The IPHC World Missions Ministries Division is deeply saddened by the passing of sister Edna Parker. We thank God for her life and dedication to missions, and we take peace in the confidence that she is enjoying eternity with our Lord. Our prayers go out to the Parker family and all who knew her.<\/p>\n
In the words of Shirley G. Spencer:<\/em><\/p>\n “Edna Harrell grew up thinking she was not smart. Her mother planted that notion in Edna\u2019s mind by telling her repeatedly that she would need to marry an intelligent man, because she certainly would never be able to make it on her own. Edna did marry a smart man, but it wasn\u2019t because of any insufficiency on her part. Her destiny would prove to be one of committed and faithful service to Christ and His kingdom.<\/p>\n Edna began her earthly journey on July 1, 1923, in Garland, North Carolina. She was the first of four children born to Albert and Leola Harrell. Her younger siblings included two brothers, LeRoy and A. J., and one sister, Brenda Faye.<\/p>\n Edna was saved at age 13 and grew up attending Pentecostal Holiness churches in North Carolina.<\/p>\n After graduating from high school, she continued her education at Emmanuel College in Franklin Springs, Georgia. Immediately following her graduation in1942, Edna went to East Carolina Teachers College in Greenville. At Christmas break that year, she accepted a job teaching second grade in Benson. During the summer, she moved back to Bethel to complete the half year of studies she needed to earn an \u201cA\u201d Certificate.<\/p>\n Sensing a call on her life to Christian service, Edna enrolled at Holmes Bible College in Greenville, South Carolina, in October of 1946. Since she had a teacher\u2019s certificate, the school administrators accepted her as a student with the understanding that she would teach two classes to undergraduates.<\/p>\n While at Holmes, Edna made two decisions that would shape her destiny. First, she said yes to God\u2019s call on her life to become a missionary. Second, she said yes when John Parker, another student at the school, asked her to marry him. John also was called to missions.<\/p>\n Edna married John B. Parker on June 21, 1949.<\/p>\n During the next 46 years as career missionaries, the Parkers\u2019 assignments took them to numerous countries on four different continents. Though they both felt called to China, they began their missionary service in Costa Rica in 1951. (China was closed to missionaries at that time.) After serving 23 years in Costa Rica, the Parkers returned to the United States with the thought of settling into life as \u201cordinary people.\u201d<\/p>\n But those plans quickly evaporated, for God had other plans for this valuable couple. For the next 23 years\u2014the second half of their years of service–special assignments placed them in Hong Kong, the Philippines, India, Indonesia, Singapore, South Korea, Chile, London, and various other sites. Their overseas work concluded in Spain before they returned to the United States in 1993 so Edna could care for her ailing mother.<\/p>\n John and Edna Parker have one son, David. He and his wife, Irvina (Smith) Parker, live in Oklahoma City. Both David and Irvina are employees of the International Pentecostal Holiness Church. David serves as president of the Extension Loan Fund and Irvina is director of Girls Ministries for the denomination. The Parkers also have two grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.<\/p>\n After having served as PH missionaries for 46 years, John and Edna Parker officially retired in December of 1997; however, John continued to travel on occasion to teach classes or seminars in Bible schools and conferences.<\/p>\n In her autobiography, Just Me<\/em> (Walsworth Publishing Company, Marceline, Missouri, 1997), this bright and spunky woman of God describes the joys and frustrations of her life as a missionary wife. Her stories, often told from a humorous perspective, help the reader experience the challenges and rewards of serving God in other cultures.<\/p>\n Overcoming those challenges surely fortified Edna for her role in her retirement years as a caregiver for her husband, John. She was indeed a remarkable, intelligent, and tenacious lady.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The IPHC World Missions Ministries Division is deeply saddened by the passing of sister Edna Parker. We thank God for her life and dedication to missions, and we take peace…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":980,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[206],"class_list":{"0":"post-1366","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world-missions","8":"tag-edna-parker","9":"entry"},"title_es":"Un tributo a Edna Parker (1923-2016)","content_es":"Las Misiones Mundiales IISP Divisi\u00f3n de Ministerios lamenta profundamente el fallecimiento de la hermana Edna Parker. Damos gracias a Dios por su vida y la dedicaci\u00f3n a las misiones, y tomamos la paz en la confianza de que ella est\u00e1 disfrutando de la eternidad con nuestro Se\u00f1or. Nuestras oraciones est\u00e1n con su familia Parker y todos los que la conoc\u00edan. En palabras de Shirley G. Spencer:<\/em> \"Edna Harrell creci\u00f3 pensando que no era inteligente Su madre plant\u00f3 esa idea en la mente de Edna dici\u00e9ndole repetidamente que ella tendr\u00eda que casarse con un hombre inteligente, porque ciertamente nunca ser\u00eda capaz de hacerlo. hacerlo por