One of our Veterans is missing today

(My husband Phil writes about his father.)

There were those who went before us to battle against a great evil in our world decades ago. There are fewer and fewer of those World War II veterans. Yesterday about 5:00 PM KC time one of those veterans went to “his eternal glory in Christ” (1 Peter 5:10). My Dad, Loyd Oliver Schroeder born August 27, 1926 ended his earthly journey yesterday November 9, 2017.

Dad was another kind of veteran. He was a veteran missionary. He served with the Gospel Missionary Union (now Avant Ministries) in Ecuador in a day when missionary life was challenging. Dad and Mom knew and served together with the five missionaries martyred in Ecuador in 1956. Travel was rough, treacherous, and long. Dad traveled the rivers before there were roads. He traveled gravel and dusty roads before they were paved. He crossed rivers in ferries or 4 wheel drive Landrovers before there were bridges. He preached where there were no churches. He and my Mom served in the hot dusty coastal areas of Ecuador, one of the least glamorous places to serve in the country, there they served, persevered and today churches exist in the province of Los Rios (The Rivers) because of his preaching.

Dad was one of the healthiest,  un-healthy persons I’ve known.  Half his life he suffered from MS and the surgical removal of his pituitary gland, later came colon cancer, and in his latter days suffered from dementia. He was ready to leave this earth and join many of his family in the presence of Christ.

GMU/Avant was built on the shoulders of men and women like Dad and Mom. We have a few more of them in our mission. I pray Dad’s life and testimony would be a challenge for many more to be called out of comfort and complacency to serve our Savior, even in hard times.

Funeral and Memorial Service details have yet to be set, but it’s most likely going to be Monday November 20 in Newport News, Virginia.

I thank God today for our Veterans, Military and Missionary veterans.