Her Story Silhouettes {Darlene Deibler Rose / When God "Abandons" You}

Go to www.sharihouse.com to read more "Her Story Silhouettes"

Silhouette:     

Darlene Mae McIntosh was born on May 10, 1917, in Boone, Iowa. She was saved at the age of nine, and by the age of thirteen, she knew the Lord had called her into a life of missions work. While receiving training to work on the mission field, Darlene met veteran missionary, Russell Deibler, who had already served a 5-year term in the country of Indonesia. On August 18, 1937, shortly after Darlene’s 20th birthday, they were married. The couple had dreams and plans of opening mission stations in the unreached interior of Dutch occupied Papua New Guinea. In 1938, Darlene and Russell travelled to Holland for six months in order to learn the Dutch language and customs. Later that same year, they sailed to Indonesia, and arrived in Batavia, Java on August 18, 1938, the date of their first wedding anniversary.

Darlene was so excited as her hopes and dreams were coming to fruition. A few days later they traveled to Macassar where she and her husband were greeted by a small group of missionaries that they would be partnering with. Darlene’s first lesson in the native language was the very next morning, and she enjoyed getting to know the other missionaries on the compound and taking in all the strange and wonderful things a new country, a new culture, and a new way of life brings.  By December, Darlene’s husband and a fellow missionary made their way to the Wissel Lakes region of Irian Jaya and set up the first mission post in that area bringing the Gospel to the Kapakau tribe for the first time. Darlene and the fellow missionary wife were required to stay behind until it was safe for them to make the long arduous trek into the interior. Darlene filled her time with language study and service to the church and school that had already been established at the Macassar station. She translated weekly Sunday school lessons for the children, supervised several teachers, taught Bible lessons in the school chapel, and assisted the wives of national workers with the kindergarten. Darlene found tremendous joy and satisfaction in all her responsibilities, but she longed for the day she could be reunited with her husband and, in her own words, “join the long line of intrepid missionary pioneers who had walked into the unknown to lift up His ensign on the mountains and lay a claim for the Lord.”

Over the next year or so, she and her husband were separated many months at a time while he was on expeditions further and further into the interior and worked on building them a home and setting up the mission station. The separation from Russell and the news that England and France had declared war on Germany were both cause for great concern, but Darlene had a strong faith and a close relationship with the Lord that brought her great strength. Finally, on January 23, 1940, Darlene started her journey to join her husband. As she was leaving, Dr. Jaffray, a seasoned missionary and her spiritual mentor said to her, “Remember, Lassie, for centuries the enemy has held these people in darkness. You will now experience satanic opposition such as you have never known. Until Russell’s first trip, no one had ever invaded his territory to challenge him, but don’t be afraid, for he is a defeated foe, undone by Calvary. Never forget that greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world. “

From a steamer, to small ships, to dugout canoes, Darlene was finally reunited with Russell. From there they had to trudge through the jungle trail, cross single log bridges covered in moss with deep gorges below, and survive the elements. Finally, as they were crossing the last summit, Darlene, the first woman to enter this remote area, got a glimpse of the Baliem Valley of New Guinea. She could see the people in the valley waving at her. They were as excited to meet her as she was to meet them. Darlene began to run down the mountainside to them shouting at the top of her lungs, “I’m home! I’m home!”

Russell and Darlene immediately set about constructing a building that would be used for a school and church. Darlene and her husband would daily go from home to home witnessing. Slowly they began reaching the natives with the Gospel one by one, and what a joy it was to their heart with each one who decided to trust Christ as their Savior. The future was bright in Darlene’s eyes. She and her husband were fulfilling God’s call in their lives, and her heart was knit with this place and this people God had called her to.  Little did she know what lied ahead.

In the wake of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941, Darlene and her missionary friends were captured by the Japanese military. The men were the first to be taken and sent to a prison camp. Russell’s parting words to Darlene were, “Remember one thing, dear: God said that He would never leave us nor forsake us.” Darlene had no idea that that would be the last time she would speak to her husband or that she would have to endure horrific things during the next four years before the war ended and she’d be free again.

Eventually the women and children were also taken to a different prison camp. Life in the POW camps was dreadful. There was often a meager food supply, and what was given was not enough to sustain the heavy labor the prisoners were expected to carry out. Prisoners were brutally beaten for small infractions, and diseases like dysentery and malaria claimed the lives of many. During Darlene’s imprisonment she tried her best to be a good soldier for the cause of Christ and strived to be an encouragement to the other women and children. She established a practice of reading a portion of God’s Word and praying as a group each night in the barracks where she lived. This helped to keep her barrack a calm center in the eye of the military storm that raged around them.

One day Darlene was called in to Mr. Yamaji’s office. He was the dreaded commander of the prison camp where she was located. He informed her that her husband had died on August 29, 1943. In that moment, feeling she had nothing else to lose, Darlene boldly proclaimed to him, “{Jesus} died for you, Mr. Yamaji, and He puts love in our hearts – even for those who are our enemies. That’s why I don’t hate you, Mr. Yamaji. Maybe God brought me to this place and this time to tell you He loves you.” Her words affected his heart and caused the strict commander to tear up. He quickly left the room, but from that time on he treated her with more kindness.

