Mardi Drew Keyes and Dick Keyes

I met Peter when I was a student at Northfield School in the early 1960's. I had become a Christian during my senior year at Northfield with the help of a history teacher Judy Brown (Hull). Judy brought me to what I believe was the first "camp" retreat of what became UPSC (University and Private School Camps) and later FOCUS. I remember Judy's brother Joe Brown and his wife Grace speaking to a small group of students. I continued to attend UPSC/FOCUS gatherings during my school and college years, and brought along my siblings, Charlie and Becky Drew, who were young believers. Both of them met their spouses through FOCUS, and later worked for FOCUS. In fact, I too met my husband, Dick Keyes, through Peter, who was one of the first people to share the Gospel with Dick, while he was a student at Harvard U.

I grew up on the north shore of Long Island, near Sandra's family. Both she and her mother were huge encouragements to me as a young Christian. In 1968, Peter married Dick and me at my parent's Episcopal Church in Sea Cliff, Long Island. We moved to Philadelphia, and I became the first paid staff worker for FOCUS, while Dick studied at Westminster Seminary. After seminary, Dick and I moved to Europe where we worked with L'Abri Fellowship in Switzerland and England. In 1979, we returned to the USA to open the first residential branch of L'Abri, which was in Southborough MA, where Peter had become a Christian while he was a student at St. Mark's School.

My most recent, personal memory of Peter was when he and one of his daughters (I believe it was Jennifer) stayed with us at L'Abri while they attended his 50th St. Mark's reunion. I was so moved by his description of walking and praying through the streets of Southborough, when he was a student at St. Marks and did not know one other Christian. His route took him past the mansion, which in 1980 would become the first residential branch of L'Abri Fellowship in the USA. God heard Peter's prayers for Southborough! In the years since then, 1000's of people have come to stay in the big old house, where they have been exposed to the Christian Faith, in the holistic, embodied context of community and hospitality.

Dick and I regret not having seen more of Sandra and Peter after starting our Faith journeys with them. But we are profoundly grateful for their work, and look forward to "catching up" when we all join Peter, "on the other side".

Praise God for our resurrection hope!