Sam Thomsen Thoughts

What an experience the last several days have been. That is the understatement of the century. And yet, when I contemplate my experiences, I cannot imagine what my friends, the Thomsens, are going through.
Last Wednesday night, their only son Sam was at a Boy Scout Camp in Iowa. The Little Sioux Camp was being used for young men who had been selected as leaders in Boy Scouts and they were there for training. The weather turned horribly bad and an EF-3 tornado came right down through the valley where the camp was. Sam was in one of the buildings that took a direct hit. Sam was near the chimney that collapsed. He died there at the camp.
Those are the bare facts. Last night, we had nearly 700 people in our building to honor the memory of 13-year-old Sam Thomsen. We laughed and laughed as one by one people came up to tell stories about Sam. He was a funny, enjoyable kid. We heard from home-school people, Scout leaders, Family Group members, basketball coaches, and many others. As I scanned the crowd it hit me what an impact this little boy (he was turning out to be a fine young man, too) had. Many of that age, and I imagine Sam would have thought this also, that they can't do much to affect people. Don't ever feel that way again. There were 700 in that auditorium last night and many more who, I'm sure, would have liked to come last night.
But there were others, too, who were affected. I visited with a young reporter from Good Morning America. She stood in my office as her camera man filmed by desk computer that was pulled up to Sam's Facebook account. I started reading some of the comments made by Sam's friends. "I love you buddy," "Just know I will never forget you," "I am so blessed to have known you," "Hey, kiddo. You're finally home." It became suddenly silent in the room as I continued to read the tributes. Finally, the reporter said to the camera man, "Did you get any of that?" She placed her hand over her heart and said, "That was so touching." The camera man backed away from his camera and wiped tears from his eyes. What an impact.
Everyone that I talked to wanted to know what kind of young man he was. I told them all of his love for his Lord. I talked to reporters from all the television stations here in Omaha, to the Omaha World Herald, the New York Times, NPR, Inside Edition, The Christian Chronicle, Nightline, and the Associated Press. I appeared on Good Morning America and the Larry King Show. As a result, Sam's faith, his love for God, his life are known to millions. People all over the world know about Sam Thomsen.
Incredible, isn't it? To have an impact on this world like that is something he never expected. But you know what? I think if Sam would have been able to see all of this attention, I think he would have thought it was cool. In fact, I can hear him say that. And you know what else? I bet he knows.
One of Sam's favorite quotes listed on his Facebook was a quote from his sister while they were at Sonic. She said, "My whole life is a happy hour." That's just like Sam. And that was his attitude about life. As a result, he impacted countless lives. I miss him already. Sam, this is for you. You've got to know how much I love you by this comment, especially coming from this huge Razorback fan. I wouldn't say this for anybody else but you. Go Huskers!