My tribute to Thorkil

Over the past three or three and a half years, I have traveled nine times with Thorkil to Romania and once to the Ukraine. When I first went to Romania I had never seen anyone approach missions like Thorkil. He was more like a businessman. When he spoke with people, he would sit at the table so he could look in their eyes, and they could tell that this man knew what he was doing. But then afterwards I saw how much it took out of him. He would be totally exhausted.

Just three weeks ago today we had almost finished the final meeting in the prison in Arad and I saw his hand shaking as he picked up some books to hand to the prisoners. I watched him giving out the books, and the thought went through my head “how long can this man go on like this?” But he had an unstoppable determination to do the work that the Lord had given him to do.

Yet it wasn’t just determination that drove Thorkil. He loved people with a love that can only come from a relationship with Jesus, and it wasn’t just towards those who love Jesus. He cared about people. When we went to Romania this time we were held up in Oradea for three hours because the road was blocked, and we only went that way because Thorkil wanted to visit a family he cared about.

But I want to mention one more characteristic of Thorkil . When he said something he meant it and he did it. People knew that this was a man who could be trusted because he always kept his word. In this respect he spoke like a king because he always made sure that his words were fulfilled.

When I first went to Romania, I saw that nobody else could do the work that Thorkil was doing. He was the man that God raised up to do a work that only he could do.

The Lord sent Thorkil to sow the gospel in a hard place, and he did it by breaking up the hardened ground with an unstoppable determination; by bringing the love of Jesus to the people, even to those who nobody else cared about; and by speaking as a king who always kept his word.

It was these three characteristics of Thorkil that enabled the hardened ground to be broken up so that the seed of the gospel could be sown in the prisons. And only Thorkil could have done this, but now it is different. This is a new day. It is harvest time, and others can come and reap where Thorkil has sown.

The Lord sent Thorkil to sow and last Sunday (4 Jan) the Lord said to Thorkil “your work is done; you’re coming home”.

And if we had been able to see behind the curtain we would have seen Thorkil coming into the presence of the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords.

And those around would be saying “who is this who is approaching the throne?”

And the answer would come “this is one of the mighty men of the King”.

I thank God for the privilege that I have had to stand with Thorkil in ministry. There are not many who I would call ‘mighty men’ but Thorkil is one of them. Many times Thorkil has encouraged me after we have been in the prison. He looked me in the eyes and said “Steve, I want to thank you so much for that preaching”. No one has encouraged me like Thorkil, and I will miss his encouragement. But Thorkil has left me something greater than encouragement and not just me but Cosmin and Monika, and all who are involved with the ministry of Rescue; he has left an example to follow, and a standard that we can reach towards. To serve the Lord with an unstoppable determination; to love people with a love that only comes from a relationship with Jesus; and to speak as a king whose words never go unfulfilled.

Thorkil often spoke about how he and Sonja gave up the farm because God called them.

I want to thank Sonja that she and Thorkil were willing to give up the farm so that another harvest can be reaped. Now others can go and reap this harvest.

Thorkil has gone home to receive an eternal reward.

Sonja will receive an eternal reward.

As one man (Jim Elliot) has said “He is no fool who gives up that which he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose.”