The Legacy of Faith
John 12:20-28
20 Now there were some Greeks among those who went up to worship at the festival. 21 They came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, with a request. ¡°Sir,¡± they said, ¡°we would like to see Jesus.¡± 22 Philip went to tell Andrew; Andrew and Philip in turn told Jesus.
23 Jesus replied, ¡°The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. 24 Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. 25 Anyone who loves their life will lose it, while anyone who hates their life in this world will keep it for eternal life. 26 Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me.
27 ¡°Now my soul is troubled, and what shall I say? ¡®Father, save me from this hour¡¯? No, it was for this very reason I came to this hour. 28 Father, glorify your name!¡±
Then a voice came from heaven, ¡°I have glorified it, and will glorify it again.¡±
I would like to inform you that our dear Ruth Eshenaur passed away on the 14th of March. She had a major stroke and was not able to recover. Over the past 30 years, I had the great privilege to be with her as her pupil, partner, and son. She was truly my lifelong mentor and will be forever.
She and I established All Nations Christian Academy(ANCA) in March of 2004 in order to help Missionary Kids(MK). Since it began, Dr. Eshenaur poured out her life savings to maintain this MK School. She sacrificed her personal inheritance in order to provide scholarship and maintenance fees for ANCA over the last 10 years. Thru all the sacrifices she made, ANCA has been able to survive so far. ANCA was the last legacy of her Korean Mission and service.
Personally, I would like to express my deepest gratitude to all of the previous teachers and supporters who have worked for ANCA since its beginning in 2004. I understand the stress she encountered and the dissatisfaction she had due to the poor working conditions at that time. However, Dr. Ruth Eshenaur never quit on her life commitment up till the end of her life for ANCA due to the conviction she had and I have. ANCA was established to support Missionary Kids who have desperately needed our educational care. So in order to honor her last life commitment, ANCA will be maintained continuously in order to honor the footsteps of Dr. Eshenaur during her time at ANCA by setting up the Ruth Eshenaur Exhibition Hall at ANCA.
We will never forget her precious dedication and sacrifice for the sake of the Missionary Kids and the evangelization of Korea and Asia. Her legacy will be continually extended by the co-founder, Joseph until the end of his lifespan.
Once again I would like to express my deepest gratitude to all of the previous teachers and supporters of ANCA. I thank the Lord who has allowed me to have been a life-long companion with Dr. Eshenaur who is now with the Lord.
I truly look forward to seeing her soon in the house of the Lord. I do believe that she is now with the Lord and enjoying God's great comfort and peace with a great compliment by hearing " My faithful servant, you've done a great job for my Kingdom! You will be resting with Me forever!"
I thank God for the privilege of being able to fellowship and serve with the greatest servant I have ever met in my life for 3 decades. Dr. Ruth Marie Eshenaur truly lived out Luke 18:22 " So when Jesus heard these things, He said to him, ¡°You still lack one thing. Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.¡± I can't imagine all of the crowns she has been given to lay down at her King's feet and to hear "Well done my good and faithful servant"
I also think about what CT Studd once said "I pray to God that when I die all of hell will rejoice that I'm no longer in the fight." Her service, boldness, and witness will be greatly missed. May her legacy and example for the glory of God be a fire that never diminishes.