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“Unsung Heroes”
“And next to him was Shammah, the son of Agee the Hararite.
The Philistines gathered together at Lehi
where there was a plot of ground full of lentils;
and the men fled from the Philistines.
But he took his stand in the midst of the plot,
And defended it and slew the Philistines;
And the Lord wrought a great victory.”
2 Samuel 23: 11-12
Who are the people you admire most? Who would you say are
the people who have made the most difference for good in our
world (besides your Mom and Dad - who brought you into the
world) :>)? Some people, when asked this question, might
first think of famous people throughout our history such as
politicians (Abe Lincoln? Winston Churchill? F.D. R.?) or of
musicians ( Keith Green? Bono of U2? ) or athletic figures
(Coach Tom Landry? Reggie White?). Others might call to mind
the firemen and policemen who responded to September 11th in
New York City, who put themselves in harm’s way to try to
save those who were perishing. Or, they might think of
soldiers who are putting their lives on the line in battles
to try to accomplish the mission that they have been given.
The truth is that there are many, many people out there
making a difference for good in our world. Some of them we
know….but many of them we do not know. Often, the ones who
are known get lots of glory and recognition. I am convinced,
however, that there are many more people out there who are
making a tremendous difference for good in our world who are
virtually unknown to most of us. They receive neither
accolades nor public recognition during their lifetime and
yet they keep on serving God’s purposes in our world and
making a huge difference in the lives of the people around
them. These are the “unsung heroes” who, though unknown by
most of us, are very much known and appreciated by our God!
All of Christendom knows about David, the slayer of Goliath
and the greatest king Israel ever had. David was truly a
great man! After all, how many in Scripture had the honor of
being called “a man after God’s own heart?” How much do you
know, though, about the man called Shammah? (Not a household
name, now is it?) Shammah was never a king or even widely
known outside of his area. He has largely been forgotten in
history. Yet, he was included in the list of David’s Mighty
Men. He was one of the top three greatest soldiers that
David ever had. We are given only a glimpse of his character
and contribution in 2 Samuel 23. The Bible tells us of one
day when a band of Philistines threatened to overtake a
field of lentils. (Maybe an implication of the scarcity of
food in that time?) Everyone else fled in fear…but not
Shammah. Single-handedly, he took his stand alone in the
field and faced the enemy. He refused to back down. He
didn’t cut and run, although no one would have condemned him
had he fled to protect his life He stood his ground and did
not flinch to fight the battle that was put before him. Not
only did he show extreme bravery, he conquered the whole
band of Philistines! The Bible says that the Lord wrought a
great victory through this servant!
Who knows if Shammah was considered a hero before this? Did
he ever get into trouble? Had he run away from lesser
battles or compromised his character in weaker moments?
After all, he was a sinner with his failings just like the
rest of us. The point is that when a hero was needed, he
discovered that he was the one that was called to step up to
the plate…and he did it. As one of the commentators of Super
Bowl XXXX said about Emmit Smith, “Great players aren’t
always great. They are just great when they have to be.”
Shammah was great when he had to be. And so it is with true
unsung heroes…
Would you permit me to share with you today the story of
some people who are making a tremendous difference for the
Lord and yet they are virtually unknown to most people?
These are not famous political figures. They are not
firemen, policemen or soldiers. Neither are they famous in
sports or music or in anything else on the world’s stage.
Instead, they are humble servants of the Lord Jesus Christ
who have dedicated their lives to taking the light of the
gospel to a people who are very much lost in the darkness.
These unsung heroes are James and Linda Baartse, Wycliffe
missionaries and our T-Mam partners who live and work in
Tajumulco, San Marcos, Guatemala.
James was born in Canada 43 years ago. He was given a
tremendous intellect from God. He was also born with the
devastating disease called Cystic Fibrosis. After receiving
his education, James took a job as a computer programmer. He
apparently was very good in this field and could have stayed
there his entire career... I suspect that he could have made
quite a bit of money because of his great skill. But, God
called James to serve him. He, in obedience to God, received
his training as a linguist and translator and was sent to
serve among the Indigenous of Guatemala. He didn’t know how
long he would live (people with Cystic Fibrosis usually do
not live very long!) He made the choice to give God his
service for whatever time he had left and put his all in
God’s hands. He had never been privileged to get married or
to have children. None of this stopped him, however. He left
his lucrative job and faced the uncertainly of missionary
life with courage and conviction…alone.
