Corrie ten Boom

I usually told this story on Thursday. It makes for a nice "closer" if you will, because I find it the most powerful. Every time I have told it, I have shed at least one eety, beety tear. At least one. Especially at the very end.

The events in this story are also taken from the Christian Heros: Then and Now series and some from the book "Tramp for the Lord" by Corrie ten Boom herself.

Corrie ten Boom's Example of Forgiveness
Betsie ten Boom's Example of Trusting God

Close your eyes and imagine this: Imagine that it’s a cold winter night. It’s late. You are sick in bed with the flu. You have guests staying in your house. They are in the room beside you. But, they are not just any guests. They are hiding guests. And if they are found, they will likely be killed. You have taken care of these guests for months and you have come to love them like your own family.

Imagine an intruder has barreled through the front door. Because you are so sick, you stay in bed rather than greet him. You must keep your guests a secret, because the intruder is here to find them. If they find the guests then they will be taken away and so will you. You pray hard that you and your guests will be safe.

The intruder comes up the stairs to your room. You can hear his heavy boots stomping on each step, almost as if he was trying to scare you. The intruder is now at your bedroom door, screaming for you to get out of bed. “Don’t come too close” you say weakly, “I am sick” and you cough. You cough louder to keep him away from you. You cannot move quickly, as he demands. But you finally get out of bed. You try to put on your shoes, but the intruder pushes you out of the room before you can even tie them. Your muscles ache and your head is swimming.

The intruder yells “WHERE ARE YOU HIDING THEM!!??” You cannot tell, so you keep silent, and try not to look in the direction of the secret room.

You reach the bottom of the stairs and find your family with more strange men. The intruder was not alone. There were more. One intruder said to the other “She’s the ring leader” and he points to you. “She knows where they are hiding. Take her to the back room and see what she knows.”

You are forced to another room where you are thrown against the wall and then onto a bench. “Tell me where you are hiding them!?” He demanded.

You pray to yourself that you will not make a mistake and then you hear and loud smack and feel a sting on your cheek. The intruder has struck you on the face and pushes you closer into the wall. More questions, more silence, more striking. You can feel your lip swollen from being hit on the mouth. You pray aloud, “Jesus, help me!”

The intruder stops and stares at you. “NEVER, EVER say that name in front of me again!”

You can hear the other intruders upstairs knocking out walls and destroying furniture. They are trying to find your guests. You pray again that God would protect them and keep them hidden as you are forced out of your home into the unknown.


Open your eyes.

As you were imagining all of that happening to you, did you feel scared? Did you feel like telling the secret and giving up, so that maybe the intruder would stop hitting you? Maybe you felt brave because you were protecting your friends. Maybe you were wondering what would happen to your friends if they were found? Maybe you were wondering what you happen to you and your family when you were forced out of your home?

Those feelings, thoughts, prayers and questions are all things Corrie ten Boom experienced the night the Beje, what her home in Holland was called, was raided by the German Nazi soldiers. The Jews were the people that she was helping to hide and if they were found, they would have been sent to a work camp, called a concentration camp, where they would work until they died. Some of them were killed even before they got to the concentration camp if they weren’t healthy or strong enough to work.

It was WWII and Germany was trying to take over several countries by invading them with war planes and bombs and troops. They were trying to become the strongest nation in the world. Hitler, who was the Chancellor/President of Germany promised the country that they would have a lot of jobs and food so that they would follow him.

Hitler had a group of Nazi soldiers called the “SS” and they carried out some of the most terrible crimes against anyone that was not Aryan (light skin, blue eyes, blonde hair & tall). Hitler believed that the Aryan race was superior/more important and that getting rid of anyone who was not Aryan would make him and the country he led more powerful. And the Jews were the most hunted.

Holland, where Corrie lived, is a neighboring country of Germany and the German soldiers easily took over the country of Holland. They were soon overwhelmed by bombings and raids.

Corrie and her sister Betsie were in bed asleep when they heard the first bombs screaming down from the planes in the sky, not far from the Beje. Corrie woke up to the sound of bombs colliding with buildings. She rushed to Betsie’s room and they both went downstairs to watch from the window.

Betsie said to Corrie, “Let’s pray.” So, Corrie prayed. She prayed for her family, their safety, the safety of the other people who may be getting hurt or killed by the bombs. She also prayed for wisdom for the leaders of Holland.

When she was done, she waited for Betsie to pray. Betsie began “God, we bring before You the German pilots up in those planes dropping bombs on us right now. We pray their eyes will be opened to the evil ways of Hitler. God bless them, and let them know You are with them always.”

