(Nov. 14, 2014 - by Harold Goerzen)  Whether serving at a missionary print shop in Ecuador, building a hydroelectric dam or leading Bible studies with indigenous peoples, missionary retiree Don Schroder’s evangelistic gifts were evident, leading  hundreds to Christ during 36 years of ministry.

Don went to be with the Lord at Go Ye Village in Tahlequah, Okla., early Wednesday, Nov. 5, his wife, Monnie, at his side.

“The center called me at about 4:30 a.m. and told me Don was having a hard time,” she related. “I thank God that I had just moved into my new apartment which is in a different wing of the same building where Don was. I rushed down and I held his hand and told him how much I loved him and all that he meant to me until he had breathed his last breath. I greatly appreciate everyone’s love and support for me and Don through the years and appreciate your continued prayers and support.”

Donald Claude Schroder was born on Aug. 27, 1930, to Clara and Claude Schroder on a farm near St. John, Kan. He attended a small one-room schoolhouse until his parents moved to St. John when we was 10 years old, later graduating from St. John High School.

During his high school years he worked as a printer’s devil (apprentice) for The St. John News. After graduation from high school he continued his work as a printer at the same newspaper.

On Nov. 22, 1950, he and Monnie were married. They lived in St. John until Don volunteered to serve with the U.S. Air Force the following April. During his military career, he served in San Antonio, Texas, Montgomery, Ala.; Belleville, Ill.; and Tokyo, Japan.

The Air Force employed his printing skills, clearing him for top-secret work while in Montgomery. While in Tokyo, Don was in charge of the Korean edition of The Stars and Stripes newspaper. He also received a medal of commendation from the Air Force for his service in Japan.

Don received Christ in Tokyo through a missionary named Pop Ross who ministered to servicemen. Later he was baptized in Tokyo Bay. Don began working with Ross, distributing tracts and holding street meetings, prompting him to consider becoming a missionary.

Upon his return to the U.S., Don attended Midwest Bible College (now Calvary Bible College) in St. Louis, Mo., naming him Alumnus of the Year in 2007.

During the third year of his studies, he felt called to serve the Lord in South America. In December 1960 the Schroders and their four children moved to Quito, Ecuador, to begin serving in the print shop at Radio Station HCJB, a ministry of Reach Beyond (formerly HCJB Global).

“Don was a great leader and Bible teacher and was deeply appreciated by the print shop staff,” said retiree Joe Baxter who also led the print shop for many years. “Our family owes so much to Don and Monnie for their encouragement. Monnie was like a second mother to our children when my wife, Ruth (a nurse), couldn’t come home from the operating room in time to be there for our girls.”

“Don gave me the opportunity to broaden my knowledge of the business of printing,” added Jim Estes, director of healthcare in Quito. “He was a man who was very loyal to his workers and very dedicated to the spread of the gospel. Outside the context of the print shop, he spent much of his time evangelizing Quichua villages in the Andes.”

Those evangelistic opportunities opened when Don was called upon to serve as site engineer in the construction of the Loreto dam high in the Andes at Papallacta. The dam stored water for the mission’s hydroelectric plant in Pifo, powering the transmitters that broadcast the gospel worldwide via shortwave.

While Don was helping build the dam, he led numerous Bible classes, and at least 143 of the Quichua Indians who worked for him came to Christ. The Schroders also launched a ministry of sharing the gospel in remote Andean villages, and many churches were established.

He recounted his experiences in the book, Give Me This Mountain, published in 1996, which tells about the construction of the dam and the ministry among the Quichuas.

“I enjoyed the opportunity of reading the manuscript of Don Schroder’s book,” wrote late Reach Beyond President Abe Van Der Puy in the foreword. “I was eyewitness to many of the experiences that Don describes, and you can be assured that this account tells it like it was. Don and his family, along with their colleagues, perseveringly participated in rugged work and witness. They ‘endured hardness as good soldiers of Jesus Christ.’ The Lord brought abundant fruit as a result.”

After 23 years of service in Ecuador, Don and Monnie returned to the U.S. where they were involved in representation for Reach Beyond for 13 years. In addition to ministry in the U.S., Don and Monnie served in Europe, Asia, Australia and New Zealand. Some years after their retirement, they moved to Go Ye Village.

Ron Cline, a former Reach Beyond president now serving as a mission ambassador with his wife, Barb, said he was impressed with the way Don lived his life.

“He loved to tell stories, solve problems and lead people to Christ,” he explained. “He was hardnosed when it came to business and so tender when it came to people in trouble. Often people would come to our gate with a problem, and Don would call me and together we would work on a solution. He would not give up until the problem had been resolved. He did that at our gate, in the print shop, in a business meeting and in the villages where he ministered. He loved helping people.”

Lifelong friend Bill Mitchell described Don as “a man’s man and God’s man—a personal worker among the Indians he knew and loved so much and a forthright worker for the gospel at the print shop. Monnie was his strong right arm and helper in every way. He had a personal concern for the lost and a prayerful Christ-exalting attitude, always available to be used.”

He is missed by his wife of 63 years, Monnie; two sons, Rex and Tod; two daughters, Shari Salzman and Karlene Spencer; 13 grandchildren and 16 great-grandchildren. Shari and her husband, Paul, are longtime Reach Beyond missionaries based in El Paso, Texas, seconded to partner ministry Inspiracom (formerly World Radio Network) where Paul serves as an engineer.

A memorial service is set for 10 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 15, at the Go Ye Village Chapel.

Source: Reach Beyond