REMEMBERING JUSTIN

Justin Le'au (2/18/1988 - 12/17/2008) was remembered and honored at the University of the Nations, Kona on December 22, 2008. Justin was totally sold out to Jesus and his greatest hope is that his family and friends will live for God in everything they do.

[To view photos in simple gallery format, please visit http://www.kathyfitts.com/justin/
Thank you Kathy for the amazing images!]



Justin Le'au Memorial Service Preview

JUSTIN'S JOURNEY - A TRIBUTE

Justin Jamming in Brazil

Correction: JUSTIN'S FUNERAL SERVICES

"CELEBRATION OF JUSTIN'S LIFE" Service

Location:  University of the Nation's Ohana Court

Date:  Monday, Dec 22, 2008

Time:  7:00 pm  (revised from original announcement of 6:00pm)  

JUSTIN LE'AU IS WITH JESUS. By Darlene Cunningham

YWAMer Justin Le'au went to be with the Lord at 12:18 p.m. Kona, Hawaii time on December 17, 2008.  I was the first person to hold this precious boy when he was born here in Kona 20 years ago, and Loren and I were present at that same hospital with Justin, mother Becky, brother Jason, and father Sosene when he passed back into the arms of Jesus today.  I cannot express the emotion I feel at the loss of Justin…but I am also very aware of heaven's gain and all the good that has come of his life during his brief journey on earth, and even in the past several hours.

 

Justin was a second-generation YWAM kid, the youngest of three sons born to Island Breeze founders Becky Le'au and Sosene Le'au.  The UofN Kona Campus was his first home.  He was with us as a three-year-old at the very first field-based Leadership Training School (LTS) I led in Santiago, Chile in 1991.  One of my fondest memories is of young Justin at the Tonga LTS in 1993.  We had gone to great efforts to instruct all the adults and children about the proper protocol for meeting King Taufa'ahau Tupou IV, who came to dedicate our campus.  Ignoring it all, Justin marched right up to the king, thrust out his hand, and said "Hi, King!"  The king just smiled and shook his little hand.  Justin walked around for days, proudly proclaiming, "this is the hand that shook the hand of the King of Tonga!"

 

Justin completed a Discipleship Training School two years ago in Perth, Australia, shortly after the tragic death of his older brother Joshua from a traffic fatality.  During his DTS, he called him mom in the middle of the night one night to assure her, "Mom, you do not have to worry about this child.  I'm going for God!"

 

Following DTS, Justin attended the School of Biblical Studies Core Course in Lausanne, Switzerland, where he applied himself to know God's word.  From there, he joined his mom, brother Jason and our son, David, in Brazil as part of the film crew for "Hakani," an initiative to help stop infanticide among Amazon Indian tribes—the killing of children considered "soulless" because they are handicapped, a twin or triplet, or born to an unwed mother.

 

Most recently, Justin attended a YWAM Leadership Training School in his father's homeland of Samoa.  While there, he heard anew his family's spiritual inheritance in the islands, and he said, "I want to come back."  God's vision was growing in his heart for the islands of the Pacific and for the world. 

 

Justin returned to Kona a few weeks ago.  He was not feeling well, but he responded favorably to medication and his illness seemed to be under control.  Last Thursday night, December 11^th, he was at the campus Gathering Service, greeting friends and YWAM family.

 

The next day, December 12^th, Becky went out shopping.  She called a few minutes before arriving home and talked to Justin, who agreed to help her carry in the groceries.  When Becky got there 15 minutes later, she found Justin unconscious—his heart had stopped.  She cried out to God and He gave her supernatural instructions for how to do CPR to revive him.  She called 911, and an ambulance rushed Justin off to Kona Hospital.  The doctors there said that a viral infection had attacked his heart.

