Count Me As A Missionary
By Christopher Notes
A young aviator came to us the other day. He had two rows of battle ribbons on his uniform, and deep, tired lines on his face. He spoke of war as he had been seeing it -- of planes being blasted from the sky, of hunger and heat, and the ever-present terror of death. Now, after a brief furlough, he was off once more to the battlefront.
"If I don't come again," he said, "I should like to leave a message for you to pass on. I've seen men kill men and yet win no victory. There is no victory unless we win our enemies to the knowledge of the truth.
"All Christians -- all of us -- have let this war happen. We have saved the truth for ourselves, and let the rest of the world fester in a disease that is now infecting us. We may put down this disease with force, beat it to the earth; but in years to come, it will rise again, for its roots will still be there. It is for the missionaries to win the battle over the evil ideas in men's minds.
"This I believe so deeply, that I say now that , if I should come back again, you can count me as a missionary. Put me down to go out again all over the world to do this work.
"There must be millions of boys, too young to fight, who would be willing to give their lives to this work if they understood its urgency. Tell them what we have done, and are doing our part. It is for them to finish the job."
Honor
Author Unknown
Epitaph for a missionary in Africa: "To the world he was a man. To us, who knew him, he was the world."
A missionary's true honor is in the genuine gratitude of the hearts of those he served.
When Money Does Not Count
By Salt Shaker
The old doctor had never refused a call either for rich or for poor. But now he was tired and retired.
One midnight he received a call. "Have you any money?" he asked the midnight caller.
"Certainly," the caller replied.
"Then go to the new doctor. I'm too old to get out of bed for anyone who can pay for it."
Enemies Believe In Your Good Work
By Frank Mihalic
During Christ's life there were times when even the devils had to admit that he was working miracles and doing good. And sometimes he had to shut them up. This same thing can happen to us when enemies of goodness and virtue by their actions admit that they really believe in us and that we are doing good...
A good example was the renegade outlaw named Calles who ruled Mexico and brought it to its knees during the late 1920s, making it a special point to strangle the Church. It was the time of the martyrdom of the likes of Fr. Pro and others... To this day his decree against wearing a religious habit in public still stands -- for Sisters also. No cleric may vote. Once, Calles came down with some serious illness that required surgery. He would not make use of any of the state-run hospitals for this, being wary that the physicians might take his life. The only hospitals he could trust were those being run by the Sisters... No matter how much he had persecuted them, he knew that heir belief in doing good to one's enemy would come through. He went, had his operation successfully, recuperated, and went right back to making life miserable for the likes of the Catholic Sisters...
Another example happened in Papua New Guinea when a renegade rascal who had often robbed from the mission came down with a tropical ulcer and promptly betook himself to the mission clinic. The nurse in charge seeing him, of all people, gave him studied neglect... He got upset and screamed, "You've got to help me. That's why you came to PNG."
Or the case of one of the murderers of a nun in Papua, who when he was pursued by his own villagers, ran to the convent of the very Sister he had murdered... for his own safety, knowing that no matter what happened, the Sisters would not harm him...
The Nature To Save
By Lovasik
A Hindu went down to the Ganges to pray and saw some sort of large insect flourishing around in the water. He decided to keep it from drowning, so he stretched out his finger and gave it a chance to hop aboard. Instead, it stung him, It was a scorpion. He tried again, it repeated the painful sting.
Someone nearby was watching and asked the Hindu what he was doing. When he answered, the man said, "You're wasting your time. A scorpion is no good; it will only sting you."
The man answered, "It is the scorpion's nature to sting. It is man's nature to save."
----------
Jesus' words as recorded in Matthew 5:43-48:
"You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor, and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who mistreat you and persecute you, that you may be children of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the just and the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Don't even the tax collectors do the same? If you only greet your friends, what more do you do than others? Don't even the tax collectors do the same? Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect."
By Christopher Notes
A young aviator came to us the other day. He had two rows of battle ribbons on his uniform, and deep, tired lines on his face. He spoke of war as he had been seeing it -- of planes being blasted from the sky, of hunger and heat, and the ever-present terror of death. Now, after a brief furlough, he was off once more to the battlefront.
"If I don't come again," he said, "I should like to leave a message for you to pass on. I've seen men kill men and yet win no victory. There is no victory unless we win our enemies to the knowledge of the truth.
"All Christians -- all of us -- have let this war happen. We have saved the truth for ourselves, and let the rest of the world fester in a disease that is now infecting us. We may put down this disease with force, beat it to the earth; but in years to come, it will rise again, for its roots will still be there. It is for the missionaries to win the battle over the evil ideas in men's minds.
"This I believe so deeply, that I say now that , if I should come back again, you can count me as a missionary. Put me down to go out again all over the world to do this work.
"There must be millions of boys, too young to fight, who would be willing to give their lives to this work if they understood its urgency. Tell them what we have done, and are doing our part. It is for them to finish the job."
Honor
Author Unknown
Epitaph for a missionary in Africa: "To the world he was a man. To us, who knew him, he was the world."
A missionary's true honor is in the genuine gratitude of the hearts of those he served.
When Money Does Not Count
By Salt Shaker
The old doctor had never refused a call either for rich or for poor. But now he was tired and retired.
One midnight he received a call. "Have you any money?" he asked the midnight caller.
"Certainly," the caller replied.
"Then go to the new doctor. I'm too old to get out of bed for anyone who can pay for it."
Enemies Believe In Your Good Work
By Frank Mihalic
During Christ's life there were times when even the devils had to admit that he was working miracles and doing good. And sometimes he had to shut them up. This same thing can happen to us when enemies of goodness and virtue by their actions admit that they really believe in us and that we are doing good...
A good example was the renegade outlaw named Calles who ruled Mexico and brought it to its knees during the late 1920s, making it a special point to strangle the Church. It was the time of the martyrdom of the likes of Fr. Pro and others... To this day his decree against wearing a religious habit in public still stands -- for Sisters also. No cleric may vote. Once, Calles came down with some serious illness that required surgery. He would not make use of any of the state-run hospitals for this, being wary that the physicians might take his life. The only hospitals he could trust were those being run by the Sisters... No matter how much he had persecuted them, he knew that heir belief in doing good to one's enemy would come through. He went, had his operation successfully, recuperated, and went right back to making life miserable for the likes of the Catholic Sisters...
Another example happened in Papua New Guinea when a renegade rascal who had often robbed from the mission came down with a tropical ulcer and promptly betook himself to the mission clinic. The nurse in charge seeing him, of all people, gave him studied neglect... He got upset and screamed, "You've got to help me. That's why you came to PNG."
Or the case of one of the murderers of a nun in Papua, who when he was pursued by his own villagers, ran to the convent of the very Sister he had murdered... for his own safety, knowing that no matter what happened, the Sisters would not harm him...
The Nature To Save
By Lovasik
A Hindu went down to the Ganges to pray and saw some sort of large insect flourishing around in the water. He decided to keep it from drowning, so he stretched out his finger and gave it a chance to hop aboard. Instead, it stung him, It was a scorpion. He tried again, it repeated the painful sting.
Someone nearby was watching and asked the Hindu what he was doing. When he answered, the man said, "You're wasting your time. A scorpion is no good; it will only sting you."
The man answered, "It is the scorpion's nature to sting. It is man's nature to save."
----------
Jesus' words as recorded in Matthew 5:43-48:
"You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor, and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who mistreat you and persecute you, that you may be children of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the just and the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Don't even the tax collectors do the same? If you only greet your friends, what more do you do than others? Don't even the tax collectors do the same? Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect."
