A Little Bit About My Cousin Damion

Damion Marx didn't do things small.

He got engaged under a fireworks show on the Fourth of July, was married in Chile on a reality TV show and once spent five straight days in a sleep-optional Texas birding competition.

And so when he was "bitten by the birding bug," as he says on a Florida Atlantic University Web site, the 35-year-old Ph.D. student did that big, too, writing his dissertation on wading birds in Lake Okeechobee and reveling in research that sometimes had him waist-deep in Florida muck.

Or on small airplanes.

During a routine aerial nesting survey, he died Thursday morning when a Cessna Skyhawk crashed in western Martin County. Also killed were fellow FAU graduate student Phillip Heidemann, 43; lab technician Gareth Akerman, 36; and pilot Jeff Rozelle, 36.

"It's tragic, absolutely tragic," said Gary Perry, dean of FAU's College of Science. "They had done these trips so many times before. It was just standard operating procedure for them."

Marx's wife, Luli, is a professor at Palm Beach Community College.

A video the couple made in December during a trip to the Bahamas ends with Luli standing next to a Christmas tree, where she announces she is pregnant. On the screen, "We're so excited" and "Happy 2008!" appear.

Thursday morning's trip was one of the final flights in a three-year study on how the water levels of Lake Okeechobee affect bird nesting habits.

The sky was blue. The sun was shining.

"This is what biologists love to do, get out in the field and experience it first-hand," Perry said.

"We're devastated," Perry said. "We've just lost three of our people."

Marx "was one of the smartest guys I knew in Dale's lab," he said.

Marx earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Oregon. His first job was with the National Audubon Society at the Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary in Collier County.

Marx and his wife were married in November 2006 in Santa Cruz, Chile. The wedding was captured on the Style network's Married Away.

For their anniversary, Luli Marx made a gift for her husband — a video with photos of the smiling, sometimes goofy couple, accompanied by the song Better Together.

It ends with a message from Luli to Damion: "I can't wait to spend the rest of my years with you. All my love, forever."

The above text are excerpts from an article in Friday's edition of the Palm Beach Post.

I don't really know what else to say at this point. My cousin was one of the smartest people I have ever met. He was kind, compassionate and full of passion. Although Damion had a little bit of a temper, he always had a smile on his face. Damion loved life and he loved the outdoors.

My whole family is really shaken by this tragic loss. It is just hard to believe that we will never see his face again, feel his love as he hugs us or delight in the sound of his contagious laughter. In some ways it is comforting to know that Luli is carrying his child and come August we will have a tangible part of Damion to hold again, but that poor child will never be held by their own father. Damion's younger sister, Danielle, is also pregnant with her first child. I only hope that these two births will help my family find joy in this time of extreme loss.

Thanks for you prayers,
Deidre

Graduation Sunday

Today was a glorious day at church. Every three to four months we have a graduation for all the people who have completed the discipleship program. It is such a refreshing service and a great reminder of why we do what we do everyday.

For those of you who don't know, the Dream Center has a men's, a women's and a teen discipleship program. Each is designed for people who have hit rock bottom and need some drastic measures in order to get their lives back on track. Many of the people who enter the program are addicts, gang bangers, prostitutes and the like. It is amazing to see the transformation that happens in each individual as they dedicate a year of their life to dealing with their deep scars and facing many of their devastating decisions. This program takes tons of discipline and a daily decision to surrender and submit. It is so encouraging to see men that look like hardcore gang members praising the Lord with all their heart. Every graduation is a sweet gift to those of us who work in the trenches with those in discipleship.

Two of our students graduated today, Geo and Rick. Although I am really proud of the both of them, I am kind of sad to see them go. I have only been teaching at the Dream Center Academy for 6 weeks, but Cami has been their teacher since August and I really began to care for these young ones. I know them graduating and leaving is evidence of a job well done, but watching them go it is going to take some getting used to.

So the DCA is a private Christian school for inner city kids. About 1/3 of our students live here at the Dream Center as a part of the discipleship program and the other 2/3 are from all parts of Los Angeles. I never wanted to teach in a private school and here I am doing just that. But our students are not the typical Christian school kids. The majority do not have a relationship with Christ and neither do their parents, they just send their kids to our school to get them out of dangerous situations. Cami and I are learning a lot about graciously administer tough love. It is sometimes exhausting to be the ones who hold high expectations of kids who are ready to surrender to drugs and gang life. But then days like today come and we are reminded that we really are helping these kids to change the direction of their lives.

In other news, we have officially move yet again. This is the 3rd apartment since we left Portland, but I think it will be the last for a while (Lord willing). It seems like we have finally settled into the roles the Lord had for us. When we left Pdx we knew it was to fulfill some great call the Lord had for us, we just weren't sure what that was and I think we have found it. The Dream Center is why the Lord called us to Los Angeles. We are able to use our passion for education to influence the lives of young, broken, inner city youth and be an avenue of Christ love to them at the same time. There are so many possibilities for us here and I am excited to watch our dreams unfold. Thank you all for you love and support.

Perhaps I will post some pictures soon of our new home. We love you all.