Years and years ago, when I was a relatively new Christian, Trinity Church organised annual residential visits to a place called Carroty Wood near Tonbridge as part of their children's work.  I had the privilege to attend some of these weekends as a helper and found that David supported this work, often as a night watchman.  There were two night watchmen/women on any given shift and one year David and I were on shift together.  Out of all the many good memories I have of knowing David and the family, my night shift with him has always stood out for me, I think because it involved a prolonged amount of time in his company in an unusual context which gave us plenty of opportunity to chat.  I remember us listening out for animal noises in the stillness of the night and how we'd make our guesses whether it was this creature or that creature (or indeed one of the children!), and I remember feeling totally at ease in David's company, with his unassuming, cheerful and gentle nature and generosity in conversation. 

Part of the night watchmen's duties was to ensure the children were OK, especially if they woke up in the night.  David's manner of relating to them was delightful and he had the knack of discerning whether a child genuinely needed to be up to visit the facilities in the main building or whether they needed encouragement to simply get back in their tent and go to sleep!  His tone was always full of kindness even when a firmer word was needed.  On reflection, I realise now that he was actually a very skilled children's worker and I can't imagine that his example and modelling of Christian love in word and deed would have gone unnoticed by the children, or by his Saviour on these occasions.