 

As soon as his father, Sosene, was alerted to the seriousness of Justin's condition, he made his way to Kona and joined Jason and Becky at his side.  Loren and I were also there at the hospital.  About 30-40 people, many from Island Breeze, began a prayer vigil on a grassy area outside the hospital Intensive Care Unit, lifting dear Justin before the Lord.  During those hours, the Lord began a very deep work of reconciliation and restoration.

 

It is very sweet sorrow, releasing Justin into the arms of the Lord.  But no one has ever been more prayed for, and though we do not have full understanding, we know that the enemy cannot rob the life of God's children out of His hands.  And we know that God is just; that's the character quality of God that Justin was named for:  justice.

 

Please join us in continuing to hold Becky, Jason and Sosene before the Lord in prayer, asking for His grace and comfort in these difficult days.

JUSTIN'S FUNERAL SERVICES

Friends of Becky, Jason and Sosene: 

A service in "Celebration of Justin's Life" will be held at the University of the Nation's Ohana Court on Monday, Dec 22, 2008 at 6pm.  This service is open to everyone.  

The family will hold a private Burial Service on Tuesday, Dec 23, 2008 at 10am, at the Hualalai Memorial (Kona Memorial Park) in Holualoa.  

For those wishing to send condolences to the Leau family, they may be sent to:  

Leau Family

75-5851 Kuakini Hwy. 

Kailua Kona, HI   96740

Becky and Jason will be establishing the Justin Leau Memorial Fund.  They request donations in lieu of flowers.  

Justin with the Lord

Wed, Dec 17, 2008    5:26pm

Dear Friends, 

Today, around 12:00 noon, Hawaii time, the Lord took Justin to be with him.  

May God's Comfort come to Becky, Jason and Sosene;  may it come to us all.  

Enock

GOD'S WORD, then FAITH, then OBEDIENCE, then TRUST

Tue, Dec 16, 2008     10:45 pm

Friends, 

Justin has shown small signs of improvement today, but the medical reports have not given evidence of the miracle we were praying for ... yet.  

We continue to hope for God's supernatural intervention ... and we TRUST Him.  

Enock

TOUGH MONDAY FOR JUSTIN

Mon, Dec 15, 2008 8:50pm

Friends of Leau's,

Today was a challenging day for Justin at the Kona Hospital. Earlier in the day the doctors tried to remove some of the respirator tubes to see if his lungs would begin breathing on their own. But his body did not respond positively, and they had to reinsert the tubes. Later he developed a fever, and the medical team had to increase the amount of sedation again. In general he remains as unresponsive as yesterday.

As I write this blog there are a group of about 35 family and friends on a prayer vigil outside the hospital believing the Lord for a miracle. As soon as I finish this post I will be joining them. We're still in the midst of the battle for Justin's life. Please continue to pray.

Enock

WE NEED THE LORD TODAY.

Mon, Dec 15, 2008 4:00pm

Dear Friends of Leau's,

Thomas Dorsey, famed gospel music composer, was the author of the well-known musical stanza: "If we ever needed the Lord before, we sure do need him now." These words could not be more true today, as we approach the evening of the third day since Justin was taken to the Kona Hospital.

One of the explanations the doctors gave the family early on was that the first 72 hours were crucial in Justin's situation. The top concern, as we've mentioned before, is the recovery of his brain function. The physical reality is that the state in which Justin is in right now cannot be maintained indefinitely. And beyond the initial 72-hour period, the medical expectation is: the longer the patient goes without waking up, the smaller his changes are for a full recovery.

BUT... (and this is a big "but") that's NOT the full story. However grim the physical and medical expectations are, we know, we have the conviction in our hearts, that our ultimate reality is determined by the Lord. And if we are to live our lives BY FAITH as we are called to, even at times like these (ESPECIALLY at times like these), we need to HEAR the Lord. Because faith comes from hearing the Word of God.

So it is with the DEEPEST SENSE OF URGENCY, and with all the earnestness that I can humanly muster, that I ask you: Would you take some time to HEAR from the Lord on how you should pray for Jason? And then, FULL OF FAITH, would you continue to press into the Lord in prayer with us?

