LIBYA: "Jesus Is Worth Dying For"
VOMRadio
The Voice of the Martyrs
4.9 • 1.4K Ratings
🗓️ 27 November 2021
⏱️ 25 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
On December 5, 2013, Ronnie Smith was shot and killed in the Libyan city of Benghazi. In this second half of our interview with Anita Smith, Ronnie's widow, she talks about the legacy her husband left and the faith she continues to exercise in raising their son without his earthly father around.
Shortly after Ronnie's death, Anita spoke in media interviews about her love for the Libyan people and about forgiving her husband's murderers—including interviews in Arabic with Middle East broadcasters.
Anita will share some of the things she wants their son to know about his earthly father, and ways God has encouraged and sustained her in the eight years since Ronnie's murder. She'll also talk about how the testimonies of other Christians facing persecution and hardship encouraged her faith.
If you missed the first half of the conversation with Anita, listen here. Never miss an episode of VOM Radio! Subscribe to the podcast.
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | 10 years ago Anita Smith had to surrender to God in a dramatic way when she and her husband |
| 0:06.4 | began serving the Lord in Libya. Anita's husband Ronnie was killed there and now Anita has to |
| 0:14.0 | surrender again day by day as she watches her son grow up without his earthly father. |
| 0:21.9 | His father's absence that I know it's not wasteful but when I see it day to day that he's not there |
| 0:29.3 | and that Hosea our son doesn't know what it was like to have a father |
| 0:36.6 | that I just hope that that will create something in Hosea's heart to want to live for Jesus |
| 0:47.4 | and even a greater way and not for his dad but for Jesus and that the absence of his earthly father |
| 0:57.6 | would not stop him from having a deep love for his heavenly father. |
| 1:06.5 | Jesus never promised his followers an easy path. In fact he told his disciples that the world |
| 1:12.2 | would hate them. He sent them out as sheep among wolves. Jesus' words came true in the life of the |
| 1:18.3 | apostles and they're still coming true today in the lives of his followers around the world. |
| 1:23.4 | Join Hosea Todd Netletons. We hear their inspiring stories and learn how we can help right now |
| 1:28.8 | on the Voice of the Martyrs Radio Network. Welcome again to the Voice of the Martyrs Radio. My name is |
| 1:33.6 | Todd Netletons and you know we're approaching the holiday season and the holidays are a joyful time |
| 1:41.0 | but for some they bring up difficult memories. Eight years ago Anita Smith came home to the |
| 1:47.3 | United States for Christmas traveling with her young son. Her husband Ronnie stayed behind in Libya |
| 1:55.2 | where he was finishing the semester as a high school chemistry teacher. He was planning on flying |
| 2:01.0 | home to join them and enjoy Christmas together just as soon as his students had completed their |
| 2:06.8 | final exams but then Anita got a phone call from one of their neighbors. They asked me to |
| 2:15.6 | get that was sitting down. They said sorry but Ronnie is dead and I was just a complete shock and I kept |
| 2:25.6 | saying I don't understand. We heard that part of the story last week here on the Voice of the |
| 2:30.8 | Martyrs Radio and if you missed it I want to encourage you to be sure and go back and listen at |
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