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By Lailani Mendoza
FRIENDS AND FAMILY of Jiri Zivny gathered January 30,
to remember someone who was described as a gentle spirit with a contagious
smile. The Kamloops man died after being attacked and severely beaten by
robbers, while on a missions trip in Cambodia.
Zivny was in Asia as part of an eight-person missions
trip sponsored by International Humanitarian Hope Society (IHHS), which
provides assistance to orphanages.
“He loved what he was doing,” said
IHHS president Evelyn Picklyk. “He was really fond of the
children, and of helping the children. They really loved him. They called
him ‘Mr. Smile’ because he had such a big smile. It
wasn’t [because[ we were taking a picture of him. He just had the
biggest smile all the time.”
 | | Helping children in Asia gave Jiri Zivny new purpose |
“Jiri was the type of guy that, as soon as you
met him, you liked him,” said Monty Aldoff, Zivny’s close
friend, and a teammate on the trip.
However, this caring person who had a big heart for
orphans was a far cry from who Zivny was many years ago. The old Zivny
lived a junkie’s life, revolving around parties and substance abuse.
“Jiri actually got pretty heavily involved
in drugs – and personally, I was too. I’m not gonna hide that
fact,” said Aldoff.
When God later delivered Aldoff from terminal cancer
and addiction, Zivny noticed – but didn’t exactly run towards
the same direction.
“One time, he showed up at eight o’clock in
the morning. He was actually asking for a ride to the drug dealer’s
house,” he said, chuckling at the memory.
“I said, ‘I couldn’t do that. But
what I could do is invite you to give your life to Jesus’ – and
he did. We started praying for him; he was delivered completely in a couple
of days, from his addictions and his problems.”
After Zivny’s transformation, Aldoff said,
“you just couldn’t help but love the guy. That’s why the
children just fell in love with him. They’d just seen that
peacefulness on him and he had that gentle spirit. You’d see kids
just hanging all over him at these orphanages – just five, six of
them on top of him all at one time.”
When a demonstration at the Thailand airport kept the
group from finishing the last leg of their journey, they all decided to go
back to Canada – except for Zivny, and a teammate who decided to
stay. “Six of us decided we would come home, and two decided they
would carry on by land and go across Cambodia to Thailand and carry on with
the work that we planned,” said Picklyk.
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Although the Cambodian government reported
Zivny’s death was due to a motorcycle accident, an autopsy showed no
scrapes, abrasions or broken bones that would confirm the claim. What the
doctor did find, however, was a severe blow to the side and front of his
head. All his personal belongings also went missing after the incident.
“We’re just going by the injury report from
the doctor,” said Picklyk. “We’re still trying to
understand it all. But we know that he’s gone to be with the
Lord.”
“To be absent in the body is to be present with
the Lord, and we’re firm believers of that,” Aldoff added.
“And our time on this earth is to serve Jesus.”
It was a scripture found on Zivny’s bookmark,
which he bought just before the trip, which provided solace from the grief
at his memorial service. The inscription was simple but powerful: “I
am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even
though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you
believe this?”
Aldoff said God has been using Jiri’s story to
turn people to Jesus. One of Zivny’s friends phoned Aldoff, because
“he couldn’t get Jiri out of his mind. He said ‘I’m
never gonna pick up drugs ever again in my life.’ And I’ve
heard more than one story like that already. Makes his life all
worthwhile.”
A trust fund is open for people who would like to give
in memory of Jiri Zivny. Donations will go toward helping orphanages;
donors will be issued tax deductible receipts.
Contact: humanitarianhope.com.
March 2009
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