Corrie opened her eyes. How could her sister pray such a ridiculous prayer? She didn’t even say “Amen” to it.

Corrie and her family owned a clock shop, where they repaird broken watches and clocks. During the German Occupation (the time the Germans were in Holland), their business was booming! Many of the German soldiers would come into the shop looking for souveniers to send back home to their families. Even though the business was doing well, there were other things that were not. Since the Germans were now occupying Holland, there were rules. There was a curfew. People had to be in their homes by 10 pm. Also, any type of group meeting was forbidden. Corrie had started what was called the Triangle Club, where she would teach Dutch children and teenagers about the Bible. They were no longer able to meet. Also, everyone was given ration cards. These cards gave you permission to get a limited amount of food from the grocery store. Even radios were banned. No one was allowed to listen to or own a radio.

Corrie and her family had 2 radios in the home. A great big one and a smaller, more modern one. Corrie would have handed them both over to the Dutch police if her nephew, Peter had not spoken up.

“But, Tante Corrie!” Peter said, “You don’t have to get rid of them both. I’m sure there are a hundred places in this old house where you can hide it.”

And there were. Peter found a place beneath the floorboard of a step where it fit nice and snug. It was located right next to the piano, too. So, when they wanted to listen to the news of the war, they could play the piano to mask the sound of the radio. It was important to know what was said on the news about the war. The Germans only put out newspapers that said how wonderful it was to be a part of this new Aryan Empire. Without a radio, no one would know the truth.

Soon, guests were arriving at Corrie’s doorstep. Many of these guests were Jews or people who worked in what was called “The Underground,” A secret organization that was opposing the war and trying to help the Jews escape. The Jews that came to Corries house needed a safe place to hide. And like Peter found a place for the radio, so Corrie and a nameless Arcitect found a place to hide the Jews in case the Beje was raided.

Corrie, Betsie and their father did everything they could to help the Jews. They secretly got more ration cards because the German soldiers were keeping more and more food away from them. They were also holding secret meetings were they would talk about the Bible and pray for their country and family members who have already been taken to concentration camps.

One day, a man came to Corries house. She didn’t recognize him and he didn’t use any of the secret words to show that he was part of the underground. But he seemed like he was in need so she listened to his story. He told her that he and his wife were hiding a Jewish Girl and that their home was raided by the German police. They arrested his wife and he heard from the underground that the police were easy to bribe and if he had the money, he could free her.

Corrie wasn’t sure she could trust him, but she put herself in his shoes. If she needed help, she would hope someone would do so, so she agreed to help him and told him to come back for the money after 5 pm. He never came back, but the German police did.

That was the night the Beje was raided. There were about 8 Jews and they hid in the secret room while Corrie, Betsie and her father were taken to a prison cell where Corrie was kept in a small cell with little to eat or drink. While at the prison, Corrie received a letter that informed her of her fathers death. The letter was from a relative. It seemed odd to Corrie that the letter inside the envelope was written very carefully and straight, but the address on the front of the envelope was written at a deep slant, pointing toward the stamp. Corrie remembered that as a way she and The Underground would often send secret messages. So, she lifted up the stamp and found written in tiny letters that "The Clocks at the Beje are safe." Corrie cried with joy. The code she read meant that the Jews she and her family hid had escaped from the Beje safely and were alright. Corrie did grieve for her father's death, but she knew that he was willing to die and did so gladly so that their Jewish friends might be safe. Later that summer, Corrie and Betsie were taken to a concentration camp.

While they were at this camp, they were forced to do labor so difficult it made them weak, sick and tired. They didn’t have meals that would keep them strong. If they ate, it was a cup of bad coffee and a piece of bread. They had to sleep in crowded bunks with hundreds of other women who barely fit into the room. Corrie and Betsies contant companion was the Bible that they shared. They were not allowed to have a Bible in the camp, and if they were caught with it, they would probably be shot by one of the guards.

When they entered the camp, Corrie put the Bible on a string around her neck and tucked it into her uniform dress, which was a thin white piece of worn cotton. The guards were searching each woman as she walked into the camp. Corrie prayed that God would help her to somehow get through the line and not be searched. When she reached the front of the line, the guard reached right passed her and searched the woman behind her. She was never even searched.

Because she had her Bible with her, she and Betsie would read verses outloud to the other women in their barracks. Hundreds of women would gather around to hear the hope that was offered by God’s word. It was amazing that they never got caught. Their bunks were infested with lice and none of the guards would come near the door. God used lice to protect Corrie and Betsie!

One night, while they were lying on their bunk, Betsie, who was very sick whispered to Corrie, “I need to tell you something…”

“What is it?” asked Corrie.

“I think I know what God wants us to do when we get out of here.”

