Throughout history there have been men and women who were pilgrims on earth who planted seeds of faith for the kingdom of God. Some were able to see the fruits of their labors; some died in faith, not knowing the results. Here are a few pilgrims you may (or may not) know:
Abraham — the Biblical patriarch who traveled from Ur of Chaldees to go to a land he did not know, choosing to trust the leading of God, he became the father of the faithful.
William Carey — taught himself Hebrew, Greek and Latin while making shoes in England. Carey went to India in 1793 and, during his lifetime, translated the complete Bible into six major languages and parts of the Bible into 29 other languages.
Adoniram Judson — the first American overseas missionary, traveled to Burma in 1812, translated the Bible, and oversaw the planting of over 100 churches yielding 8,000 believers before going to sleep in Christ in 1850. The believers now number in the hundreds of thousands.
William Brewster and the Plymouth Pilgrims — fled from England in 1620 to be able to worship according to the dictates of their conscience and to establish a land of freedom.
Marc and Aunie Scalzi — migrated to Ifugao, Philippines, in 1987 with a fledgling mission agency, Adventist Frontier Missions, and lived among the people for six years. Thirty years later, they returned and observed nine churches, several companies and over 900 believers from the seeds they planted.
Brad and Cathy Jolly — seminary students at Andrews University who moved to Mongolia in 1991, where there was not a single Seventh-day Adventist Christian. They labored lovingly and earnestly for seven years and laid the foundation for the church, which has grown to more than 3,000 members.
Jesus Christ — the Son of God, stepped down from His heavenly position and became the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. His willingness to sacrifice opened the door of salvation for all who will trust in Him.
These all . . . confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. For those who say such things declare plainly that they seek a homeland. And truly if they had called to mind that country from which they had come out, they would have had opportunity to return. But now they desire a better, that is, a heavenly country. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them (Hebrews 11:13 – 16).
Jesus is preparing a city for His victorious pilgrims. He is calling others to join Him in seeking to save those who are longing for heaven. You, too, can leave a legacy of faith among an unreached people group. Please contact us at recruiter@afmonline.org or 800.937.4236, and we will assist you on your pilgrim journey.
