Maryann and I really celebrated life this past Sabbath. Since Maryann's bout with melanoma several years ago, we have made the Berrien County (Michigan) Fairgrounds Relay for Life an annual event. If you had stopped by our booth, you would have met some highly enthusiastic and motivated high school students—Zach's Bloomers.

We had known a few of Zach's friends from previous years, but this year there were a lot of new faces. We learned from Kris Zandarski, the organizer of Zach's booth, that her niece and nephews, Ryan and Sean London, and Jeremy and Allison Zandarski, brought their high school prayer group to help raise awareness and money to fight the disease that took the life of Zach 13 years ago.

Zach and his brother Ben were a couple of "my kids" when I was their youth pastor, and their parents, Paul and Rhoda Layman, are still dear friends.

Zach was one of those special kids who was full of life, had a great sense of humor, and made relationships a priority. You could usually find him smack dab in the middle of whatever was happening. His friends were like family.

Kris's son, Matt, was Zach's best friend, and her daughter, Nicole, adopted Zach's puppy at his request. Zach's friends became a major source of encouragement and support throughout his battle with the insidious disease. After his death, they have continued to support Paul, Rhoda and Ben.

With a background in nursing and a desire to do everything she could to prevent cancer from taking the life of someone else's son or daughter, Rhoda began looking for ways she could make a difference. That's when she and Kris learned of the first Relay for Life, held in St. Joseph, the summer after Zach's death.

Rhoda has taken a major role in its development from a little event at a ball field until now, where it fills the Berrien County Fairgrounds. For the past several years, they have received national recognition for having the highest participation per capita in the nation—participants like Sean and the prayer group. These dedicated teens were responsible for raising $1,000 for cancer research in Zach's name. They held church events, conducted a $50 challenge to skip coffee or sodas, worked with local businesses, and they prayed.

We were curious how the prayer group got started. "When my kids were in high school," Kris said, "I wished that there was a group of students who could encourage and support each other with prayer. So I began to pray. Now I see that my prayers are being answered."

The students started meeting at the Berrien Springs High School flagpole, and it has grown to include much more than that. They also meet after school, sometimes at churches or homes, to pray for each other, their friends, families and community.

Prayer is making a significant difference in the lives of these teens, and it's made a difference at the Berrien Springs High School. Pray for them, and with them, as they reach out to their school and community this year. And remember to pray for and encourage someone you know whose life has been impacted by cancer.

Gary Burns is the communication director of the Lake Union Conference.