Logsdon and her husband served as missionaries with the International Mission Board for 17 years, 12 of which were in Central Asia.
She said many of her family members influenced her love for Christ and missions, including her father who served as the pastor of several Southern Baptist churches for many years before retiring recently.
“My Dad became a believer when he was 13 years old, and he was never the same,” Logsdon said. “He started sharing Christ boldly at young ages and became a pastor at a very young age and spend his entire life telling people about Jesus.
“My Dad taught me how to share the Gospel when I was in high school, and he would take me with him and he taught me how to tell people about Jesus. There’s nothing as beautiful as a life changed and to think God used you in some small way to make His name great among the nations. It still puts me in awe about the fact that God chooses to use us to proclaim the Gospel.”
Logsdon said several of her family members work in full-time ministry, and the family legacy of missions work goes far beyond her father.
Brown’s great aunt was Bertha Smith, a noteworthy Southern Baptist missionary who served in China in the early 1900s.
Smith wrote a book about missions called “Go Home and Tell” and used the proceeds to help send Brown to Bible College, even helping him plan out what classes he should take.
Logsdon explained this legacy of ministry and missions her father wanted to pass along isn’t really complicated because it’s ultimately just about glorifying Jesus.
“The legacy is very simple,” Logsdon said. “Dad and Mom walked with Jesus. They shared the Gospel with us. All four kids came to know Jesus, walk with Jesus today and are using our lives for the purpose of proclaiming Christ. The legacy is just they showed us what it’s really like to be faithful.”
During this season of helping her parents with health issues, Logsdon said the “gift” of Eugen’s encouraging visit was sent from God at just the right time.
“It was a very sweet hour that I will remember maybe the rest of my life,” Logsdon said. “It was a sweet gift at the right time. It’s kind of hard to describe. Seeing Eugen just sit by my Dad, hold his arm and say ‘I just wanted to say thanks.’”
*Identity obscured for security purposes.
This article originally appeared on the Baptist Press.
