March 23, 2017
Beloved Prayer Warriors and Servants,
The time comes in the life of all old soldiers when it is time to lay down his arms, not in surrender but in passing on to disciples all that he knows about Him so that they can teach others. The time has come when I can’t read every morning and pray like I have for 60 years but my friends and disciples send me beautiful words of God and pray for me constantly, wonderful prayers. I never thought the day would come when I would depend on the reading of others and the prayers of others so much, but it has come, and now I rejoice in their knowledge of truth, their love of the Scriptures, their confidence in prayer, their love for us and their desire to see the Kingdom of God established in Latin America especially.
I can only claim one simple thing: we have done the right thing, we have taught the Word, and the Word has ministered to people so deeply that they minister it to others, even back to me.
The same thing is true of men of business who have to pass on their knowledge, their understanding, their strength, but the next generation has to fulfill it. This was the Lord’s vision in the multiplying of disciples and not just the making of more disciples. We are thrilled to see the depth, the knowledge of the Word of God, the faith in that Word, and to see that people are obeying now much more than they did before because they see the value of putting into practice the Word of God.
As we move on to the next stage as family, we trust the Lord to give us fruit in our old age, not through preaching, not through teaching, but by encouraging our friends to continue on in this ministry, this vision, that God has given to us. When I think of where it all came from, I am awed and humbled because from a very lowly seed, a very lowly piece of rock, God is building something so beautiful that it touches all over Mexico and all of Latin America, way beyond our calculation of what our lives have accomplished evidenced through constant letters and prayer, from different places all over as an illustration of the work of the grace of God, not of man, and the fact that it keeps going is even more a demonstration of that grace.
People here in the hospital ask why so many people come to spend a night with me, to take care of me during the day, during the night, and our answer is because they love us in Christ, we have served them and now they are serving us. This is a beautiful picture of the fruitful life that I have longed to experience, in a different way but just as real a way, and perhaps a greater influence as people ask why are all these people interested in you, and their answer is “This man helped me, he is my spiritual father, or grandfather, and now we owe him our help.” To God be the glory.
How much longer it will last, only God knows, but I am here for as long as he wants me to be, to suffer for Him even as He suffered for me. Please continue to strengthen me. Deuteronomy 33:25 says as my days, as my hours, so shall my strength be. I have seen it, I continue to expect it, but even if that were taken away, He is the same, He changes not, I will not doubt His Word.
Thank you so much for all your ministry to us.
In Jesus’ Name, Sam