Corrie was baffled. How could someone be thinking about the future when there hardly seemed to be one. Betsie amazed Corrie.

Betsie continued. “After the war, we must give the Germans that which they now try to take away from us: our love for Jesus.”

Corrie was again, surprised by her sister, “You mean, if we live, we’ll have to come back to Germany?”

Betsie put her arm around her sister, “Oh, Corrie,” she said, “There is so much bitterness and anger and hatred. We must tell them that God can fill their hearts with love and forgiveness.”

Corrie shuddered. Go back to Germany? Could she really do that?

Betsy continued, “This concentration camp has been used to destroy many lives and there are many other camps like it in Germany. After the war, they will not have use for them anymore and I have prayed that the Lord would give us one in Germany, that we can use to build up lives again.”

Corrie thought to herself, “No, I will return to my peaceful job as a watchmaker in Holland. I will never again set my foot across the border.”

But, Betsie went on, as if she answered Corrie’s thoughts. “The Germans are the most wounded people in the world right now. Think of the young girl guard who swore in such filthy language yesterday. She is just 17 or 18, but did you see how she was beating that poor old woman with a whip? What a job there is to do after the war.”

Amazed again by her sister’s trust in God, Corrie thought, “Only God could see in such circumstances the possibility for ministry in the future – ministry to those who even now were preparing to kill us. Most of all, in a concentration camp, to see an opportunity to bless and build up the lives of our enemies.”

Then, she asked aloud, “Do we have to live with them in Germany?”

“For awhile,” Betsie answered, “Then we will go all over the world to bring the gospel to our friends as well as our enemies.”

“All over the world?” Corrie asked, “But that will take so much money!”

“God will provide.” said Betsie. “Our father owns a cattle on a thousand hills. If we need money, all we have to do is ask him to sell a couple of cows.”

Corrie was beginning to understand. “What a privilege…to travel the world and be used by God.”

But, Betsie was asleep by then. 3 days later, she died.

Corrie did just what Betsie had dreamed. She did go back to Germany after the war ended and she was able to use an old concentration camp as a place for Germans who were affected by the war. She shared Christ’s love with them through her ministry, but she specifically showed them the forgiveness that only God could offer.

At one of her speaking engagements, Corrie spoke on forgiveness. One of the men in the audience came up to her after she was done speaking. Corrie recognized him as one of the guards from the concentration camp, who had taunted, mocked and even physically hurt Corrie. Corrie became nervous as he approached.

He said to her, “A fine message! How good it is to know that, as you say, all our sins can be forgiven!”

He must not have recognized her, but then he went on.

“You mentioned Ravensbruck in your talk. I was a guard there.”

No, she was sure he didn’t recognize her.

He continued to talk to her “But, since that time, I have become a Christian. I know God has forgiven me for the cruel things I did there, but I would like to hear it from your lips as well.” He did recognizer her. He reached his hand out. “Will you forgive me?”

It wasn’t long that Corrie stood there, without reaching out to shake his hand, but it seemed like hours. It was the most difficult thing she ever had to do. And she had to do it. It wasn’t just a commandment to God to love and forgive even your enemies, but it was a daily experience in her ministry to the Germans at the former concentration camp. Finally, she reached out her hand to his and said, “I forgive you, brother. With all my heart.”

I ♥ U & Kisses, too.

Mail Call comes twice a day at Whispering Cedars Baptist Camp. After lunch and after dinner.

The tradition goes like this: You get three pieces of mail, you kiss "The Dirty Bird."

Meet "The Dirty Bird."

Being the devious and romantic wife that I am (yes, you can be both at once) I decided to give Jim the Whispering Cedars Mail Call experience of his lifetime and send him three pieces of mail.


A big "I"


A big "♥"


and


A big "U."

(That's Pastor Hayes from Grand Island, NE on the right.)

Then, of course, Jim had the wonderful privilege of kissing The Dirty Bird.

As the kids were chanting "Kiss - The -Dirty - Bird!" Jim puckered up and "SMACK." I made him hold the pose long enough for the picture below. What a sport.

And again for this one...

Jimster, I really do ♥ you!

Jim The One-Hit Wonder

We had a contest at the beinning of the week. It was called a Nail-Driving contest and we had to see how fast we could drive a nail. I thought I did pretty ok with 5 seconds. Then, Jim womped on me with a one-hitter. Yeah. He drove the nail in with one swing. The funny part is that he was using Michael Lewis' hammer and he showed Michael up, too. Poor guy...got showed up with his own hammer. Being that I know next to nothing about hammers, I'd say Michael's hammer was pretty sweet. It was magnetic on the top so you didn't have to hold the nail and then bust your hand with the hammer. So, in case you're asking yourself what the point of this post is. Basically, it's to brag on Jim. Jim the One-Hit Wonder. (Oh, and for you Crestonites out there who might be reading, that's Amanda Carr in the red.)

