A Life Well Lived
Compelled by the love of God to live for the One who died and rose again, Lou Warkentien and his wife Faye impacted a nation for Christ. Lou was a difference-maker in the kingdom of God. In 1961 he took his young family to Brazil where he started a School of Personal Evangelism. Over time he founded four churches and those he trained in evangelism and church planting, in turn, started more churches.
Believing that faith comes by hearing and hearing by the preaching of the Word of God, Lou was not just faithful in preaching Christ, but in distributing the life-giving message of His Word. Given an abundant supply of Scriptures and tracts, Lou knew what to do. He put the materials into the hands of Christian workers who went door to door distributing Bibles, tracts, and giving an invitation to study the truths of God’s Word for free through the Light of Life Bible correspondence course which Lou directed. Every household in the Brazilian states of Sergipe and Alagoas received these materials.
What started as a small work grew so that Light of Life correspondence courses were disseminated throughout South America and especially in prisons. Today, students from more than 130 prisons still request tracts that Lou wrote as well as the entire correspondence course. Some have written back with comments like: “may God continue to bless this wonderful work which brings to us a spiritual foundation for our lives especially in places like this prison where we almost have lost all hope of a better tomorrow.” Another inmate wrote: “I prayed the prayer that is written on it [one of the tracts Lou wrote] … I really believe that God has pardoned all my offenses and sins.”
Hundreds of such testimonies could be shared from those who have taken the correspondence course, but they only represent a small fraction of those who were impacted by this man who loved the world for Christ. The churches he founded are still going strong and are involved in planting other churches.
One of the churches Lou founded is now pastored by his son Phil who serves in Brazil with his wife Rita, and they, in turn, have passed on the baton of faith to their children who also are serving the Lord. What a legacy! What an example! What a gift Lou and Faye have passed on to the next generations. They were zealous for Christ while on the mission field, and zealous for Him even in retirement. After retiring from full-time work in Brazil Lou and Faye returned each year to Brazil to preach Good News and encourage the people. And when he wasn’t there he continued to point to the Hope of the World as he taught a Sunday School class in his home church in Kansas.
Lou and Faye were sent to Brazil with GlobalGrace Fellowship when it was still called Go Ye Fellowship. Their heart was to reach the unreached, to go as servants, and to be used however God would have them serve. The GlobalGrace family are truly thankful for the life and example of Llewellyn Ray Warkentien, born February 2, 1936, who went to be with the Lord on March 22, 2021. Our love and prayers go out to Faye, his wife of 66 years, and the extended Warkentien family, six children and their spouses, 18 grandchildren, and 22 grandchildren.