Saturday, September 4, 2010

God's Faithful Servants

"Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations

Baptising them in the name of the

Father, Son, and Holy Spirit."

Matthew 28:19


On August 16, 2010 Rev. David Simonson died at his home in Arusha Tanzania, with his wife Eunice holding him in her arms. He was 80 years old. His death has caused merely a ripple in the world at large, but for his family and loved ones, the Massai people, Tanzania, and Africa as a whole, they are grieving the loss of a great man of God. We have followed their lives closely, not only because it was our dream to be missionaries in Africa, but because David was my husband Joel's second cousin.

David and Eunice were missionaries in Africa for nearly 50 years, and retired there on land given to them by the Massai tribe out of their great love for them. They worked hard to bring the tribal people to Christ, establishing churches, a clinic/hospital, and many schools for the Massai boys, and the first schools for the Massai girls too! Operation Bootstrap began that work in 1995 and continues today. They strongly believed that meeting the needs of the people was part of their calling along with proclaiming Christ as Savior.

David was a large, robust man, a character who sometimes was like a bull to be reckoned with. It served him well on the mission field. His "first" task as a missionary gave him the opportunity to be welcomed into the villages he evangelized. And what was that task? To kill a man-eating lion that was "rogue" and killing cattle and people alike. You can read about their lives in Tanzania in Jim Klobuchar's book, The Cross Under The Acacia Tree. A fascinating read.

The missionaries who serve our world are servants of God called to a special task. As Christians we are all called by God to serve in special ways. If you have a passion that God has placed in your heart, and it is according to His plan for your life, He will give you the strength to fullfill it, just as he did for David and Eunice Simonson.

Join Charlotte and Ginger at Spiritual Sundays to read inspirational posts and share your own too! www.bloggerspirit.blogspot.com is waiting for you to visit.

19 comments:

Merana Leigh said...

I'm so sorry for the loss of such a wonderful man of God for all of you who will feel this loss. But I rejoice in knowing the welcome party they must be having in heaven! And that you all can be together again some day!

Anonymous said...

What a lovely tribute you wrote, not only for Rev. Simonson, but for ALL missionaries. God bless.

Anonymous said...

Thank you for sharing the extraordinary life of this man of God. My sympathy to all of you who will miss him so.

Musings of A Minister said...

Thank you for sharing this interesting post. I am glad to know about this man and about how he lived his life for God. It is encouraging. Have a great weekend.

Joan Hall said...

A moving tribute to a man who gave of himself selflessly in service to others.

Blessings,
Joan

Cindy Adkins said...

I am so sorry to hear of the loss of this exceptional man...many people were blessed by his faith. Thank you for sharing his story with us.
I also want to wish you a beautiful weekend.
xox

Jan Lyn said...

My sympathy, Renee, and this is a beautiful tribute. I appreciated your encouraging words at the conclusion as well. They are timely for me.

God bless and enjoy this weekend!
Jan Lyn

Virginia said...

Beautifully written.
Blessings,
Virginia

LivingSoAbundantly said...

Wow, what faithful Christians! I really enjoyed reading about them. Your post was so informative, and it drove home the most important point--serve Christ. Thank you!

Meli n Pat said...

Wow. That was really special. That is a beautiful tribute and we can honor those who went before us by following in their footsteps, figuratively if not literally!

Elizabeth Dianne said...

I loved hearing about this great man of God and his godly wife. Oh, that we all could be so faithful.

Thanks, Renee, for sharing this great post.

Sweet blessings,
Dianne

Charlotte said...

Thank you for sharing this story with us. Missionaries have a special place in my heart, and I'm sure they have a special place in the heart of God.
Blessings,
Charlotte

Ginger~~Enchanting Cottage said...

I'm sorry to hear of your loss. I have always had so much respect for missionaries, what a Godly man indeed.
God Bless,
Ginger

Kaye Swain - SandwichINK said...

Amen and AMEN! We are blessed with the friendship of several missionary friends. But as you wisely point out, really, we are all to be missionaries - some overseas, some in our own neighborhoods or even families - as God leads. Thank you for a delightful visit. :)

Ruth said...

Thank you for this post! Although David loved ones must be missing him.. its only for a while. Heaven must have rejoiced to have him home!!

Blessings,
Ruth

Nikki (Sarah) said...

Your tribute is great....and he sounds like he was a powerful man...not b/c of his size but b/c of his zeal for God.

Country Wings in Phoenix said...

Hi Sweetie...
After reading this post about such a wonderful man, I am so moved. He was doing what he loved most, among people who loved him so greatly. He will always be alive in the many lives that he touched as he walked the fields and villages of Africa.

What a beautiful tribute you wrote to him. I will be praying for his wife and family as they struggle to move forward on their journey in life. They have their own guardian angel to watch over them day to day.

Many blessings sweet friend. Love, Sherry

michelle said...

oh renee! thanks for sharing this story of a great missionary life! as you know, the Lord has called me to missions and i love hearing the testimonies of all missionaries. what great inspiration to read about your loved ones in africa as i will be heading there soon myself. thanks so much!

Dayle ~ A Collection of Days said...

I stand in awe of missionaries. Years ago (when I was 16) I believed I would be a missionary, but life happened and even though I'm not, I still feel a tug in that direction and admire those so much who minister as such.