We Were Camels

Night before last Jim and I joined the cabin leaders for the Cabin Leader Hunt...the game where the cabin leaders hide and the campers try to find them. It's a fun one.

Well, we were worth a super lot of points so we hid in a super good hiding spot. In the end, I did get found out, but Jim didn't.

Anyhoo.

Sweet 5 year old Alyssa was quite excited about the whole event. She said, "The Cabin Leaders are going to be camels!"

"Really?" I asked "How's that?"

"They are going to dress so no one can see them!"

Ahh, yes. Camo.

I've never been a Camel before, so I was up to it.

Amy Carmichael

This is one of my FAVORITE missionary stories! I also gleaned much of this from the Christian Heroes: Then and Now series. Good stuff!

Amy Carmichael's family owned a flour mill. They were a wealthy family and, unlike children whose families did not have very much money, Amy spent her growing up years at a boarding school for girls where she learned not only reading and writing, but art and music as well.

Amy had always had the qualities to be a leader. But, while at boarding school, she didn’t always demonstrate her leadership qualities in a positive way. One day during Astronomy class, Amy’s instructor mentioned that the “Great September Comet” would be visible in the sky that very night. Amy desperately wanted to see the comet and, though she knew there was little chance that they could, she still knocked on the door of the school principal, Miss Kay. All the other girls watched jealously as Amy walked into the principal’s office. No one else would have been so brave and courageous. Amy walked out of the room with a disappointed look on her face. The other girls slumped their shoulders. No one would see the comet tonight. But, Amy had another plan. She was bound and determined to see the comet and she was willing to break the rules to do so.

The rest of the day, Amy was distracted by plotting their getaway to the attic at midnight. She came up with an idea. There were several girls to wake up at midnight and lead up the stairs and into the attic. She would give each girl a piece of string, have them tie it to their big toes and when it was time to wake up, Amy would tug on the strings and they would all wake up and quietly walk up the stairs, taking care to step over the squeaky step that was third from the top. And so they did. Amy turned the door knob to the attic with not a hint of a sound. Once they entered the attic room and could see the night sky from the window, they all breathed a sigh of relief. Their plan was accomplished. Just then, Amy had a strange feeling someone was watching her. As her eyes adjusted to the darkness, she could see shadows. Shadows in the shapes of people. Shadows which emerged to be none other than Miss Kay and the other teachers. Oh no! Amy had been caught and there was no one to blame but herself. Although, Miss Kay allowed the girls to see the comet that night, Amy felt distracted the whole time with the thought that she might be expelled from school. This wasn’t the first time she had acted out of line.

Miss Kay was kind when she talked to Amy in her office the next morning. She was assigned to get up 1/2 hour earlier than the other girls and do the morning chores, but thankfully, she wasn’t expelled. As much as Amy missed and loved home, she didn’t want to go home ashamed and worried what her parents, who trained her to be an example of a good Christian, might think. Miss Kay told Amy that she should use her leadership talents to lead the girls to do the right thing instead of disobeying authority.

Some time later, just before her15th birthday, Amy was called back into Miss Kay’s office. This time, to hear that she must go home. Her parents were losing business at the flour mill and they could not afford to send her private school anymore.

When Amy returned home she enjoyed all the wonderful things she missed while she was at the boarding school. One of those things was tea and cookies! Amy and her mother were enjoying these treats when Amy noticed a little girl peering at her through the window, all dirty and looking cold. She was staring at Amy’s cookies with big, hungry eyes. The little girls gaze made Amy realize that there were people out in the world, who didn’t have all the luxuries of life that she had. She went to her room right away and wrote a promise to the little girl:

When I grow up and money have,

I know what I will do,

I’ll build a great big lovely place

For little girls like you.

While Amy and her 2 older brothers were walking home from church one Sunday, they came across an old woman, who was hunched over and unable to walk well. Because Amy and her brothers were taught to help those less fortunate then themselves they rushed to the old woman. Amy and one of her brothers took each of the old woman’s arm, while the other brother took the bag of sticks that was on the old woman’s back.

They only expected to help her to the nearest building, but she pointed them further along to an alley about ½ a mile down the road. Amy and her brothers shrugged and kept walking with the old woman. Soon, though people from church began to pass the Carmichael kids and give them cold looks. Even some of the mothers would take their children to the other side of the street to walk. Amy and her brothers hung their heads hoping not to be recognized. Then, Amy remembered a verse she had heard from the Bible, “Gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw…the fire will test what sort of work each one has done. If the work which any man has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward.”

