"Ca sonne faux" 30/09 - Secret story 4

Since his birth, I've counted Ben as a meembr of my extended family at the Dunes Bible Camp; indeed, it has been my habit even before the accident to refer to Ben as my little brother when trying to explain our relationship to people unfamiliar with the Surprunowski family or DBC.Some of my earliest memories are of playing on the camp property with Ben and his sister Danae hiding in rhododendron bushes, climbing trees, building forts , and so on. As we grew older, the activities certainly shifted we spent less time climbing trees and more time playing video games but Ben continued to be a regular presence in my life.As we both entered our teenage years, I had the pleasure of participating in our church's youth leadership team with Ben, and the even greater pleasure of seeing my little brother grow into a young man with a heart for God, a passion for people, and a persistent inquisitiveness. Especially over the last few years, I've seen Ben refuse to be content with easy answers and unexamined living; instead, he has increasingly made his life and faith his own by seeking to know *why* he lives and believes as he does.More recently, I especially treasure memories of longboarding the Discovery Trail with Ben. My relocation to Portland (and later, Ben's move to California) made our contact less frequent, so our rides on the trail stand out as moments when two old friends reconnected, shared news of their lives, and reminisced as only old friends can.