M ISSIONARY MESSAGE BY MILRE LISSO: Christ’s Love Constrains Us W e t e r m i n a t e d the previous report by quoting the famous motivat ing passage for all missionary service.
that the Central American Mission had a small primary school there where they were teaching the Indians to read and write—also, to be good Christians. So we went to this school somewhat as a matter of sight-seeing, really, to see what the Lord was doing there. When we arrived at the school we found a very interesting little building, certainly not what we would find here in the States—but it was adequate. We entered one of the rooms and there met a teacher, but she was an Indian of a different tribe. Her name was Linda. When we inquired about the work she was quick to take us through the school, showing us the children and explaining the work that was required of them. The teachers there were work ing at great sacrifice. After asking Linda where she was trained, she asked me the same ques tion, and I told her that I had the pri vilege of being from the Latin Ameri can Mission Seminary in San Jose, Costa Rica. It was an amazing thing to see her practically get down on her knees in front of me as she said, “Oh, if that was true! I have always wanted to meet someone from the Latin American Seminary.” I asked her why, and she gave the most interesting account of her life and her wishes for the goal of her service. She looked at me and then came the story of desires unfulfilled—she said, “Well, I have been teaching in this school for fifteen years but the dream of my heart all of my life — in fact, since a very small girl, was to go to the Bible Seminary in Costa Rica and prepare myself for missionary service.” I could not refrain from asking, “Well, why haven’t you gone if this desire is so strong in you and you feel that God has called you to prepare yourself to be a missionary?” — “I have but one (Continued on next page) 9
It was given by Paul in the Second Epistle to the Corinthians where he said, “For the love of Christ constrain- eth us: because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead: and that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again.” Here we find the key, the motivating force, the reason for all Christian serv ice. We love Christ because He first loved us. Henceforth, we do not live to please ourselves, but to please Him— whatever that may cost! There are many of us on home soil, and on for eign soil, who do not know what this means; who have never discovered what has occurred in the depths of a soul that has done well in His sight. We were told in Sunday School that crossing the ocean never made a mis sionary. How true this is, but where did we get the idea that only those who cross the ocean are missionaries? It is true that Paul was a missionary in a traditional sense, but the Corin thians were not, and if this passage which Paul wrote them was to be their code of activity, their guiding light— they were new creatures in Christ and were henceforth to live completely for Him in every area of their lives. Well, how good a missionary am I? Inci dentally, how good a missionary are you? Linda of Guatemala. I saw a real mis sionary in Guatemala when I passed through enroute home. Her name was Linda. We had gone out quite far from the city of Guatemala to a small city called Antegua, one of the former cap itals of Guatemala. We went out from that city to a rare, small town of In dians. We were given to understand
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