Amy no longer felt ashamed to be helping the old woman. She walked with her head held high, unafraid of what others might think of her.

That night Amy went straight to her Bible to find the verse she thought of earlier. She found them in 1 Corinthians 3:12-14. “Now if anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each ones work will become manifest; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each ones work, of what sort it is. If anyone’s work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward.” Amy wondered what they could mean for her. She had always known that God loved her, but how would that affect how she acted each day. She spent several hours praying and thinking and she finally came to these decisions: She would no longer waste time on things that weren’t important in God’s eyes. She wanted the things she did to be found worthwhile when they were judged by God. She wanted her life to be lived as gold and silver, things that lasted through the fire, not hay and stubble, things that would burn up in an instant. She decided also that she would never worry again what people thought of her. If what she was doing pleased God, that would be enough for her.

Amy’s thought’s about being kind and loving to others began to change. She used to be kind because it was expected of her and she felt she had to be kind. But, now, she would be kind and loving because that’s what God wanted her to do.

Amy’s two younger sisters could see the difference in her right away. She had a new attitude, which her sister’s called, “Amy’s enthusiasms!” To Amy, there were so many people to show God’s love to. She wanted to learn more and more about God and she wanted to teach others about Him, too. So, on Sunday afternoons Amy would wander the streets inviting children to her home where she would hold a children’s meeting. The children would sing and Amy would read them Bible stories and tell them how much God loved them. So much so, that He sent His only Son to earth to die for their sins!

Many of the children who came to the Sunday afternoon meetings were so eager to learn more about God and His love that Amy started another club called the “Morning Watch Club” that met on Saturday mornings. At this club Amy would teach the children of the importance of reading the Bible, so they would write out their pledge on small cards to remember the commitment they made.

Amy continued her “enthusiasms” by inviting poor women from the Slums of Belfast for Bible Studies on Sunday Mornings in the church fellowship hall. These women were called “Shawlies” because instead of wearing hats in the cold weather, all they had was thin shawls to cover their heads with. Many of the Shawlies joined Amy to study the Bible and Amy was glad to teach them that there was a God who loved them, even though they felt as if no one could love them. Soon, though many people of the church began to complain that Amy was bringing “dirty, flea infested women” into the church building. Amy was saddened by their lack of compassion, but she continued to show the Shawlies she loved them, and continued to tell them of God’s love, too. She did this by going to live in the slums herself, where it was dark and smelled of mold and rotting food. She also dressed like the Shawlies. She reached many women for Christ and she never once regretted loving the “unloveable.”

Amy’s love and compassion didn’t stop in the Slums of Belfast. She began to see that God wanted her to become a missionary. She went to China and Ceylon where many people trusted Jesus. But, Amy became sick with all the work she was doing and had to go back home to recover. Just because she got sick, though, Amy’s heart never stopped longing to love people around the world. Soon, she was asked to join some missionaries in India.

It was in India where Amy poured out all the love she could. She dressed like other poor Indian women and began to learn about their culture and religion, which turned out to be the opposite of loving, but was full of hatred and selfishness. Many of the young girls in India were forced to go live in the Hindu temples, where they were slaves to the priests, so that their parents could earn favor with the false gods. If the little girls tried to run away from the temple, the temple priests would burn their hands with hot irons to teach them a lesson.

When Amy heard about this, her heart broke. How could she help these little girls? It was dangerous to be a Christian in India because Hindu's would persecute you for believing in the God of the Bible. Also, children who make a decision to accept Christ and to be baptized would often be sent away from their home and disowned by their family. Amy’s Indian friends who trusted Jesus and became Christians were able to help her when the opportunity came.

One day, while Amy was having tea on her front porch a young girl ran up to her and crawled onto her lap. Amy held the little girl, who had just runaway from one of the nearby Hindu temples. This girl, who was only 5 years old at the time, was one of hundreds that Amy was able to help in India. Her name was Preena and she soon came to believe what the Bible taught about Jesus and His love.

Another girl, name Arulai came to Amy’s house for safety. Arulai was so sick, that when her father came for her to send her to the temple, she could not get out of bed. He came back every day for weeks and because of Amy’s love and tender care for his daughter, he decided to let her stay with Amy. Now, Arulai would not have to live in the temple!

Amy also faced many dangers to help the girls escape the Hindu temples. One time, she had to sneak into a temple to find a girl named Jewel. Amy covered her skin with coffee grounds to look like the other Indians. She remembered her childhood hopes of having blue eyes. Her brown eyes would now serve as protection and she thanked God for them. Her heart thumped heavily inside her chest as she approached the temple. But, she knew she had to be brave to save this young girls life. Jewel was rescued and she, too believed in Jesus as her Savior.

