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True Dependence on God
in Great Weakness
By Christine Cerna
Gustavo was a small man with poor eyesight,
a speech impediment, and mostly deaf.

Unassuming and uneducated, he was not
a man who would catch a passerby’s eye.

His personality was gruff at best. He had no
children and never married, so we were his
family. Every holiday and birthday he would
sit on our couch and observe. He did not speak
much; however, he would occasionally chuckle
at some of our children’s antics.

Gustavo was the epitome of 1 Corinthians
1:27–29: But God hath chosen the foolish things
of the world to confound the wise; and God hath
chosen the weak things of the world to confound
the things which are mighty; And base things of
the world, and things which are despised, hath
God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to
bring to nought things that are: That no flesh
should glory in his presence.

There was absolutely nothing in this man that
would draw any attention to his abilities, his
personality, or even his looks. Yet, Gustavo
had a desire to serve God. After wasting his life
as a drunk man, he knew he needed to get right
with God. When Gustavo was in his 60s, a
church member knocked on his door. Gustavo
rededicated his life to the Lord with the desire
to serve. He had little to offer. He was willing
to evangelize and that is what he learned to do.

Steve, my husband, would take Gustavo with
him. Gustavo would silently watch Steve.

He learned to knock on doors. They started
very basically since Gustavo had never done
anything like this before. He learned to ask
questions, pass out tracts, and use the verses
in the plan of salvation. Steve would knock on
doors on one side of the street and Gustavo
knocked on doors on the opposite side of
the street. Together, they knocked several
times on every door of the neighborhoods
surrounding our church. Steve and Gustavo,
the dynamite team that they were, witnessed
to literally thousands of souls over the next
ten years. There were times when Gustavo had
more opportunities to witness than Steve, the
missionary! We thought: “This is a miracle! Gustavo is
talking to people and they understand him. He
can manage with the small amount of hearing
he has. People let him witness to them. He
has reached his full potential!” However, we
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were wrong. We were already amazed at how
God could use this man. We underestimated
God, not knowing that Gustavo could do so
much more in God’s strength. He worked very
hard and probably prayed even more. With a
patient Bible institute teacher, Steve, Gustavo
was part of the first graduating class. Gustavo
sang specials in church. He even preached a
few brief messages. He amazed us even more
when he began to disciple others.

When Rolando answered the knock on his door
one day, he was a scared man with no peace.

He rarely slept well, and as a result he had some
serious health problems. We are thankful that
he asked Jesus to come into his life and give
him the peace he desperately needed.

Who do you suppose discipled Rolando? Yes,
it was Gustavo. Unsure of how this venture
stine Cerna &
Steve & Chri
might go, Steve was ready to help if necessary.

God gave Gustavo the strength, and he and
Rolando completed all 16 lessons without any
intervention from Steve. Rolando is now one
of our most faithful, peaceful church members
who understand Bible doctrine.

Many missionary stories have taken a turn
with the emergence of COVID. This story is no
exception. Gustavo contracted the illness. We
truly believe he must have been witnessing in
the hospital until he could not speak any more.

His ailing body could not handle the illness,
causing his heart to stop. He left this earth to
see the One who gave him the strength to be
used in a great way.

We have all learned so much from Gustavo’s
example of true dependence on God in great
weakness. Never in our lives have we seen these
verses lived out so completely as
in the life of Gustavo. We thank
God that the most foolish
and weak person can be used
because He is our strength
and glory. W
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