su cuenta. Edna se cas\u00f3 con un hombre inteligente, pero no fue a causa de alguna deficiencia por parte de ella. su destino podr\u00eda llegar a ser uno de servicio comprometido y fiel a Cristo y su reino. Edna comenz\u00f3 su camino en la tierra en 1 julio de 1923, en Garland, Carolina del Norte. Ella fue el primero de los cuatro hijos de Albert y Leola Harrell. Sus hermanos menores incluidos dos hermanos, LeRoy y AJ, y una hermana, Brenda Faye. Edna se salv\u00f3 a los 13 a\u00f1os y creci\u00f3 asistiendo a iglesias Pentecostal de Santidad en Carolina del Norte. Despu\u00e9s de graduarse de la escuela secundaria, ella continu\u00f3 su educaci\u00f3n en la universidad de Manuel en Franklin Springs, Georgia. Inmediatamente despu\u00e9s de su in1942 graduaci\u00f3n, Edna fue a Carolina del Este colegio de maestros en Greenville. en Navidad romper ese a\u00f1o , acept\u00f3 un trabajo como profesor de segundo grado en Benson. Durante el verano, se traslad\u00f3 de nuevo a Bethel para completar el semestre de los estudios que necesitaba para ganar una \"A\" Certificado. Al sentir una llamada en su vida al servicio cristiano, Edna inscribi\u00f3 en Holmes Bible College en Greenville, Carolina del Sur, en octubre de 1946. Desde que ten\u00eda el certificado de un maestro, los administradores de la escuela la aceptaron como estudiante en el entendimiento de que iba a ense\u00f1ar a dos clases a estudiantes universitarios. Mientras que en Holmes, Edna tom\u00f3 dos decisiones que dar\u00edan forma a su destino. En primer lugar, ella dijo que s\u00ed al llamado de Dios en su vida para convertirse en un misionero. En segundo lugar, ella dijo que s\u00ed cuando John Parker, otro estudiante en la escuela, le pidi\u00f3 que se casara con \u00e9l. John tambi\u00e9n fue llamado a las misiones. Edna se cas\u00f3 con John B. Parker el 21 de junio de 1949. Durante los pr\u00f3ximos 46 a\u00f1os como misioneros de carrera, las asignaciones de los Parkers 'los llevaron a numerosos pa\u00edses de cuatro continentes diferentes. A pesar de que ambos sintieron llamados a China, comenzaron su servicio misionero en Costa Rica en 1951. (China estaba cerrado a los misioneros en ese momento.) Despu\u00e9s de servir 23 a\u00f1os en Costa Rica, los Parker regres\u00f3 a los Estados Unidos con la idea de resolver en la vida como \"gente com\u00fan\". Pero esos planes se evaporaron r\u00e1pidamente, porque Dios ten\u00eda otros planes para este valioso pareja. Para los pr\u00f3ximos 23 a\u00f1os, la segunda mitad de los a\u00f1os de servicio - asignaciones especiales los colocaron en Hong Kong, Filipinas, India, Indonesia, Singapur, Corea del Sur, Chile, Londres, y varios otros sitios. Su trabajo en el extranjero lleg\u00f3 a la conclusi\u00f3n en Espa\u00f1a antes de regresar a los Estados Unidos en 1993 por lo que Edna podr\u00eda cuidar a su madre enferma. John y Edna Parker tienen un hijo, David. \u00c9l y su esposa, Irvina (Smith) Parker, viven en la ciudad de Oklahoma. Tanto David como Irvina son empleados de la Iglesia Internacional de Santidad Pentecostal. David sirve como presidente del Fondo de Pr\u00e9stamos Extensi\u00f3n y Irvina es director de Ministerios de las muchachas de la denominaci\u00f3n. Los Parker tambi\u00e9n tiene dos nietos y tres bisnietos. Despu\u00e9s de haber servido como misioneros PH durante 46 a\u00f1os, John y Edna Parker se retir\u00f3 oficialmente en diciembre de 1997; Sin embargo, John continu\u00f3 viajando en ocasiones para dar clases o seminarios en las escuelas de la Biblia y conferencias. En su autobiograf\u00eda, Just Me<\/em> (Walsworth Publishing Company, Marceline, Missouri, 1997), esta mujer brillante y valiente de Dios describe las alegr\u00edas y frustraciones de su vida como una esposa misionera. Sus historias, a menudo contadas desde una perspectiva humor\u00edstica, ayudan al lector a experimentar los desaf\u00edos y recompensas de servir a Dios en otras culturas. La superaci\u00f3n de estos retos seguramente fortificados Edna por su papel en sus a\u00f1os de jubilaci\u00f3n como cuidadora de su marido, John. Ella era de hecho un notable, inteligente, tenaz y se\u00f1ora \".","author_name":"","jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/missions\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2016\/03\/In-Loving-Memory.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pb62Ar-m2","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/missions\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1366","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/missions\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/missions\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/missions\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/missions\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1366"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/missions\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1366\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/missions\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/980"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/missions\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1366"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/missions\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1366"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/missions\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1366"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}