Amy showed sacrificial love to many people in her lifetime. With her love and kindness, she not only offered a safe place to many who where poor and hurting, but she offered safety in the arms of God, who loved those people more than Amy ever could.

The Duck Walk

I never knew there was such a thing officially called "The Duck Walk."


Well, I learned about it last night during the chapel service when Jim actually DID it during his message.


Jim did The Duck Walk and I have it on video.


Sweet.



I wish I could get the video to post. If I do, it's not all of it. I didn't get the bright idea to record it until part-way through. And I think it's going to be sideways, too - Go me, I'm a terrible videographer...if any of my readers can advise me on how to make it right, let me know. Nonetheless, be challenged by the Word...and learn The Duck Walk, if you feel so inclined. Hopefully, soon I can get the video up so you can get a one-on-one Duck Walk lesson from the pro (my Hubby) himself.

Missionary Stories - Mary Slessor

Story-Telling:

It was peachy. I accidently said "customer" when I meant to say "customs." I don't think the kids got it. One or two counselors smiled.

At the end, two Jr. boys showed me the lines upon lines of notes they took. Go them!

How about I share the story with you...

I read the Christian Heroes: Then and Now Series to get all my info, then I jotted it all down in a condensed form so that I can tell it to the kids in under 20 minutes. I actually quite like my truncated version of the story. I took some direct quotes from the book (I can't remember all of them) so, I'm going to cite the reference now, so that I don't get busted for plagiarism. And my source is "Christian Heroes: Then and Now - Mary Slessor, Benge." There. Hope that's sufficient.

From a very young age, Mary learned what it meant to never give up. When her father wasted the family’s money on alcohol, Mary, who was only 11 years old went to work in a cotton mill to help support her family. She worked hard and under difficult conditions. The cotton mill was endlessly hot, but her reward was that she was able to attend a night school the cotton mill had for young children. Working hard in the hot cotton mill was a small price to pay to learn to read and write. Mary was delighted to do it.

One Sunday afternoon, while on a walk with her friends, and not long after she began her work at the mill, she met a woman who invited them in for tea. This woman shared the truth that Jesus died on the cross for her sins and without trusting in Jesus for eternal life, Mary would spend eternity separated from God, in a place called Hell, where it was always hot. Mary’s eyes opened wide. “I don’t want to be away from God forever…” She said slowly. That night she was the only one of her friends who repented of her sins and accepted Jesus as her Savior.

The very next week at church, Mary told her pastor that she had accepted Christ as her Savior and wanted to help serve in church. He suggested teaching the younger children’s Sunday School class. Mary was eager and excited for such an opportunity.

Now that Mary was a Christian, she was thankful for the school at the mill where she was learning to read and write. Soon, she was able to read passages from the Bible! She enjoyed Missionary stories as well. Her favorite Missionary to read about was David Livingstone, a missionary explorer to Southern Africa. She frequently kept up with his work through her churches Missionary Newsletter and by reading the Newspaper.

The more Mary read about David Livingstone, the more she could see they had a lot in common. Like Mary, he was Scottish and worked in a cotton mill as a boy and Mary began to dream about being a missionary to Africa. She turned that thought out of her mind. David Livingstone was a man and a Dr. Mary was a woman, and in that culture, women didn’t do such things. She also didn’t have a skill like Dr. Livingstone. She could use the things she learned while working at the mill, but it’s not likely someone would call on her for those skills. Secretly though, Amy was hoping her brother Robert would become a missionary and she would be his faithful assistant.

With her dream in tow, Amy spent the next several months teaching Sunday School, believing that is what God wanted her to do and enjoying every minute of it and when she was 14, she heard of another chance to teach children the Bible. Her church was beginning a new ministry in the slums of Dundee, where gangs roamed around teasing and hurting others. Her pastor was uncertain of petite little Mary being in such a dangerous place. Mary convinced him that she was able to do the job and after making Mary promise not to venture into the slums alone, he agreed to her being one of the teachers.

3 weeks into this new ministry, Mary decided to go to her classroom early to prepare for her class, forgetting the promise she had made not to go there alone. As she was turning the key in the lock, she felt as if someone was standing behind her. She turned quickly to find 4 teenage boys glaring at her.

One boy reached out and tugged at her red hair and said, “So, Carrots, you’re going to teach the Bible, are you?”

“Yes, I am” said Mary, standing tall. “Would you like to come in?” She invited.

But, the boys just laughed. 2 of them grabbed her arms and the other two taunted her. One boy took a string out of his pocket with a piece of metal tied to the end of it. He began to swing it in front of her face. “Tell me you’ll go home and forget all this foolishness and we’ll let you go. Otherwise,” he sneered at her, “we’ll see how brave you really are.”

Mary’s blue eyes stared hard at the boy and then the piece of metal. She responded strongly, “Do what you want to me, but you’ll not get me to give up my Bible teaching.” She cringed inside at the thought of what might happen next.

The boy with the string held it closer to Mary’s forehead and began swinging it back and forth, closer to Mary’s face with each swing. While the other boys stood teasing Mary, the piece of metal scraped against her head cutting her. Blood trickled down her face.

Suddenly, the boy stopped swinging the string. He motioned to the others and said, “That’s enough boys. She’s tough.” The other boys let her go and Mary quickly reached for her handkerchief and held it up to her wound.

“Now that you’ve had your fun, won’t you come in and see what this is all about?” Mary said with a smile. She didn’t understand why, but the boys, with their heads hung low, followed Mary into the classroom. Soon more than 20 children and teenagers were in the room, listening to Mary’s Bible lesson, and by the end of the day, the boy that struck Mary with the piece of metal became a Christian.

This was a lesson Mary would never forget; to stand up bravely and without fear not giving up on what she believed God wanted her to do.

******************

Several years later, Mary finally achieved her dream of becoming a missionary to Africa. Unfortunately, both of her brothers had died from illness, so she was unable to join either of them as their assistant, but she never gave up and believed firmly that God had called her to reach the people in Africa, specifically the tribe of dangerous people in Calabar, even if she had to go alone.

The people in Calabar were very cruel and unforgiving. Many of their customs were harmful to others and often included death. If a man died, his wife had to be buried alive with him.

Also, if someone died of an illness, they often called a witch doctor in to determine who caused the death by giving a number of people a poison bean ground up in water. If the person didn’t die from drinking it, (and most people did), then they were innocent. Those who did die from the poison bean drink were considered at fault for the recent death. In their culture, there were never accidents. Someone always had to be blamed.

There were many strange laws in Calabar that were punishable by death or by the pouring of very hot oil onto the offender, which often resulted in death because the wounds were left to become infected.

One time, while Mary was in her hut, preparing for the Sunday Bible lesson, she heard a woman screaming and several people chanting and calling out loudly. She went out to see what was the matter and saw a woman, tied up next to a boiling pot of hot oil. She could hear the people chanting in their language. A warrior with painted face was guarding the area from those who might want to stop the carrying out of this punishment. But, Mary was not afraid. She wanted to save this young woman’s life and teach the people about mercy, forgiveness and justice. She ran out of her hut and into the circle of chanting Africans, brought the tied up woman toward herself and yelled for them to stop. The warrior stood up to Mary with an angry expression. But, Mary remembered the day she stood up to the boys in the gang and held her place. Mary and the warrior stood staring at each other for minutes that seemed to go on for hours. The chanting and singing had died down by this time. Finally, the warrior backed down and bowed towards Mary. Mary learned that the woman was guilty of sharing her yams with another person in the tribe. And it was against their law for a woman to share food with anyone that was not their husband.

Mary had earned the respect of many of the people in Calabar, including the King of the tribe, who often sent people with disputes to her. She was able to teach the people of Calabar about God’s justice and love for them while she taught them how to live in love. The people of Calabar called Mary the “White Ma.” They had also never seen anyone with such red hair and referred to her also as the white woman with the fiery head.

Mary faced another custom without giving up. Life was not valued and if there were twin babies born, they were both left on the jungle path to starve and be eaten by animals. To the people in Calabar, it was bad luck to have twins and feeding them would bring them under a curse as well. Soon, Mary was rescuing children who would have otherwise been killed. One of the girls that Mary spared, she named Janie. Janie became one of Mary’s faithful helpers.

Mary continued to press on by sharing Christ’s love with the people in Calabar. She even went further into the jungle, which was very brave. Many men would not venture into that part of the jungle. She continued to settle disputes among people and teach them about God’s love and how to have peace with God and others. Many people back in Scotland expected Mary to die within her first year in Africa. Although, Mary did get sick at times, God would bring her back to health and she would begin right away teaching the people in Africa about God’s love. She lived in the African jungle for 39 years, much longer than any other missionary at that time had even survived in the jungle. Mary never gave up, and as a result, many people learned not to live in fear, but in peace amongst themselves and with God.

Building Outhouses

This weeks theme is "Caution: Character Under Construction." So we're doing a lot of Construction themed things, which is really fun. 

