Completing a huge puzzle positively expresses the fellowship we have with our brothers and sisters in Christ.

Christian fellowship is a gift from God. I know, as a young woman, I took the blessing for granted. It wasn't until my dad was diagnosed with cancer that I truly understood the extent of this blessing.

A love of puzzles

My dad's hobby was to complete puzzles—not just any puzzles, but religious puzzles. After he was diagnosed with terminal cancer, my dad made it his goal to complete a puzzle for each of his family members and other special friends. Within the 15 months he battled with cancer, he completed at least 12 puzzles.

During one of my dad's numerous hospital stays, my brother and my mom found a 13,200-piece puzzle of "The Last Supper" by Leonardo da Vinci. We bought it as a gift for my dad, and he wanted to put it together and give it as a gift to our church. As you can imagine, a jigsaw puzzle with that many pieces is quite large. When completed, it would measure 10 feet by 4 feet.

My dad started the puzzle before getting too sick to continue. He worked for a few months and completed one of the six sections that made up this puzzle. Usually my dad asked every visitor to our house to put a puzzle piece in before he or she left. Many sat down, sifted through the thousands of pieces, and tried their best. Before my dad could finish a second section, however, the Lord called him home.

The love of Christians

Soon after his death, friends and family began asking about the puzzle. They knew about my dad's goal to complete it for our church. Close friends and members of our congregation volunteered to take sections of the puzzle home to help reach my dad's goal of finishing the 13,200-piece puzzle.

This task was not easy. Challenges arose when visiting grandchildren dropped pieces to the floor. Some pieces accidently went through the washing machine, and others arrived at church inside dress shoes! Hours turned into days and days into weeks and months. Some sat for hours and only managed to fit two or three pieces. Needless to say, patience and determination—the same qualities that my dad possessed—were keys for successful completion.

Finally, eight months after my dad's death, the final section was complete. Then the finished puzzle—glued, sealed and protected—was lifted onto a wall in the fellowship room of our church. In all, the frame and puzzle weighed 250 pounds.

It's a great place for Dad's puzzle. The fellowship area is where brothers and sisters in Christ meet to encourage and talk with one another. They helped put the puzzle together out of love for Christ and to honor their brother in Christ, Henry Vogt.