By now, many of you know about the tragic loss we, and the entire world, has suffered. On Tuesday, December 2, Ryan Bartlett was killed in a car accident while he was returning home to Lilongwe, Malawi from delivering maize to the Willsons' home in Blantyre.
In the six years that I knew him, Ryan became many different things to me. At first, he was my pastor, youth pastor, and worship leader at the Prescott Free Methodist Church. He boldly preached the Word of God to the congregation, taught and guided the youth, and help bring us all before the throne of our Lord in powerful worship to Him. During my time at PFMC, Ryan showed me, not just by the words he said but by his life, what it meant to be a Christian. It is partly because of his leadership and his love for Christ that I am following God today. Ryan truly cared about everyone, and he always showed his love for them by spending time talking with anyone.
If I had to choose one word to describe Ryan, it would be 'real'. He wasn't showy. He really loved God, and he really lived his life in service to him, all the time. He spoke so much about living a life rooted and grounded in Christ, and he really lived his life that way. When I moved to Malawi, I got to be with Ryan, his beautiful wife, Katie, and his three incredible girls all day, everyday. They warmly invited me in to be a part of a family firmly founded on Christ. Ryan became like a big brother or another dad to me. They were open and loving and totally willing to allow me to be a part of their amazing family. During my time with the Bartletts in Malawi, I was also able to be a part of their awesome ministry. It was so great to work with them whether we were singing and dancing to Chichewa worship songs at church on Sunday, spending hours designing yet another spreadsheet to organize finances, painting chalkboards, praying with youth, teaching women, or talking about the next theme for the Great Commission School modules. Ryan taught me so much about what it means to serve God on the mission field, how to reach out to people of different cultures and to truly love them with the love of Christ.
Ryan touched so many people's lives. He worked hard to bring people to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ, and He desired to serve the Lord with his life. His work and ministry was not in vain. The Lord used him and will continue to use his life for His glory. Ryan showed the world what it means to be a Christian, and because of his witness, we will never be the same.
