This weekend, we celebrated Memorial Day. It is not just a long weekend and opportunity to usher in the summer with BBQ and friends. It is a holiday where we remember those who have fallen in service to our country. This country owes a lot to those who have come before us fighting for the freedoms we enjoy.
Our family appreciates this country and our veterans wholeheartedly. However, I want to take the opportunity to recognize another hero of sorts. My mind can’t help but to think about the missionaries who have given their life toward proclaiming the freedom of Christ throughout the world. There are those in the church today who have “left house or wife or brothers or parents or children, for the sake of the kingdom of God” (Lk. 18.29), and like the early disciples have stood by Jesus in His trials (Lk. 22.28), they have endured heartache and persecution for the furtherance of the kingdom. These are heroes in the great nation of God.
One missionary I would like to remember here is Mike O’Brien (OB). He has recently been medically discharged from active duty. OB was a full-time missionary for about 30 years, living in Wuhan China. He became a Christian at the age of 40, and after studying briefly at Bear Valley and Oklahoma Christian, he dedicated his life to the Chinese people. During that time, he worked tirelessly to spread the gospel in that country. Through his efforts, 100s, if not 1,000s were added to the church and many house churches were established.
Recently, OB traveled back to the US due to COVID. While visiting with friends in Colorado, he had a severe stroke. The doctors didn’t expect him to live. In fact, they had to resuscitate him 7 times! At that point, his brothers arrived and agreed that he would be removed from life support and there would be no further resuscitation. But all of the students and staff at Bear Valley were praying that the Lord help him through. (The Lord needs workers in China, why should it be his time to go?) At the same time, dozens of videos also poured in through Facebook from Christians in China who were praying for OB. And so, what seemed unexplainable to the doctors, proved to be the unmistakable mercy of our Great Lord and Physician. OB started to recover! Thanks be to God, his time was extended. However, he was far from in the clear. On top of having to recover from the side effects of a stroke, he came down with COVID, and the doctors discovered he had advanced esophageal cancer.
Nearly six months from the beginning of all these events, OB is living in an apartment in Denver. He is under the diligent care of a few different Christians who have made the noble and loving sacrifice of being his full-time caretakers. However, he is not shut in. He makes it out for every Sunday service, and he works hard to come to many other Bear Valley events. He also keeps in regular contact with the churches he knows in China.
Recently, I asked OB to speak for us at the quarterly missions fellowship at our house. When I asked him to speak, he started to tear up. With the cancer, he has difficulty eating and speaking, and the stroke caused some memory loss. He did not know whether he would ever have the opportunity to preach again. After speaking with us, he expressed his sincere gratitude, because he said it was the most energy he has had in a long time. As Jeremiah said, it is hard for a preacher to keep the word of God shut up because it is like a fire within his bones. OB spoke for nearly 2 hours! The students in attendance were inspired and greatly appreciated his words of wisdom and the lesson from God’s word that was shared. We needed to hear his lesson as much as he needed to preach it.
Even though he would like to go back to China, we don’t know if OB will ever make it back into the mission field. Those who were there that night are the next generation of missionaries (our family included). OB wanted to let us know how important and universal that gospel message is. He wanted to encourage us to join the Lord in this great work. OB has been a great encouragement for me and my family. I don’t know why the Lord extended his life only to leave him with another horrible prognosis. However, I can’t help to wonder if one of those reasons was to keep him around long enough to encourage and to be an example to us students. My family will never forget OB’s work and sacrifice.
Remembering Those Who Will Be Serving
Last week, on top of finishing Spring classes (we only have two more quarters!), we also had the opportunity to honor those who just graduated. Please be praying with us as this new class goes into the ministry. In a speech I gave at their graduation banquet, I recognized that some still did not have a place to work. I encouraged those to be persistent and courageous and not to give up the precious talent they have been given through their Bible education at Bear Valley. For those who already have a place to go work, I encouraged them to stay on the alert. The toughest challenges still lie ahead as they need to work ever harder to stand up for the truth in a society increasingly hostile toward the truths of God. Let us keep remembering those who are going into the fields to labor.
Please Visit and Subscribe to Our New Missions Website
With only 7 months remaining before we start full-time missions, it is time for us to start fundraising in earnest. As part of this effort, I have published our new website, gospelgoeast.com. From here, you will be able to see all of our latest missions plans. So, please take the time to visit our website and subscribe to our newsletters. From now on, we will publish our blog articles from this website. If you are currently subscribed to our blog, we will migrate your subscription over to the new site automatically, unless you inform us you would rather not stay subscribed. Please be praying for us as we continue to take steps to prepare for this full-time mission work.
Love,
-The Ihle Crew
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