June 24, 2021, was a sad day for the Duran Rivera family and the Keene Spanish Seventh-day Adventist Church in Keene, Texas. Nick Duran, a 20-year-old cadet at the United States Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colorado, was flying his AA-1A Grumman and sharing his love for the skies with passenger Felipe Lopez, 20, when they crashed a few miles outside of Cleburne, Texas.
The news of Duran’s death spread quickly throughout Keene, Cleburne and Colorado Springs. Duran’s profound passion for being up in the sky was matched only by his passion for serving Jesus.
He loved people which included his many family members, his baseball teammates and his fellow cadets. He was well on his way to becoming a United States Air Force pilot when his dream was cut short.
We remember him as a child and young man growing up in our church. He was a joy to be around, with a respectful and happy demeanor that was a blessing to others.
At his funeral service, the Soul Savers Adventurers, Pathfinders and Master Guides passed out more than 400 copies of Steps to Jesus to his many high school friends, former baseball teammates and community members. Some had come from as far as Colorado Springs.
A sticker placed on the inside cover of each book contained his photo and this message: “This is a gift for you from Nick Duran’s family. Anything special, admirable or good you saw in Nick was because he loved Jesus and was trying his best to be like Him. We invite you to get to know Nick’s friend Jesus. This book can help you.”
Ryan Rutter, a United States Air Force pilot, gave the eulogy at the service. After describing Duran’s many accomplishments at the academy, he mentioned that a memorial service for Duran would be held at the academy on August 9, 2021, when the 4,000 cadets return from summer vacation. Upon hearing this, Duran’s mom, Linette Duran, dreamed of gifting Steps to Jesus to those 4,000 cadets so that they too could get to know Jesus. It might be a first introduction for some of the cadets, who attend the academy from all faiths and walks of life.
Church members put this dream to prayer and started working on how to reach this wonderful but expensive goal. They needed not only 4,000 books, but also to put the sticker with his photo and a special message on the inside cover of each one. At the funeral, Nick’s friends had wanted the book as soon as they realized it had his photo inside.
Through special contacts, the church connected with Pacific Press Publishing Association (Pacific Press) in Nampa, Idaho, about the need for Steps to Jesus with the special military cover. The press did not have enough of those covers in stock, and the paper to print more was backordered.
Church members were thrilled to learn that God was already taking care of all the details. The paper arrived in time, and they started making contacts for donations to help cover the cost involved. The Southwestern Union Conference of Seventh-day Adventists in Burleson, Texas, graciously covered the cost of the books, labels and shipping. Mickey Johnson, Texas Adventist Book Center (ABC) director, in Keene, Texas, handled the communication with Pacific Press and received the large shipment.
When the books arrived at the ABC in Keene, members from the Keene Spanish church helped to put labels on the books. Carl Johnston, president of Seminars Unlimited, took care shipping the books to the United States Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs.
Nick Duran’s family used his untimely death to share Jesus with thousands of young men and women. Only in heaven will we fully know how lives were touched for Christ as a result of a mother’s grieving dream.
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Suzanna Facundo is the Master Guide co-director for Keene Spanish Seventh-day Adventist Church and is assistant director of medical outreach for Adventist World Radio.
Additional Information
City mourns loss of two men in plane crash
Honoring the Memory of C2C Nick Duran
F-16 Fly Over in honor of Nick Duran
Photos below provided by the Duran family.
