Kornelius Isaak was the son of Jakob and Elisabeth Isaak. He was born 13 June 1928 in Karpovka in the Memrik settlement of the Ukraine and migrated with his family to Paraguay in 1930. He experienced a spiritual conversion in 1943 and was baptized on 1 October 1944, becoming a member of the Mennonite church (kirchliche Mennoniten/GCM) in the Fernheim Colony. He served as Sunday school teacher for several years in his home village of Blumenort. In 1949 he declared his interest in missionary work among the Indians (Chaco mission) and attended the Bible school in Filadelfia for two years. On 9 April 1954 he married Mary Born, who shared his vision for mission. Their mission field was the Chulupí station in Neuland Colony. It was there that he felt the call to attempt contacting the Moro (Ayoreo) people in the northern Chaco. During his first contact with them he was fatally wounded by a spear. His death was as a grain of wheat which falls into the ground and bears much fruit (John 12:24). His wife Mary was expecting their fourth child at the time of his death on 11 September 1958.

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