Me and Joaquin (I'm the one on the left)With tears welling up in my eyes, I listened intently as Joaquin shared his testimony at our dinner table Sunday night. When Joaquin was six years old, his father began to search out deep spiritual matters. He really wanted to know who the true God was. The village spiritual leader had pointed him to a variety of different idols, but he knew in his heart of hearts that wasn’t the answer.
Shortly into his spiritual quest, some missionaries from Oregon showed up in his village to share the gospel of Jesus. Most of the villagers rejected their message out right however, when Joaquin’s father heard them speak, he understood that he was hearing the truth for the first time in his life. He asked Jesus into his heart and was radically changed. He endured many threats and great persecution for his new beliefs, but never wavered from the faith.
Three years later, Joaquin, his three brothers, and his father were walking over a mountain on their way to do some work. His father was having some issues with his feet and needed to stop for a break. He sent his boys on ahead promising to catch up with them shortly. That was the last time they would see their father alive.
On March 9th, 1952, the boys were to find their father in a crucified position with several stabs wounds all over his body. He had been murdered for his belief in Jesus.
Now at the age of 66, Joaquin daily lights up the camp here with his ear to ear smile. I asked him if it was hard to forgive the men that had killed his father. He said that for a long time it was. There came a point as he was growing up that he began to ask the same spiritual questions that his father had asked years before. He began to question what it was that his father had been willing to die for. This is when he found forgiveness through Jesus and was able to forgive. At the age of 18, he enrolled in a Bible school and began his studies to become a pastor. For this decision he was excommunicated by all of his friends and also had to endure great persecution. Through it all, he was able to successfully pastor several churches throughout Mexico up until he retired to take care of his ailing wife a few years ago.
Joaquin was only the age of my oldest son Smith when his father was cruelly stripped out of his life. As he shared his story, our whole family sat in silence, which doesn’t happen too often, and relished in the fact that we were in the presence of such a great unsung hero of the faith.
Before he left for the night, he prayed over Rachel and me, and then we prayed for him. It was a wonderful experience. It’s an honor to call this man my friend.
Please pray for Joaquin’s wife as she continues to recover from a broken femur and a broken tail bone. Please also be in prayer for Joaquin’s Uncle Opie that has been fighting pneumonia for quite some time now.
Shortly into his spiritual quest, some missionaries from Oregon showed up in his village to share the gospel of Jesus. Most of the villagers rejected their message out right however, when Joaquin’s father heard them speak, he understood that he was hearing the truth for the first time in his life. He asked Jesus into his heart and was radically changed. He endured many threats and great persecution for his new beliefs, but never wavered from the faith.
Three years later, Joaquin, his three brothers, and his father were walking over a mountain on their way to do some work. His father was having some issues with his feet and needed to stop for a break. He sent his boys on ahead promising to catch up with them shortly. That was the last time they would see their father alive.
On March 9th, 1952, the boys were to find their father in a crucified position with several stabs wounds all over his body. He had been murdered for his belief in Jesus.
Now at the age of 66, Joaquin daily lights up the camp here with his ear to ear smile. I asked him if it was hard to forgive the men that had killed his father. He said that for a long time it was. There came a point as he was growing up that he began to ask the same spiritual questions that his father had asked years before. He began to question what it was that his father had been willing to die for. This is when he found forgiveness through Jesus and was able to forgive. At the age of 18, he enrolled in a Bible school and began his studies to become a pastor. For this decision he was excommunicated by all of his friends and also had to endure great persecution. Through it all, he was able to successfully pastor several churches throughout Mexico up until he retired to take care of his ailing wife a few years ago.
Joaquin was only the age of my oldest son Smith when his father was cruelly stripped out of his life. As he shared his story, our whole family sat in silence, which doesn’t happen too often, and relished in the fact that we were in the presence of such a great unsung hero of the faith.
Before he left for the night, he prayed over Rachel and me, and then we prayed for him. It was a wonderful experience. It’s an honor to call this man my friend.
Please pray for Joaquin’s wife as she continues to recover from a broken femur and a broken tail bone. Please also be in prayer for Joaquin’s Uncle Opie that has been fighting pneumonia for quite some time now.
4 comments:
I will be praying for Joaquin and his family. What an amazing man of God. :o)
In all my anguish over your being so far away, I treasure the fact that you are meeting and ministering to people you would never have met had you not followed the "Call" of God on your life. Love you son.
Wow...
Dave, Christina, Herbie, Allie, Baby
I had only heard about you before,but now I have seen you with my own eyes.
Job 42:5
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