An Inspirational Hero

In this post I’d like to introduce you to one of my heroes. When we first moved to Argentina in 1988, a veteran missionary told me about a church that needed some help because its pastor and his son, the music director, had been killed in a tragic automobile accident. I wound up serving as pastor of that church for three and a half years. The pastor’s widow, Doña Laura, was hoping to start a new church in her neighborhood. By God’s grace we were able to begin a new congregation there and complete a building for them before coming home on our first furlough.

Doña Laura wasn’t through though with her desire to help begin new churches. She and the daughter of a neighbor began a home Bible study in a neighborhood on the eastern side of Mendoza (a city of one million residents). I recently received an email from Doña Laura’s daughter who told me that this Bible study continues as a church.

Furthermore, she told me that Doña Laura had recently received an invitation from a military commander to begin a Bible study in his home in a city some 45 minutes west of Mendoza. She cannot ride on the public buses any longer because it’s difficult for her to climb the steps, and renting a car would be financially impossible. For that reason, she’s made arrangements to ride there with her nephew twice a month to lead the Bible study. Doña Laura is 88 and a half years old. Her daughter, the wife of a pastor in southern Argentina, said that her mother is an inspiration to all of them. She has been and continues to be a hero in my life as I’ve witnessed her faithfulness to God down through the years.

I think the Lord wants us to finish our lives well, and Doña Laura certainly is an outstanding example of one who is doing that with His strength and guidance. May we also run with perseverance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith.