Sugar Babe

Made from sugar, this little darling looks so real!
So what has a little sugar baby got to do with our story?

Well, a special friend of mine just fits the bill!

As the second eldest in a family of six girls and one boy, Hilda was born in Penang near the village of Raki Raki in northern Viti Levu, the largest island in the Fiji group. Along with other local men, her father worked in the huge CSR Sugar Mill. Some of her fondest memories centre around that sweet stuff. And she and her siblings' favourite pastime was to gain a free ride on the back of trucks transporting the bagged sugar to Ellington Wharf. These imps also satisfied their 'sweet tooth' cravings by grabbing sticks of sugarcane off moving trucks. An exciting but dangerous diversion that would have gained far more than a scolding from their hassled parents had they known. But what goes around comes around, because they'd usually gain a fair spanking from jumping fully clothed into the river. Ah, those were the days!

Hilda became a true believer in Jesus in her late teens and in her early twenties felt called to learn more by emigrating to Australia to study at a Bible College. She later applied for citizenship. Eventually she landed a secretarial position with Ford and shared an apartment in the famous Sydney suburb of Bondi with her older sister and brother. Sometime later she met Al at a Christian youth meeting but neither made an impression on the other. Ah, but when Al was asked to take her and young bro home from church one night, Al became smitten with the sweet miss. From then on his little blue car would regularly pull up outside their apartment to visit Hil. Naturally that met with some ribbing from young bro!

Looking back, she knows the Lord led them together, and many years later she and Al have been blessed with two lovable grandchildren. She also treasures the memory of a praying father. And although she once longed to be a missionary to Brazil, she is herself now involved in a ministry of prayer with Elijah House.

When I asked Hil if she had a favourite Bible verse, she admitted she has far too many to enumerate. Knowing how my friend avoids sugar nowadays, nevertheless, this particular verse sums up her attitude ...
"How sweet are Your Words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth."  Psalm 119:103