When a Tropical Disease Leads to a Happy Ending

My willowy, blue eyed friend Beverly lives a long way off but our history goes way back when we were in our late teens, attending the same youth group.

Here's her story:

As a result of tropical diseases picked up in Congo, MK Peter Salisbury was sent to the Tropical school of Medicine at the Sydney University and an operation followed.  Peter decided to look up some of the folk his family had stayed with when in transit some years before.  He called on my parents  – by then we had grown a little –  and as both our hearts were in missions, we felt drawn to each other. With certainty that the Lord was in our relationship, we were soon married in my home Chapel. The reception was also held there and overflowed with well-wishers.

Seeing great opportunities for service, we moved to an Australian country town and were used by the Lord to commence a Sunday School and Church Fellowship group. When we believed our work there was finished, we moved back to Sydney to take up leadership duties at the head office of South Sea Evangelical Mission, and whilst there heard about the work of Teen Missions International based in Florida. In 1985 Peter was asked to be Boot Camp speaker in Florida to over 1,000 young people who were in training for an overseas mission trip during their school vacation.  At first we thought it was a bit strange, but as we saw the change for good in the young people during the stay of 12 days at Boot Camp, we asked why we couldn’t have it in Australia also. Well,  the director looked us in the eye and suggested we pray about it. The rest is history, and Teen Missions Australia came into being with the first Australian team going to Zimbabwe in 1987.    

We have since retired from staff in that ministry, but still involved on a casual basis when required.  The Boot Camp site is at Tewantin on the Sunshine Coast in QLD where a local Christian farmer was looking for a youth mission organisation to provide land to for their work. God answered prayer, and it is now a great campsite. The Lord also used us to start the Teen Missions ministry in Zambia in 1992, and that ministry has grown tremendously since then with hundreds of African young people coming to the Lord, and  being trained for their future careers. Many are now in leadership roles in that country. Also, over 3000 orphans are being reached and given care and training also for their future lives. We are still amazed that a young man from NZ and Belgium Congo met up with a young girl from Sydney, and led them along such interesting paths in life!

Thanks, Bev. It's great to see how, in the Lord's Plan for our lives, things that we might consider as set-backs can have wonderful results when we trust and leave things in His Hands! Let's pray for the wonderful work of TEEN MISSIONS INTERNATIONAL.

THREE LITTLE WORDS

You can never overdo telling the person you truly love what they mean to you. It's far too easy to fall into the trap of taking them for granted.

You love them and you know they love you, but those words will never offend...just reaffirm. Even so, those pleasant words need actions as well. A helping hand. A comforting hand. A gentle hand. And a million ways to show you care. 

God's Word tells us to be kind and tender-hearted to each other. How easy it is to say and do unkind things when we let our guard down. How easy to use sharp words instead of tender words. How easy for the "put-down" instead of "lifting up" our loved one.

Some would never speak to a stranger the way they speak to their wife/husband. How sad.

In this New Year of 2012 we all need to take stock and honour and respect and be truly loving to our special person in every possible way. And don't forget forgiveness. A good marriage is based on two good forgivers. Remember the old saying "What goes round, comes round"? It's a truism in every way.

May everyone who reads this be blessed in this year of possibilities.

Whither Thou Goest, I Will Go ...

 Beautiful words spoken by a young woman thousands of years ago.

The story of Ruth from Moab is quite an amazing slice of history. Mainly because Ruth is mentioned in the genealogy of the Lord Jesus Christ. What an honour!

Married to the son of a couple of Israelites who left their country because the land had fallen on hard times, she soon faced the trauma of losing her young husband. As a young widow what should she do?

Her sister had married her husband's brother who had also died.  A double tragedy. No help from a generous government in those days! Go back to work and look for another husband seemed the only way out. Their mother-in-law, also widowed and determined to return to her own country, decided to return alone. But Ruth took a step of faith. She'd heard all about the God of Israel and His kindness to His people, even though they had often strayed from Him. She decided to follow her mother-in-law. An embittered Naomi did not give her any encouragement. She even told her to go back to her old gods, but Ruth would not be shrugged off. She clung desperately to the older woman, saying:

"Intreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee: for whither thou goest, I will go, and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God."

To condense this lovely story, after Ruth returned with Naomi, the Lord took a hand in their destitute situation. A wealthy man named Boaz was attracted to this stranger in town, and with the help of Naomi's match-making, he committed himself to Ruth in marriage.

Read this inspiring story yourself in the eighth book of the Bible. It shows how the Lord had a special interest in a young woman - a former heathen - who discovered faith in Him.

CHRISTMAS The Blessed Season

What a blessed time of the year!

God sent His love to us in such a tiny, tiny package those two thousand years ago. And when Jesus grew to be a man, He fulfilled every one of His blessed Father's promises to mankind.

It's such a simple message. He wants us to turn back from where we strayed. To ask His forgiveness and truly repent of our sins. And yes, the forgiveness is already there waiting for us to claim it. He is our Saviour, our God, and our dearest Friend.

Our prayer for you is that you'll discover this love afresh in your heart this Blessed Christmas Season. And may His love fill you to overflowing into the lives of those around you who most need His love.

What a clear statement from Scripture:
His Name shall be called JESUS for He shall save His people from their sins.

What other religious leader could offer such a thing? Only God has the power to forgive sin. And none other could ever claim to do this. All teach a striving after wholeness of mind and soul by good deeds, and by this path gaining merit in the hope of reaching some sort of heaven  But it is never promised.

Only those who come to the Saviour of mankind, the Lord Jesus Christ, have this sure hope for now and for Eternity. So why not believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and accept His salvation? He has already paid the price for your sins by giving His own life to set you free.

