Not the Same Man

Reading Time: 2 Minutes

My parents served as Southern Baptist missionaries for 39 years and brought the Gospel of Jesus to the beautiful nation of Paraguay. My father, Dr. William Skinner, was also a physician and was able to use his profession as a powerful platform for sharing the love of Jesus. This story is an excerpt from my mother’s book, “Adventures in Paraguay.” I hope you enjoy it!

A Real Cowboy

“One weekend I traveled to the interior of the country at the request of a patient who was converted in the Baptist Hospital, to visit his ranch. He wanted me to preach so he could invite his friends to hear the gospel. He was a real cowboy.“

“He had fallen from a horse and had a brain concussion. He was brought to our hospital from over 100 miles away. He was from a reasonably well off family, so his father asked that he be permitted to stay a couple of weeks after he was discharged to make sure he was alright. During that time, after being witnessed to by the chaplin, nurses, me, and others, he came to know the Lord and was saved. Subsequently, he was released from the hospital and given an appointment to come back in a month.“

“When he and his father came back, after examining him and finding him okay, the father asked to see me alone. He wondered if his son was affected by the lick on his head when he fell from the horse.“

Not the Same Man

“He said, ‘He is not the man he used to be. He never curses, drinks with his buddies, or runs around with women.’”

“I said, ‘You are right. He is not the same man he was. He is a new person. Jesus Christ has changed him. He is not living for worldly pleasures now. He is living for the Lord.’”

---

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! 2 Corinthians 5:17 NIV

To read more true stories from my mother’s book, “Adventures in Paraguay,” go to the Home Page, find “Categories” and click on “FRANCES SKINNER.”