VETERAN SOLDIERS (OF THE CROSS)
The first missionary I ever met was my dad’s cousin, Don Daugherty. Dad was in his first year at the Memphis School of Preaching and Don was in Memphis on a furlough visit to some of his supporting congregations. Don was trying to recruit dad to come to the mission field, but dad still had a year to go in preaching school and thought he ought to get some experience preaching in America first. Years later, when I was on the mission field in Italy I met Don while planning for a European Church gathering in Metz, France.
Don came a long way from his humble beginnings in Barbour County, West Virginia. I am not sure who influenced him to become a preacher, but he went to Freed-Hardeman College when it was a two year school, then finished his degree in Bible at David Lipscomb College. He preached in Indiana and Ohio before going to the mission field in Paris, France in 1952. Paris became Don’s home for the rest of his life. Don initially worked with the Northside Paris church planting then worked to establish the Southside Paris congregation in 1964. He married Collette LeCardinal in 1954.
Don was a diligent student of the French Language, formally studying at the Alliance Francaise in Paris. He was an articulate speaker in French and English and was invited to speak at many churches in France, Belgium, and England. He served as an editor of a French Christian Journal Vie et Verite (Life and Truth), a periodical that went to 40 different French speaking nations. One of his final labors was writing poetry for a new hymnal for French Christians. He was a leader in other projects like summer Bible camps for French youth and organizing the first European Church gatherings in Strasbourg and Metz.
Don passed away on January 1, 1987 while taking a walk in a park near his home. He was in good shape physically but he suffered a massive heart attack. He was 57 years old and had just completed his 35th year on the mission field.
While attending the Victory lectures of the West Virginia School of Preaching a couple of weeks ago, our host, Don Harris, shared some letters he had found while going through some papers at his mother’s house. Among these were seven letters written on airmail paper from Paris, France. They were dated, ranging from 1971 to 1983. They were from Don Daugherty.
The letters were full of gratitude for support, prayers, and interest in the work in Paris. Whether the gift was small or large, Don was grateful. The letters also gave insight into the progress of the Southside congregation over the years. Whether it was the installation of a bulletin board or enlarging the auditorium of the meeting place, Don kept his supporters informed. Growth of the church was also seen in reports of baptisms. In some of the letters he reported on brethren in the congregation who were helping works in German, Spanish, and Russian languages. His letters would always finish with a request for prayers, and asking for God’s blessing on the readers.
Though Don has been gone for many years now, the work in Paris continues. One of our new students at the Florida School of Preaching is Drephis Tremont. He is from the Southside congregation in Paris. God’s amazing work comes full circle.