The kids were divided into teams and chose construction related team names and built a mascot out of huge legos.  One team actually built a Jackhammer...very cool.

The next activity they did, they built outhouses.  I don't think they will be used as such, but it's a creative idea.  I wondered how many kids knew what an outhouse was, but when I saw one team painting a half moon on the door and hang a sign that said "bing used" - and that's not a typo - I figured that they knew exactly what an outhouse was.

Through the week, each team will earn points by saying verses and such and by earning points they earn pretend money to outfit their outhouse...they are having a blast with this.  And so am I!

Now, the kids are swimming...in the rain.  They're brave.  And Jim is studying for his message tonight.  

Pray, pray, pray that God would work in these kids' lives.  We know God promises His word will not return void and we're praying it works in a powerful way.  I'm doing the same missionary stories I did a few weeks ago at another camp.  Pray also that these kids would see how God can use those who are willing and who obey Him first.

So, all this fun with building and outhouses is great, but the real purpose is bringing Christ to these kids and sharing that He payed the ultimate price for them by dying on the cross for their sins.  And this is our purpose...our message.   And a cockroach here and there...well, that's a small thing in light of the big picture.  They still completely gross me out.  But, I think I handle a little bug (a bug that I can squash) for the cause of Christ!

Eeek!

Last night was our first night here at camp.  I love camp.  Really, I do.  But, there is one thing that I'm not too terribly fond of when it comes to the great outdoors.  I don't mind bugs in general so much...just one or two specifically that give me the eebie-jeebies.  That would be the dreaded earwig and the cockroach. 

One of these two icky specimen happened to be one that I saw last night.  

*GASP*  was about all I could say.  Jim turned to see what I was frantically pointing at.

"On the wall, on the wall, on the wall," was all I was able to manage.

He started chasing the fast little bugger around and I started screaming at the prospect of him running into my purse, which was dangerously close to him.  If I was a cockroach, I'd think it was a pretty good hiding place, so I wouldn't blame him really.

Well, he avoided the purse and kept skittering around Jim's feet.  My feet were firmly planted on the bed, which was a safe 2 feet from the ground the cockroach was dancing around on.  He seemed to be laughing at Jim for missing him almost EVERY time he tried!

Finally, the bug had a slow moment and Jim caught him.  I felt sick to my stomach and nearly lost my lunch...blegh.

BUT, I'm not expecting the rest of the week to be so eventful...at least in the area of bugs.

AAAAnd - We're Back.

We just spent the last week at Iowa Regular Baptist Camp. It was Jr. Girls week. And we were the morning missionary speakers. It was incredible!


340 girls were in attendance. Poor, poor Jim. But, through all the high-pitched squeals and non-stop chatter, he survived. In fact, I would say he thrived. He played miniature golf with the girls and let them dress him up as the "preacher" during their "Bridal Showcase" activity. He was an amazing sport! He even let them chase him around during the "Battleship" game!


The BESTEST part of the whole week was that at least 27 girls made professions of faith and trusted in Jesus alone to save them from their sins! What a joy! Not only that, but several girls told me how inspired they were by the missionary stories that they were willing to become missionaries themselves someday. We enjoyed a truly encouraging week! Pictures coming soon!


Here are a few notes I received from 2 of the Jr. Girl campers:

Dear Sarah Engle,

Thank you for the awesome Missionary Stories. I love all of them. I really loved the Mary Slessor one. It's my favorite! Thank you for taking the time to tell us these stories. Everyone loves them. I know I do. I really hope you keep telling stories. You're really good and you put lots of fun in chapel. Thank you so much for telling us these stories.

Sincerely,

Avery

-------------------

Dear Jim and Sarah Engle,

Thank you so much for the cool Missionary Stories. They are so fun and thank you for using your time to teach us about God's word and missionaries. You have shown us kids love. Thank you.

Love,

Melissa

Camp is Coming

On Monday morning Jim and I leave for a week of camp (Jr. Girls) at Iowa Regular Baptist Camp. Pray for us and pray for the girls as we challenge them towards missions. Pray that we would both communicate God's passion for us to be obedient servants of Him.

We'll be the morning Missionary speakers and will be speaking Tues-Fri. I'll be giving a presentation on 3 famous missionaries in history: Amy Carmichael, Mary Slessor & Corrie Ten Boom. Then, on the 4th day, we'll share what God has called us to in Germany and include the application of our personal call to obey God in the area of witnessing and missions. After I share the story, Jim will give a short Bible lesson on a specific characteristic that each missionary has that makes her stand out against others.

We're hoping these missionaries (us included) can serve as a good example to these campers!

Thanks for your prayers!