For several years, James served among another Mam group, the
Comitancillo Mam, where he studied Mam language structure
and gained experience in translating.. He also had contacts
with the Todos Santos Mam (still another Mam group). It was
through Mam work that James would meet another Canadian who
was serving among the Todos Santos Mam group through an
organization called “Cause Canada.” Wonder of wonder,
miracle of miracles…they fell in love! It wasn’t long before
they were married. After that, they accepted a new
assignment working with the Tajumulco Mam people. Other
Wycliffe missionaries had tried to live and work in
Tajumulco but the truth is that it was just too hard. But,
the difficulty did not stop James and Linda Baartse.
First, they dedicated themselves to translating the book of
Luke into the heart language. Just imagine the difference in
having no part of the Bible in one’s heart language and then
having the Gospel of Luke! After this, they produced oral
materials as well as the written gospel. Stories from
Genesis were put on cassette tapes. A hymn book in T-Mam was
produced and published. Then, various series were produced
on how to manage the home, the family and finances from a
Biblical perspective. After this, they assisted with the
recording for the Jesus Film. Later came other series of
studies on handling conflict and many other materials that
teach Mam folks the Word of God. While James led in
translating Scripture, Linda traveled in the villages
witnessing for her Savior. She began study groups for women
called “Ruth Groups” in village after village. People were
won to the Lord, discipled and trained and their efforts
have contributed to several new church starts. Linda has
filled the multiple roles of evangelist, social worker,
medical care-giver and loving wife to James. Amazing,
really… And, James has filled the role of scholar,
translator, mentor to Mam leaders and loving husband to
Linda. Pretty amazing for a man who can barely breathe
because of Cystic Fibrosis!
Lately, James’ health has really started to go down. He has
had ongoing lung infections and is adversely affected by
humidity, dust, change of altitude, hard exercise and
travel…all parts of serving in a rural third –world setting
such as T-Mam country. His lung capacity is now
approximately 32% and he is still living at 6,700 feet of
altitude! He is on oxygen constantly now and still he
doesn’t give up. Imagine trying to work when two-thirds of
your lungs are not functioning. James has taken all the
treatments that would be effective for him in Guatemala.
After he exhausted local medical help, he had to go back to
Canada and be hospitalized for lengthy periods of time. At
present, he is back in Tajumulco until September. After
that, he must report back for medical care in Canada. He
knows that his time for service is growing short and he and
Linda have asked to be able to come back at least one more
time to finish up their work in Tajumulco before his time
runs out.
Can you understand what this couple is facing and the
absolutely radical sacrifice that they have made to take the
gospel to the Tajumulco Mam people? Lesser folks would never
have accepted an assignment to live and serve in Tajumulco
in the first place! A lesser couple would never have stayed
because of the difficulty of living there and dealing with
the heart-break of the people. And how many among us would
stay in the thick of it, getting out of a sickbed every day
to work for as long as possible so that the lost may at last
know and understand God’s great offer of mercy through the
Lord Jesus Christ? Like David’s Shammah, James and Linda
have made their stand against overwhelming difficulties and
they have steadfastly refused to back down. And because of
their faithfulness a great victory is being wrought among
the Tajumulco Mam people.
I wish to amend my story. James and Linda are firemen. They
have offered their all on God’s altar to rescue a people
group from the fires of hell! They are policemen telling a
people who know no justice of the wondrous beauty of God’s
laws that lead us into grace and mercy and forgiveness. They
are soldiers, just like Shammah. They have stood their
ground on the field where God has planted them and they will
not walk away…even as the curtain of James’ life is drawing
to a close. If this does not make them “heroes” I do not
know what could! In God’s book, they are unsung heroes for a
little while longer. And then, it is my belief that the
whole Kingdom of God will know the story of their
faithfulness and of how their sacrificial service changed
the hearts of a people group called the Tajumulco Mam.
Gary Stone IMB Missionary serving in Guatemala
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