There are, I am quite sure, thousands of stories and memories of Father Jan Lang that fill our minds and hearts every day. There are, no doubt, many others who should be sharing them with all of us. I believe that if Fr. Lang was standing here today, his warm smile would be evident and he would want to reassure all of us that the world will go on as usual, that his funeral is nothing out of the ordinary, and that, in fact, all is well. There are many things for which he will be remembered, but we will never forget his huge heart and a remarkable sense of humor. What more could any of us ask than be loved and amused. He did both with ease, he loved us and he made us laugh. But, of course, there was so much more. We will always remember his faith to God, his serenity, his ambition to help, to speak to each of us, to be a father, to be a friend… And do you know what is the label for as great life as he lived, do you know that password for great live like he had? It is the simple sentence: ``Rejoice in the lord always, again I will say, Rejoice`` Yes, you right, this is the sentence we heard very often from him, this is the meaning of the live, this is the meaning of the faith to God, this is the key to heaven. This is what he lived. He touched the life of everyone of us. It was an honour to have known Fr. Lang and a privilege we will never take for granted having him a part of our lives! He was a gift from God to all of us but now he is a gift to God. 2000-01-01T16:56:05-06:00 2007-04-01 beatamachajdova@hotmail.com 3 1 Beata Machajdova Somehow I realise just recently of how Father Lang had greatly effected my life in the past 3 or so years. This is all centered around Father Lang's greatest legacy, Velehrad.<br/> The first time I met him was when a good friend of mine, who happened to be living in Velehrad, asked me to fix Father Lang's printer. We went to his office, and I saw this small man with a big smile on his face welcomed us. His hearing were already bad at that time (and he didn't wear his hearing aid), so we had to shout a little bit. It turned out that there was nothing to fix, and it was just a matter of care; but that brief encounter was a start of a journey and many-many stories and experiences which I was about to live. In that place I met countless friends, many of them became my good friends, I learned a new culture, a new language, new traditions. I learned the foods, the drinks, the songs, the dances. I went to the church (which Father Lang celebrate Mass on), I participated in many of their events (traditional, national or religious) as guest and sometimes taking an active part. All of these, I could had not imagined that I would do before.<br/> It is as if God has put me there Himself.<br/> And when the journey took me to meet my girlfriend (who used to live and work at Velehrad), then the 'circle' had finally completed.<br/> During the last few weeks of Father Lang's life, when he was hospitalised. I had felt with him the suffering of a man who longed (missed) his 'home', his struggle and frustation about his condition. And yet I could also feel the serenity, the inner-strength and most importantly his faith to God. <br /> I owe many things to Father Lang, and with these words I thank him for everything he had done for me, for the influence that he had in my life. May God receive him on His side in heaven.<br/> Father Lang, may you Rest In Peace. 2000-01-01T09:49:37-06:00 2007-03-28 brajamusti@gmail.com 2 1 Bagus Prakoso The first time that we met Father Lang was when we were preparing for our marriage and asked Father Lang to prepare us for this most special occasion in our lives. The first moment when we entered the little back room of Velehrad, filled with newspapers, notes and all sorts of books, between all this knowledge was sitting this petit man, with white hair and with an enourmous charisma. A man with a warming, welcoming smile with eyes full of joy and love, shining through the whole room. You could feel the touch of God through him, and we would enjoy every moment that we spent with him over the next few months prior to our wedding. His blessing, his wisdom, his guidance and his friendship will remain with us forever. Thank you Father Lang, you will stay in our hearts and lives until the day comes when the Lord allows us to meet again. Thank you for your love, for your strong faith which you shared with us, for your blessing for our marriage, our lives together and for the blessing of our daughter. God bless you. Rest in Peace. With love, Ronald, Jana and Anicka. 2000-01-01T19:07:32-06:00 2007-03-24 janalilianp@yahoo.com 1 1 Jana and Ronald van Loon