Second and third generations Elmer, Ed, Hazel, Bud, and Ernie Kilbourne
“ good enough.” If a seminary could educate 100 students, he wanted to know how it could educate 2,000. He was constantly asking how the ministry could grow bigger, better, and more effective.
Even after leaving OMS to serve with a humanitarian aid organization, Elmer continued partnering with OMS through the Evangelical Church of India( ECI). At nearly 70, he accepted the challenge to help build 1,000 churches in India through ECI.
Few people knew that in his 60s, Elmer developed interstitial cystitis, a painful bladder condition that required him to stop every few minutes, day and night. He woke 20 to 40 times each night and often slept only a few hours. International travel became physically exhausting, yet he refused to let his condition deter him from his calling. For many people, that physical burden would have caused them to quit. He never did.
“ I always thought, why?” John says.“ But he had a fire inside him that never burned out.”
Away from ministry, Elmer loved boats, airplanes, tennis, ice cream, and driving fast. One of John’ s favorite family stories was about his grandparents’ first date. Elmer took Ella Ruth flying, and she became terribly airsick. After they landed, he asked whether she would ever fly again. She grinned and replied,“ As long as it’ s with you.”
As a child, John wondered why his grandfather invested so heavily in
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