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"Some day I want to replace Uncle Nate." This was the
response of an 8-year old boy to the news that his uncle (once removed), a missionary
pilot, had been killed by a group of Indians in Ecuador. Although
many recall the 1956 story of how Nate Saint, Jim Elliot, Pete Fleming, Ed
McCully, and Roger Youderian were martyred while establishing a
relationship with the Waorani Indians on the shores of the Curaray in
Ecuador, the story is familiar to fewer and fewer. But to OC
missionary Ron Pritz, the story holds ot only deep meaning but also vivid
personal memories.
"Uncle Nate's death impacted me immensely," Ron recalls.
"When I was 8, I told my mom, 'Some day I want to replace Uncle
Nate.'" He did. During his nearly six years in the
Marines, Ron earned his wings and married the love of his life, Mikel Ann,
who finished her M.A. in psychology while Ron served his country in
Southeast Asia during the Vietnam War.
After the Marines, Ron realized his dream of becoming a missionary pilot
when he and Mikel Ann were accepted into Missionary Aviation Fellowship
(MAF), landing in Irian Jaya, Indonesia, in 1977 with their two Sons, Andy
and Kevin. While Ron's fit with MAF was obvious, Mikel Ann recalls:
"All the MAF women I knew were teachers and nurses. My training
was in psychology. I asked God, 'How can You use me?'"
God did use Mikel Ann's skills in Indonesia. After learning to
contextualize her psychology training in this new culture, Mikel Ann
developed a significant ministry among hurting Indonesian women.
Throughout their learning curve in Indonesia, Proverbs 3:5-6 was an
instrumental verse for Ron and Mikel Ann: "Trust in the LORD with all
your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways
acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight."
Although Ron and Mikel Ann enjoyed the type of ministry they were
involved in with MAF, the Lord seemed to be steering them into new
directions. Ron's ministry expanded beyond flying missions into
teaching and preaching. "I spent many early morning hours
working on Bible studies and sermons before flying," Ron
explains. Sensing the need for more training, Ron started a seminary
M.A. program in the States during their first furlough, completing it on
their second furlough.
"The Lord used various events in our lives to show us that He
wanted us to give up aviation as ministry for a more direct teaching and
preaching ministry," Ron said. "Our Sunday school teacher
at our church in Dallas heard we were looking outside of MAF and introduced
us to OC." So, after ten years in Irian Jaya with MAF, Ron and
Mikel Ann joined OC and returned to a different part of Indonesia the island
of Java. This time, with a different ministry focus - that of
expanding the vision of established churches, training and mobilizing them
to complete the task of discipling their nation. For several years,
Ron and Mikel Ann were busy teaching and counseling at an Indonesian
seminary in addition to other ministry activities.
Then in 1989, Ron took on the responsibility of field director for OC's
team in Indonesia. Since 1994, Ron and Mikel Ann have been serving in
Singapore, where Ron is OC's Asia area director and Mikel Ann continues to
use her gifts to minister to nationals and missionaries alike.
If you would like more information on how you can serve the
international body of Christ, call Don Parrott at (719) 592-9292, e-mail
him at donparrott@oci.org,
or consider attending an OC Orientation (OCO). At an OCO, you will
learn about our vision and strategy, how our teams operate, what
opportunities are available, and other important information about OC and
world missions. Here's the schedule of upcoming orientations:
- 2000 OCO Schedule
- Date
Location
9/28-9/30 Whittier, Calif.
- 2001 OCO Schedule
1/17-1/20 Colorado Springs, Cob.
3/29-3/31 To be determined
7/18-7/2 1 Colorado Springs, Cob.
10/4-10/6 To be determined
- 2002 OCO Schedule
1/18-1/21 Colorado Springs, Cob.
3/28-3/3 0 To be determined
7/17-7/20 Colorado Springs, Cob.
10/3-10/4 To be determined
OC International
Your missionary prayer letter
P.O. Box 36900 - Colorado Springs, CO 80936-6900 - (719) 592-9292
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