Sunday, August 24, 2008

At Any Cost...

"Lord, I give up all my own plans and purposes, all my own desires and hopes, and accept Your will for my life. I give myself, my life, my all, utterly to You to be Yours forever. Fill me and seal me with Your Holy Spirit. Use me at Your will, send me where You will, work out Your whole will in my life AT ANY COST, now and forever." ---Betty Scott Stam, Missionary to China in the 1930's




















These precious people know what it means to pray that prayer and experience the reality of "at any cost". In a village near the Honduran border, Pastor Davis and his parents (people pictured) reside in La Pita, Nicaragua. We spent some time visiting with them and during our time together this sweet man shared some of his life experiences with us. I could not believe the stories I heard...

Pastor Davis' father was a lead runner in the Evangelical work in northern Nicaragua. When the Sandinistas took over in the 70's him and his family suffered some extreme persecution. He was a prisoner of war, beaten, starved, ridiculed, and still did not deny His Jesus.

After leaving La Pita, we traveled to a village named San Gregoria. We arrived at the place where we would be staying and seeing the church took me back to a story Pastor Davis' dad told us just a few days before... He was a part of the first baptist church plant in Northern Nicaragua and this is where the story took place. They were at church on a Sunday night and after the preaching, 2 men on horseback stormed through the front doors and martyred two Christians with machetes. Pastor Davis' father told us that he still remembers what the message was that night, it was "Suffering for the Love of Jesus".

To see this church and walk inside it's walls and know the faithful saints that had left their legacy there.. brings a new meaning to "Lord, take my life, use me, AT ANY COST."

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

I love that story.. that has been my prayer this past week, and will continue to be. Whatever it takes. Whatever. I love you, JessicaWilliamsonHouduras.

: )

Leslie Young said...

Those stories gave me chill bumps! It's so easy for me to say 'Yes, Lord, whatever the cost' but do I even begin to understand what that means? And if I did, would I still be able to say it? Much to ponder.

Anonymous said...

update update... I don't care if you're not there.
update update... I don't care if you're not there.

(etc.)

Anonymous said...

update update... I don't care if you're not there.
update update... I don't care if you're not there.

(etc.)