|
Heroes of the Faith
Psalm 96:1-3 says “Oh sing to the Lord a new song; sing to the Lord, all the earth! Sing to the Lord, bless his name; tell of his salvation from day to day. Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous works among all the peoples!” These verses, along with many others, speak of God’s desire for us to tell others of his great glory to our neighbors as well as all people around the world.
When Marlene and I were first married, we spoke about the possibility of becoming missionaries. Although we never made it to the mission field, (partly because my sole accomplishment in grade school Spanish was to master counting from 1 to 10 (an ability I still maintain)). However, missions played an important part in our family, and in many ways, missionaries became our heroes of the faith. After all, they had left the safety of their homes, the love of family, and the promise of a comfortable life for the sake of the gospel. When the church library was a going thing, I would often check out missionary books, to read of their exploits.
As our children were growing up, we encouraged them to be involved in the short-term mission programs sponsored by the youth group. Also, whenever we traveled, we made a point of visiting missionaries. We were able to introduce them to missionaries in Italy, Mexico and two missionary families in Turkey, including Jeff and Dianne Morris, who were teaching at a Christian school in Istanbul. In addition, our oldest daughter, Melissa, also participated in two short-term mission programs in Europe. As a result, God has given us the gift of seeing two of our children become missionaries, but with that gift we also know something of the sacrifices that all missionaries must endure.
This Sunday, we all will have an opportunity to meet some of these heroes of the faith. Sam Owen has served as a missionary in Kenya for decades, while Jake and Rochelle Edmonds are relatively new missionaries serving with Mission Aviation Fellowship in Indonesia. Both Sam and Jake were raised at FCC. David and Denise Moore, from Wycliffe will also be here. The Moore's and Edmonds will share during Sunday School and Sam will bring the message, so that we will better understand what God is doing around the world. After the service all our missionaries will be represented, and local snacks indicative of the nations served, will be provided. I hope to see you there.
Lynn Long
| 