My dear husband,George, and I wish you a very Happy, Blessed Christmas Season!

Making Music Together......Brenda Anderson

I love music: singing, playing guitar or piano, or just listening to other musicians. My whole family loves to sing, and we even harmonize with each other. My best friends are musicians. I believe God uses music to speak to the heart.

My husband, however, grew up in a family that absolutely cannot sing. They appreciate music, and most play some instrument, but when they try to sing? Cringe. If you enjoy listening to ten sliding keys sung at once, then you’d appreciate their rendition of Happy Birthday. It’s seriously painful.

Ironically, my husband can sing. So, when planning our wedding, we knew it would be filled with music. I tapped my two best friends and an aunt to sing prelude solos. My aunt and a friend shared organ duties, while another played flute. I had a quartet sing Lutkin’s The Lord Bless You and Keep You.  We had a couple of congregational hymns, and I even sang Roger Copeland’s The Bridal Prayer immediately before the processional.
We also had a duet planned following the lighting of the unity candle. The pastor and the pianist were the only people who knew who the singers were. My husband and I lit the candle then took each other’s hand as the pianist played the introduction to He Has Chosen You For Me by Pat Terry. Marvin and I took a deep breath … then started singing to each other.

Unbeknownst to us was the waterfall of tears
dropping all around the church. My mother-in-law said she kept looking for the singers then finally realized it was her son singing. She teared up. My bridesmaids all cried. The groomsmen sniffled. Even the pastor wiped tears. And yes, the video has proof.
The duet was our gift to each other and to the congregation. 23 years later, people still remember our wedding.
I’m thinking maybe when we celebrate 25 years together, we’ll have to try it again.


Thanks for sharing, Brenda. I hope you and your husband make that duet together on your 25th anniversary! I'm amazed at your courage in singing on your wedding day. Honestly, I think I'd have burst into tears with the sheer emotion of it! We had another friend, a fine baritone, who sang during the signing of the register. But I was so caught up in everything, I can't even remember his performance.

My Wedding Began with a Rainbow - Roseanna White

A storm raged up the coast the day before, littering the sand with seaweed and our minds with worry. We’d been praying for months we’d have fair weather for the beach wedding.
I told myself it had gotten it out of its system—and the rainbow that appeared validated our hope.

A collection of thirty family members and friends had made the drive down to the Outer Banks of North Carolina in Kitty Hawk, right across from the dunes where the Wright brothers first took to the skies. They brought fresh strawberries from my grandparents’ farm, chocolate to dip them in, a cake from our favorite bakery, and a willingness to help. We all tossed up decorations, barbecued the wedding feast, and figured out the logistics of the ceremony. Though I loved the idea getting married in the sand, the practical side of me said, “Let’s do it on the deck that looks out over the dune.”

Though traditional in most respects, one superstition I hated was the “the groom can’t see the bride” thing—so we went to breakfast the morning of our wedding, just the two of us. It was a perfect start to a beautiful day.

My groom had forgotten his shoes (I’m still not convinced that was an accident), so he and his guys stood barefoot on the deck in black pants, white collar-less shirts, and burgundy vests, My girls came out in classic burgundy gowns and pearls. I had that perfect strapless dress with the embroidery I’d dreamed of. The vacationers in each of the houses next door gathered on their decks to watch with grins and cheers at the ready. The ceremony was short and sweet. The pictures were on the beach and hence gorgeous. The food was simple and fun. And as we ate it, the dolphins came out to wish us well. After the usual festivities, the day ended with a bonfire on the beach

I had dreamed all my life of the perfect wedding and as I watched the ocean turn golden in the setting sun of my special Day, as I listened to the easy laughter of those closest to me, I was so thankful for the Lord's blessing. A beach wedding, with its natural beauty, had sounded romantic and perfect . . .

And it was.

Roseanna M White is wife, mommy, writer, reviewer, and lover of all things literature-related. She makes her home in the mountains of Western Maryland with her husband, two kids, and the colony of dust bunnies under her couch. Learn more about her and her books at:  http://www.roseannamwhite.com

A MOTHER'S CONSTANT PRAYER-MATCHMAKER LINE to GOD

Kimberly Woodhouse shares...

I actually met my newborn, would-be niece before I met my husband…

Now, before you turn your brain inside-out trying to work through that puzzle, let me ‘splain. I met my husband the very first day of Bible College (for me) – he actually carried in a few of my boxes. So romantic, yes, I know. But see, behind the scenes there was a greater power at work. (Yes, God was definitely at work, but I’m actually talking about my mother and her constant-prayer-matchmaker line to God.)

My mom, being the hopeless romantic that she is, was determined to send me off to college to get married, since my older brother and sister were not married yet. Me, in my teenage stubbornness, decided that I wouldn’t date—because I definitely wasn’t going to Bible College to get married!  Ha! Following me so far?

Well, it was a small Bible College. Everyone knew everyone. And Jeremy and I became fast friends. Then best friends. Then? Well, I was too stubborn to admit how much I liked him, because I was determined to prove my match-making mother wrong – and he was too afraid to admit how much he liked me because we were best friends and he didn’t want to mess that up.

Love won out. (Don’t tell my mom she was right!)

Four months later we were engaged. And almost nineteen years ago, we were married.

Now you might be wondering how my niece figures into all this? Well, I met my sister-in-law and her newborn baby in our church months before I ever met Jeremy, and we didn’t put all the pieces together until we were planning the wedding. He showed me a picture of all his family and I pointed at her and said, “I know her! And I’ve already held my niece! How cool is that?”

 Kimberley Woodhouse is a wife, mother, author, and musician with a quick wit and positive outlook despite difficult circumstances.

 Just goes to show that a faithful mother's prayers hold sway with the Lord!