"For Me, to Live is Christ and to Die is Gain"--The Life and Death of George Knoop

George Knoop, an elder at Quisqueya Chapel in Delmas, Haiti

These words of the Apostle Paul in Philippians 1:21 seem so out of place in a world where everyone is trying to avoid growing old and dying.  However, the true Christian perspective is to embrace both life and death.  Yesterday (May 13), at around 3:00 p.m., an elder of the congregation where we are members (Quisqueya Chapel), George Knoop, was attacked and stabbed repeatedly in his home in the Delmas area of Port-au-Prince.  George remained conscious long enough to call for help.  A group of our fellow missionaries arrived to find George bleeding profusely and in need to emergency treatment.  Unfortunately George succumbed to his wounds shortly after arriving at the hospital.  While nothing is certain, there is a high likelihood that this was not a crime of opportunity, but premeditated murder.
George, a native of the Chicago area, was a warm, deeply spiritual man of prayer who was seventy-four years-old.  George worked for a mail-forwarding service that many Haiti missionaries use, Missionary Flights International.  He was deeply involved in the discipleship of young men and the teaching and practice of the discipline of prayer.  We met George many years ago during his first visit to Haiti.  His deep trust in God and his complete dedication to mission left an impression that we will never forget.  While George lived life with Christ to the full, we have no doubt that, in the end, he was equally passionate to receive his eternal reward.  How we wish that George could have received this reward quietly, surrounded by his friends and family instead of so brutally.  Pray for George's family and friends as they grieve and hope.  Pray also that his murderer will repent and accept responsibility for his actions.