First and second generations Bud, Esther Louis, E. A., Ila, and Julia Kilbourne
John Waits never knew his greatgreat-grandfather, Ernest Albert( E. A.) Kilbourne, one of the founding members and the third President of OMS. But through family stories, historical research, and time spent with his grandpa, Elmer, John recognizes familiar traits passed down through generations of Kilbournes— ones that trace back to the man who helped launch a global mission movement.
E. A.’ s influence extended through his son Bud and Bud’ s three sons— Ed, Elmer, and Ernie— all of whom carried the Kilbourne name into decades of OMS missionary service.
Looking through his family tree, John sees echoes of E. A. In his uncle Ed, he recognizes the same eloquence of speech and an exceptional gift for words and writing. His uncle Ernie mirrored the quiet, gentle spirit that family stories recall about E. A.
“ The older I’ ve become,” John says,“ the more I’ ve realized where some of my traits come from. Our family tends to ask for forgiveness instead of permission.”
John says that perfectly describes his grandpa Elmer. Once Elmer believed God had placed something on his heart, he pursued it relentlessly. If a project required raising money, he found the resources. If it required persuading people, he did that as well. He freely admitted he occasionally ruffled feathers because he didn’ t always wait for permission; his conviction outweighed his prudence.
Elmer was never satisfied with
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