliott again was faced with the unknown and had to go through treatments once again. In July of 2013, Elliott married is childhood sweetheart Christina. She is one amazing women to be so strong through this as well.

I can’t say I knew Elliott and Christina personally but I would always get updates on how he was doing. Two things stood out a lot for me through every story I heard, his faith and his positive outlook on everything. Elliott even started a Positive Status Day on Facebook and my Facebook on those days was filled with positive thoughts and things people were thankful for.

For anyone that knows me, knows I have such a strong faith. I believe everything happens for a reason. However, I fail daily at things and sometimes get frustrated in my faith and the direction things are going. Elliott on the other hand trusted God’s plans for him all along.

Recently Elliott Orr passed away. He is now with the Lord. He however left a legacy behind that not only changed my life but my whole town’s life. Just last week they had a moment of silence for him at our hometown basketball game. He is remembered for his kindness, his faith and his amazing brains but more importantly how he in a way healed everyone around him. He rallied our hometown together, the place I always thought I was happy to leave. We all came together as a community. Elliott did that for us.

The reason I write this article is to remind everyone how to stay strong through everything and be thankful for the people around us for supporting us through the hardest times. There are so many things Elliott has taught me.

I wanted to share this poem Elliott wrote:

People say with albeit good intentions
That if God heals me then His glory will be shown,
But people often hesitate to mention
The other side of His omniscient throne.

For God to show His power through healing
Would be glorious if it were His will,
But it would also be maybe too appealing
For perhaps my faith would stand too still.

For in truth I want all to realize in whole
That I care not what this ailment does
Because I truly believe in full
That God knew it all before it was.

And in trusting Him I would gladly endure
One thousand years of agony and strife
In order to witness the most glorious cure
Of Christ coming into just one more person’s life.

– Elliott Orr

For other blogs about Elliott and his journey please check out the linked blow:

• http://inandoutofthewoods.blogspot.com/2015/02/what-elliott-taught-me.html?m=1
• http://www.thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/kevindeyoung/2015/02/13/the-most-glorious-cure/

Thank you for reminding me to keep my faith and of how proud I should be about where I am from because it shaped me into the person I am today.