We are quickly coming to the end of that initial 72-hour period; tonight we approach that medical milestone. And we have NOT seen enough improvement in Justin's condition which would, in the natural, indicate he'll be able to recover from this. Specifically, please pray for greater responsiveness before the end of tonight, indicating brain activity. Whatever connectors in his brain need to be restored, that they would be revived. We're looking for small movements, focused glances, anything along those lines.

I have seen how your prayers have sustained the Leau family. Please continue. Do not stand down spiritually! This is the time.

Enock

A LETTER FROM BECKY LEAU

Sun, Dec 14, 2008 11:30pm

Dearest Friends,

Warmest aloha to all of you! This is Becky writing. I wanted to, first of all, extend my deepest gratitude for all of the prayers and the overwhelming show of support we've received in the last couple of days from so many friends all over the world. Justin is not out of the woods yet, but he's fighting hard. However slow the progress, the doctors are encouraged by his development today and we are too.

The medical team still doesn't know the exact nature of his ailment. We do know it is most likely an infection he picked up in Western Samoa while attending the Leadership Training School just a few weeks ago. The infection attacked his heart, and on Friday night led to cardiac arrest.

Enock and others have helped us keep our friends and family informed, by posting medical report summaries via email and on the web, and those will continue. But tonight I wanted to say a few things myself, to give you some of my thoughts, and ultimately to request that you continue to stand with us in prayer for Justin's life.

The truth of the matter is that 48 hours ago, shortly after Justin was admitted to to the Kona Hospital, the doctor in charge was not sure if Justin would make it through the night. His heart had stopped for at least 10 minutes (possibly longer), and we were told that from a medical perspective the results would likely be devastating and long-lasting. I have no words to explain the feelings that came over me at that moment.

So this is where we are at the moment. In the struggle. And it's a great struggle. By faith we see the triumph ahead, but this does not diminish the present anguish over my beautiful Justin, whose life seems so fragile right now. Every minute that I am awake I choose to place my confidence in God; there is no one else that can deliver us.

Today the doctors diminished the sedation, and Justin seems more responsive. His cardiologist is impressed by how his heart has remained steady the last 24 hours, maintaining good blood pressure. He was being given insulin to control his blood sugar levels, but that is no longer needed. All of these are good signs, and we thank God for them. But everything points to a very slow recovery ahead. The big milestone is coming up tomorrow night, as some of the test results come back and another assessment is made about his general responsiveness. Only then will we be able to hear with more certainty about the nature of the infection, which will help identifying the proper treatment.

Many of you have asked about possible impairment to brain function. This is one of the biggest concerns for us and for the doctors as well. But we know that we serve the God of the Impossible; He is the God of Miracles. And we're asking him for nothing shy of a miracle. As his sons and daughters we're agreeing together for supernatural healing. We're leaning forward on this one, and in our hearts EXPECTING GOD TO SHOW HIS POWER IN JUSTIN'S LIFE, BRINGING FULL HEALING.

Here's my plea to you. As your week begins, most of you will have very full schedules. Would you, even while tending to all your commitments, CONTINUE TO PRAY WITH US? I cannot tell you how helpful your prayers have been, and the only thing I can say right now is: Let's not stop! They truly have sustained Jason and I. And Justin!

Loren and Darlene Cunningham came to the hospital tonight (Sunday). As they prayed for Justin their sense was that this was part of Justin's pursuit and discovery of his own calling. We have received other words about deliverance "coming in the morning"; others sense a strong spiritual struggle going on. We know the Lord has his hand on this boy, and Justin's heart has always been for God.

My Justin is a quiet warrior; but a warrior nonetheless. So far this is the battle of his life, and he is fighting as hard as he can. Let us continue to join him in prayer.

Much aloha and God bless,

Becky Leau