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Virgil Stoltzfus

by Bryan from Miami

When I chose my hero, I chose a man with bravery, resourcefulness and a man of faith who loves the Lord. So who else should I choose than Virgil Stoltzfus. I met him in the jungle of Guatemala when he was living there as a missionary with his family. My parents were very good friends with them and were missionaries with them for a couple years too.

I know the man I have chosen has a trait of bravery because he's been captured and was almost killed by Communist guerrillas. They threatened to kill him because he was helping the army when the soldiers were injured in front of his house. He survived because one soldier who was watching him at gun point, laid his gun on the ground, Virgil grabbed the gun and pointed it at the guerrillas. As he did so he realized that he was not there to take lives but to save lives so he threw the gun in the mud. The guerrillas grabbed it and held it to his head. But when the head guerrilla realized that that Virgil had not killed anyone when he had the gun. He said he would spare his life and give him and his family 3 days to get out of the country.

He also has been known to be resourceful. When he was a teenager he had a dream of being a bush pilot so he went from Guatemala to Texas by himself to learn how to fly. He had to work at the airport to make money and to get flight lessons at the age of 16. Then he went back to Guatemala to work as a missionary pilot bringing people that were sick and injured from the jungle to the city for medical treatment. He also was a pilot for bringing supplies to the jungle because there was no road from the jungle to the city.

Virgil is a man of faith. He has eight children and keeps the balance between the guerrillas, drug runners, police, army, and the native Indians so they don't fight. He has had God's help in so many situations, been saved by miracles, and his faith has grown as a result. He prayed for his wife and his wife came to the Peten not knowing she was an answer to prayer. One time a mob of thousands came to burn down his house but they decided against because Virgil prayed that they wouldn't. God has been there with them and will never leave them. That is always wonderful to know.

I think that it is important to possess these traits because it can have a positive impact on others. That is why I chose him to be my hero. He is a man of bravery, resourcefulness, and a man of faith. These traits are the traits of success and of doing God's will.

Page created on 5/15/2010 12:00:00 AM

Last edited 5/15/2010 12:00:00 AM

The beliefs, viewpoints and opinions expressed in this hero submission on the website are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the beliefs, viewpoints and opinions of The MY HERO Project and its staff.

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If you would like to see pictures of the Stoltzfus family go to the link that says: http://thestoltzfusfamily.shutterfly.com/.