God’s timing

In 1993, three missionary families arrived in the village of P?curo, deep in the jungles of Panama. P?curo is a village of approximately 300 Kuna people, in the southeastern part of the country, about 15 miles from the Colombian border.

The families were there at the invitation of the village leaders. In addition to studying the Kuna language and culture, the families were involved in linguistic analysis, teaching the people to read and write in their own language, and administering medical assistance. The missionaries also translated the Bible and taught Bible studies to interested Kuna residents.

However, on a fateful day in January 1993, armed guerrillas burst into the three missionaries’ homes in P?curo. They held the missionary men at gunpoint while their wives packed a few belongings – including their Bibles – before taking the men away. The wives last saw their husbands, hands bound behind their backs, marching into the Panamanian jungle. The women later learned that their husbands were taken across the border into Colombia.

And now – after nearly eight years of hoping and praying that the men would be found alive – officials with the Sanford, Fla.-based New Tribes Mission have reported that the three men – Dave Mankins, Mark Rich, and Rick Tenenoff – were killed by their captors in 1996.

Since the abduction of these three men, Christians worldwide have come to know about their seizure and their undaunted commitment to the sharing of the Gospel of Christ in Panama.

Like thousands of missionaries, these families left the comforts of home because they felt the call of God to be His representatives in another land. And while the families of these dear men certainly mourn their tragic loss, they also celebrate the fact that – through their deaths – many people may come to know about their relationship with Jesus Christ.

Missionary Jim Bowers knows that feeling well.

Jim, whose wife Roni and daughter Charity were killed after their plane was shot down by a Peruvian fighter jet earlier this year, noted that “God’s timing is always perfect.”

In Roni’s high-profile death, he said, “her whole purpose for living is being multiplied. No matter how long she lived, she couldn’t touch as many as she did in her death.”

Following Roni’s death, dozens of students at Piedmont Bible College – her alma mater – said they had opened their hearts to serving God on the mission field. Because of her seemingly untimely death, many people worldwide will now learn of Christ’s wondrous love.

Similarly, the biblical foundation laid by Dave, Mark and Rick is bearing fruit, as New Tribes Missions has reported: “In the village of P?curo there are believers who love the Lord Jesus as their Savior. Because of the ministry of those three men and their families, and missionaries in other locations, today more than 30 Kuna churches are rejoicing in their freedom in Christ.”

These individuals who gave their lives for Christ can testify as the Apostle Paul did in II Timothy 3:7: “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.”

What greater personal testimony can there be?

Meanwhile, information received by New Tribes Missions regarding two other kidnapped missionaries – Martin and Gracia Burnham of the Philippines – recently indicated that they may be well. The organization is now working toward their release and we all join them in praying for their safety.

Through these ordeals, the great sacrifices many missionaries make for the cause of Christ becomes readily apparent. I, for one, have made a renewed commitment to keeping these families – and the thousands of other missionaries serving Christ worldwide – in my fervent prayers.