Paco the Faithful

Scripture:
"For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places." (Ephesians 6:12)

A couple of days ago I met a man who I have not seen in 30 years. His name is Francisco (Paco for short) and I met him in Spain one summer when I came to Spain as a summer missionary. I was with the leader of an evangelistic campaign in southern Spain back then, and while we were traveling across country to get to the province of Cáceres, we stopped off to visit with a believer who lived in the country. This man had been saved since the 50's and back then there were not evangelical churches. Well today told me a story that moved my heart.

He told me that back in the 50's under Franco's regime, it was illegal to have any type of religious meeting except for the catholic church. Well one Saturday evening, believers from all over meet at Paco's house for fellowship. The next morning at 8 am, the spanish miltary police came knocking at his door telling him that the meeting at his house was illegal because it was not catholic and that he would have to go to the military police station. He also had to get in contact with all the others and tell them to meet him there at the station.

Well to make a long story a little shorter, none of them had to go to jail, but after all was said and done, the military police officer who was the hardest with him in front of everyone, talked to Paco alone and said he did not believe in any of all this and that religion is what the priests are for. That is to say, even back then when it was illegal to any other religion to meet, the same police that threatened to arrest all of the believers did not even care about his own catholic religion.

What spoke to me most about what Paco said was how the Lord took one man and his family and used him all of these years from the time when it was illegal to worship together until now where there is lots and lots of freedom. He said to me today a little later, I am so thankful to the Lord for all of these years and how God has blessed me. My sons are pastors, my daughter has done missionary service and my grandchildren are in evangelical churches.

Request:
That God would raise up more missionaries to reach the thousands of towns that do not have a single witness for Christ.

Prayer:
Dear Lord thank you for using and blessing Paco over all of these years and thank you for encouraging us with his life of faithfulness to you.