I was talking with a church planter I know in another country. His parents were stone-age tribesmen until there was a mass people movement for Christ in the 1960's. I met him through one of the missionaries that won the better part of this large people-group to Christ.
About 8 or 10 years ago, his wife passed away. I hadn't spoken to him in years, but I got a hold of his cell phone number and wanted to call him about some business that might be able to help his tribe. He told my wife and I that he had married several months ago. He's 50, and she's 30.
He's a church planter who has planted churches in some dangerous places where you could get into some serious trouble for sharing the Gospel. I have a lot of respect for him for doing this. He's won some people from a rather Gospel-resistant religion and people-group by praying for people with brain cancer and they get healed. The people know each other from the hospital, and he ended up discipling converts who were ex-brain cancer patients in one of his ministries.
Several years back, another friend of mine who is an evangelist and church planter. He also ministers in healing and has planted churches in various countries. For a while, he taught English in another country to support himself while he ministered. His wife passed away many years ago. He said he wanted to remarry, and my wife and I tried to set him up with someone form the same country whose ancestors had come from the same home country as his, but the woman got scared and backed out of pursuing a relationship. A few years later, he sent out an email with this picture of a blonde Russian woman who was 30 years old. He was in his 50's. They were at a ministry conference for some churches he'd planted, and she perceived that the Lord wanted them to marry. one thing led to another, and I think they got engaged at the conference. I think he had three kids with his first wife, and I think he has two with his second wife.
I've read some of the threads about older men marrying younger women, and I tried to imagine if some older man wanted to marry one of my daughters--when they grow up of course. My default response would be that I would be against it and discourage it. But I have a lot of respect for men who put themselves at risk for the gospel like this and pour out their lives to the Lord in this kind of missionary work. I can see why a Christian father might be supportive of marriage to men like this.
About 8 or 10 years ago, his wife passed away. I hadn't spoken to him in years, but I got a hold of his cell phone number and wanted to call him about some business that might be able to help his tribe. He told my wife and I that he had married several months ago. He's 50, and she's 30.
He's a church planter who has planted churches in some dangerous places where you could get into some serious trouble for sharing the Gospel. I have a lot of respect for him for doing this. He's won some people from a rather Gospel-resistant religion and people-group by praying for people with brain cancer and they get healed. The people know each other from the hospital, and he ended up discipling converts who were ex-brain cancer patients in one of his ministries.
Several years back, another friend of mine who is an evangelist and church planter. He also ministers in healing and has planted churches in various countries. For a while, he taught English in another country to support himself while he ministered. His wife passed away many years ago. He said he wanted to remarry, and my wife and I tried to set him up with someone form the same country whose ancestors had come from the same home country as his, but the woman got scared and backed out of pursuing a relationship. A few years later, he sent out an email with this picture of a blonde Russian woman who was 30 years old. He was in his 50's. They were at a ministry conference for some churches he'd planted, and she perceived that the Lord wanted them to marry. one thing led to another, and I think they got engaged at the conference. I think he had three kids with his first wife, and I think he has two with his second wife.
I've read some of the threads about older men marrying younger women, and I tried to imagine if some older man wanted to marry one of my daughters--when they grow up of course. My default response would be that I would be against it and discourage it. But I have a lot of respect for men who put themselves at risk for the gospel like this and pour out their lives to the Lord in this kind of missionary work. I can see why a Christian father might be supportive of marriage to men like this.
