Matthew was the youngest of our three sons. While pregnant with him, I prayed about what to name him. Looking through the Bible, I chose Matthew as the first name and Philip for his middle name. On July 21, 1977, Matthew Philip Hammell entered the world.

At age four, Matthew announced that he wanted to be a missionary when he grew up. At age 12, while praying and reading his Bible, God confirmed a missionary’s call on his life. At a young age, he made the decision to never drink alcohol, smoke, or do drugs. He was the kind of child/young man we never had to worry about. He always had a smile on his face, loved God, people, and baseball. He was an absolute delight to raise.

Throughout his 17 years, his life was a testimony to God. Shortly after Matt was born, I discovered that “Matthew” means “gift of the Lord.” He certainly was that. Several years later, I found out that Philip spoken of in the New Testament was the first missionary.

Although Matt’s life was tragically ended by a drunk driver, his mission and his gift live on. In 1996, one year after Matt’s death, I was invited to speak to DUI offenders at a state-run class in Atlantic County, NJ. The impact our story made was significant, it touched people deeply. I stopped speaking in March, 2020, but the mission continues as they show the “Matt’s Mission” video instead.

The stories of his precious life and of his death, have been like seeds planted in the hearts of people. From the feedback we have received; the harvest is great!