In Honor of George Verwer
The legendary missionary mobiliser and leader, George Verwer, passed away on April 14, 2023.
(Here is an overview of his life and legacy: https://www.christianitytoday.com/news/2023/april/obit-george-verwer-operation-mobilisation-missions.html)
After I stumbled upon a few of George Verwer’s books (in Spanish) about six months into the 2020 pandemic, while we were serving in Peru, I remember assuming that George must’ve already passed into eternity. To my surprise I read that he was still actively serving and teaching the church in India, at more than 80 years young!
I think it was partly due to where I was spiritually at the time (fighting for faith in the midst of a time of spiritual darkness/depression), but his little unpretentious books were like a balm to my heart and mind.
After reading “Hunger For Reality” (Sed de Realidad), first published in 1972, I made a note that it was “like a breath of fresh air or a drink of cool water”.
I soon found and read a couple more of Verwer’s books:
No Turning Back (No Vuelvas Atrás)
The Revolution of Love (La Revolución del Amor)
These books (and more) can be downloaded for free from Verwer’s own website:
https://georgeverwer.com/resources/
In the months that followed, I was blessed to buy many hundreds of Verwer’s books in Spanish to give away in Peru (and one large stash to give away in America).
In light of Verwer’s stated mission to provide Bibles and books to millions, he would love to have heard this report. We were kindred souls that never actually met.
May the countless millions of seeds George helped to plant bear bountiful fruit, from now to the day of eternity.
PS. Here is funny snippet from Verwer’s life that I just learned:
‘Once while taking Bibles into the USSR, George was arrested and accused of being a spy. He was deported, and back in Spain, after a time of prayer in 1961 the work of Operation Mobilization (OM) was born. George often refers to this calling himself “God’s Bungler”, in reference to Brother Andrew, “God’s Smuggler”.’
