Story of Francis de Capillas (1608-1648)

Francis Ferdinand de Capillas was born in Spain in 1608. He entered a Dominican monastery at the age of seventeen, and at twenty-three, he volunteered as a missionary to the Philippines. In spite of hardships in the disease-infested jungles, he longed for greater challenges and asked to be transferred to a more dangerous mission field. Hoping to be sent to Japan, where many missionaries had died, he was sent instead to Fukien, China. After several years, the region was invaded by Tartars, and Francis was taken prisoner. At his trial, he was accused of witchcraft, spying, and refusing to “sacrifice to the ancestors.” Despite suffering many tortures in prison, he managed to convert the jailer and several prisoners to Christianity. At last, in 1648, the judges, baffled by Francis’s obstinate faith, condemned him to beheading on the false charge that he was in league with the rebel army then besieging the city. Declaring his willingness to die for Jesus, he wrote the following prayer.

I have no home but the world,
no bed but the ground,
no food but what Providence sends me
from day to day,
and no other object but to do your will
and suffer, if need be,
for the glory of Jesus Christ
and for the eternal happiness
of those who believe in his name.

Scripture Meditation

Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his work.” John 4:34 ESV

How would you describe your view of doing God’s will?

Pray that God will grow you to experience the truth of His will more and more each day.

Specific Prayer Need

Please pray for the leaders and members of the Early Rain Covenant Church in Chengdu, China. The Chinese government continues to harass, threaten, arrest, beat and torture both the members and the leaders of the church. Most recently, Mr. Gou of the Early Rain Church was last seen on March 18th at the Hangzhou East Train Station, being escorted by multiple plain clothes police officers. His head was shaved, and he was handcuffed. We do not know where he was being taken. Pray that God would surround him with his steadfast love and peace!