My Brother Sanford 6/15/1930 to 2/27/2022: Truly Well Done, Good And Faithful Servant

 

Eli, Sanford and I at a family reunion a decade ago, three brothers united
by a common faith, a common calling and a common love for each other.

It was around noon Sunday when we got the news that my oldest brother, at 91, had breathed his last, surrounded by his beloved Martha and their grown children singing and praying him home. 

Sanford, nine years older than I, was one of the most formative and positive influences in my young life, and continued to be an admired mentor and model to me and to multitudes of others whose lives he touched.

I remember well the transformation I witnessed when Sanford, as a rebellious and angry teenager, experienced an amazing grace that turned his life completely around. He became one of my heroes, and when I had my own similar experience of grace as a 14-year-old, he was the first person with whom I shared my less dramatic conversion.

Sanford became a pioneer church planter who with his growing young family moved to Costa Rica over 50 years ago as a self supporting missionary. There he and a core group of fellow immigrants from the US mastered the Spanish language and were instrumental in helping establish numerous Anabaptist congregations in Costa Rica and Nicaragua. Three of his grown sons are ministers in these congregations along with many other native Central American pastors. 

Another major legacy of these grass roots and God-blessed efforts is a publishing venture in Petal that produces Christian literature for Spanish readers all over Central and South America, including La Torche, a monthly publication that reaches thousands.

Of course I owe so much to so many others as well, including a great debt to my parents, Ben and Mary, plus all of my older siblings who have blessed and enriched my life beyond measure. Now only I and my next older sister remain. And while the three of us brothers became ordained ministers, all of my siblings have ministered to me in countless ways, and each who has passed has left a hole in my soul.

Here is Sanford's son Philip's account of my brother's last moments:

We began to sing again and he seemed to be enjoying it... (but) his breathing was getting more shallow and rapid. So I checked his oxygen levels again and they were all over the map. I tried to check his pulse but couldn't find any. By then we all saw that his time had come and we gathered around him. The oximeter suddenly went totally blank. He began to breath harder, then gave 3 or 4 hard gasps and his body relaxed. It was 12 o'clock sharp. Even in death Dad was on time.

It was such a sacred moment for all of us. Mom was sitting beside him, holding his hand. He suddenly looked so peaceful, and we all had such a sensation of peace and joy. God seemed so very near. Victory at last! At the moment, there was almost no feeling of sadness; just sacred joy. Don't get me wrong, the separation and emptiness are also there. But the overriding attitude is of joy. Mom was very much at peace. 

Sanford and Martha first settled in Arenal, CR, where Sanford led the first Anabaptist congregation established there. They and others later later moved and expanded their work to the eastern part of Costa Rica. While some of the above churches remain small, most are still active.