Truck from Kidron

Every so often, a semi truck from Kidron, OH passes through Findlay. It has giant letters on the side of the trailer that simply say, “Remember Al Geiser!” I wonder how many people scratch their heads and say, “Who?”

Personally, I don’t think I will EVER forget Al Geiser. When Becca and I arrived in Central Asia in early 2002, one of the American couples that welcomed us warmly was Al and Gladys Geiser. Becca worked with Gladys, teaching in the small hidden American school. Al installed miniature hydroelectric plants in communities surrounding the capital city and beyond. I flew him to remote cities to give people the blessing of electricity.

Al looked and dressed completely like one of the locals and was known to be a hearty, jovial person. An encounter with Al is embedded in my memory where I saw him greet a local whom he had not seen for a while. Al nearly picked the man up in a bearhug and proceeded to let this man know, in no uncertain terms, that he was special, loved and appreciated because God loved him. Al was an incredible light for Christ in an impossibly dark country.

In 2008, Al was kidnapped and held for ransom on a remote mountain for 2 months. In the middle of the night, US special forces spectacularly rescued Al from the clutches of his captors. The story was told in detail in the Stars and Stripes newspaper (if you have a subscription). Back in the USA, Al only lasted 6 months before his love for that people group compelled him to return. Knowing that special forces would not rescue him a second time, he spent the next several years continuing his work and showing many people, who had no hope, what Jesus meant to him. In 2012, Al was gunned down with 2 of his local co-workers. A brilliant shining light was extinguished. Well, not really. Al passed his light on to others. Lives were changed. His legacy lives on. His passion inspires others. There is a truck that proves it. You can read more of his story here.

So why do I tell you this story? Al had a deep knowledge of God’s heart and purposes from his understanding of Scripture and how he interacted with God in his daily walk. Al would not let risk or adversity deter him. He knew and embraced the compelling love of God for himself and also for an unreached people group in one of the world’s most dangerous nations. Pretty radical. But it doesn’t have to be. God has a heart for the nations, for peoples from Findlay to Frankfurt to Fez to Fuji, a theme that saturates Scripture. Do we ever notice it? How about the verse “Be still and know that I am God” Psalm 46:10. Any idea what comes next in that verse?

Do you have a desire to know what resonates deeply with God’s purposes in Scripture? Would you like to know the ways God has interacted with the fascinating peoples of the world in history? Do you ever ask what you can do to make a difference for God’s kingdom? I invite you to sign up for Gateway’s Perspectives Equip Class (Course) being offered to our extended community in January. You will learn so much, and it could give you an idea of how you personally can engage in what God is doing, here and around the world. It has for many, many of God’s people before you.