Ah, the choices we make.

Hey, welcome. It's another look into the life and message of Elizabeth Allian who called us to live to a higher standard each day.

To not be satisfied with just a little empty religion in life.

As the series continues in the coming weeks, we'll hear from folks who are influenced by Elizabeth's life and message.

Hopefully you're one of those.

Hey, good to have you with us.

Well, today we begin a five-part seminar series on the highest form of service.

Yes, we think about the choices that we make and about how things shouldn't surprise us, but they do.

And choosing to obey also our topic today.

Joining us will be veteran missionary Frank Collinger who talks about his time with the Alka Indians that Elizabeth lived with for those two years.

And we'll hear about the Elizabeth Allian Foundation and some of the things going on with it.

First though, let's get to part one of the highest form of service, our seminar series.

Elizabeth tells us about a memorable and important time in her life, and especially a certain verse that was important in the early days of her ministry in Ecuador with the Colorado Indians.

She'll tell us about a bilingual helper, a coworker of hers, about rejoicing even in sufferings, about not being surprised.

I want to read a verse which has been very meaningful to me all my life, but particularly memorable when I was a very young missionary in my first year in the jungle of the western part of Ecuador.

I was working with a small tribe of Indians called the Colorado's, and God had answered my prayers most wonderfully in sending me to that country and then sending me to that tribe,

and giving me the privilege of working with a Christian man by the name of Mercadio, who was far better qualified than I had ever imagined anyone would be.

He turned out to be a speaker of both Spanish and Colorado.

Mercadio had grown up, although he was a white Ecuadorian background, he grew up on an Acienda where there were Colorado Indians, and so he was completely bilingual, a wonderfully qualified helper for me as I sought to reduce the Colorado language to writing, which had never been done before.

And I was in my room one day, one morning, reading early in the morning, from 1st Peter 4, verses 12 and 13, dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering as though something strange were happening to you.

But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed.

Do not be surprised.

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