Darlene suffered much during her imprisonment, but nothing compared to the time she was summoned to the dreaded Kempeitai prison for solitary confinement and intense interrogation. The Japanese accused her of being an American spy and tried to get her to confess so they could execute her. She had to bear unspeakable things and eventually was forced to sign a false confession. Darlene was given her last meal and was taken to a room where she would be executed. She was surprised and her heart was comforted when the Lord brought to mind the song lyrics “I’ll live for Him who died for me!” A few moments later the Lord miraculously delivered her from death, and she was taken back to the prison camp. She would later find out that it was Mr. Yamaji who spoke on her behalf and stopped the execution.

Seventeen days after the truce had been signed aboard the battleship USS Missouri on September 2, 1945, and the war was over, Darlene found herself in a rowboat that was taking her out to a fly boat that would take her away from her island of captivity. Leaving the island as a widow of two years already, emaciated with a weight of just 80 pounds, and lacking even one material possession was a far cry from how she had arrived at the island eight years prior. Bitterness washed over her as large and daunting as the sea that surrounded her. In that moment she told the Lord she would never return to this place that had caused her so much pain. As she reached the flyboat and started to board it, she heard the sweet voices of the natives who had come to know the Lord and who had also shared in the indescribable suffering. They stood on the shoreline waving at her singing the song “God be with you, till we meet again . . .” Eventually Darlene would say of that moment, “Their song released the waters of bitterness that had flooded my soul, and the hurt began to drain from me as my tears flowed in a steady stream. The healing had begun. I knew then that someday, God only knew when, I would come back to these my people and my island home.”  

The next few years Darlene spent recovering from her ordeal and telling everyone she met of God’s goodness and preservation. She was determined to return as a single missionary to the island God had called her to even though many people tried to discourage her from it. In 1946, some friends introduced Darlene to a Reverend Gerald “Jerry” Rose who had already been assigned a mission post in the primitive Papua New Guinea. The two fell in love and were married on April 4, 1948. In early 1949, Darlene and Jerry returned to the Wissel Lakes, the same area where she and her first husband had started their ministry. For the next 29 years Darlene and Jerry, along with their two sons, served together teaching, preaching, building landing strips, delivering babies, facing headhunters, and leading people to Christ.

In 1978, because of the political climate after the Dutch pulled out the country, Darlene and Jerry moved to the Outback of Australia to begin a new work with the Aborigines. Over the next 15 years, they were used of God to lead hundreds to the Lord and were instrumental in starting several indigenous churches. Due to their failing health, in 1993, they returned to the States. Darlene lived out her final days the same way she had spent her entire life – sharing the Gospel with those she came into contact with, encouraging fellow Christians in their walk with the Lord, and reminding everyone of the Lord’s presence and goodness to her. Darlene died on February 24, 2004, at the age of 86. She served her Savior faithfully all her years, and I can just imagine when she saw her Savior face to face Darlene shouting to Him, “I’m home! I’m home!” She is truly a woman of whom it could be said, “She hath done what she could”!

Her Story/My Story:  

During that particularly hard trial when Darlene was forced to endure solitary confinement and interrogation, she felt many things – fear, discomfort, dread, helplessness, abandonment, anger, love, hope, grace, and even God’s presence. One day she happened to see a prisoner in the courtyard being snuck a banana through the perimeter fence while the guard’s back was turned. She had been living off a diet of maggot-infested rice gruel and the thought of being able to eat bananas caused her to send up a quick prayer to the Lord to somehow let her have just one banana. As quick as she was to pray, she was quick to despair that there was no way God would ever be able to get a banana to her through the prison walls. Every scenario she came up with seemed impossible. The very next morning Darlene could hear the guards coming toward her cell. She stood as best she could and prayed the Lord would help her to make a perfect bow so she wouldn’t be beaten. When the door opened, she saw Mr. Yamaji’s smiling face. He had come from the prison camp to check on her. He was disturbed by her appearance and seemed to speak sharply to the officers. After he left her cell, Darlene remembered that she had forgotten to bow to the prison officers. She knew they would be back any minute to punish her. Sure enough she could hear them coming down the hallway toward her cell, but when they opened the door, instead of punishing her, they gave her a large bunch of bananas from Mr. Yamaji . . . 92 bananas to be exact. Darlene was reminded yet again that the Lord had not abandoned her, and that nothing was impossible for Him. After the war when she was released and was headed home to the States, she made the statement, “I handed over eight long years of my life into the faithful, wise hands of a gracious God Who alone could help me to understand the mysteries of deep pain and suffering.” Every time she told her story of captivity, she would always say, “I’d do it all again for my Savior.” At the end of her life, Darlene could look back and see how many lives she was able to reach for the cause of Christ through the story of her suffering.  

I have never had to suffer physically the way that Darlene did, and I don’t know what it feels like to lose a husband, but I know the heart pain that comes from going through a fiery trial where you feel the Lord has abandoned you or at the very least is silent toward you. I recently experienced this feeling when the Lord brought me to a trial that He is still bringing me through. For years I’ve wanted children. When it passed the time where I could have a child of my own, I began to hope that I’d be able to adopt a baby. Seven years ago, on March 18, 2012, I found out I was approved to adopt a child in Thailand. I just knew it would only be a matter of weeks before the Lord gave me my baby girl I had so desperately prayed for. In 2017, after years of praying and three failed attempts, I came to terms with the situation and accepted the fact that being a mother to my own child was not in the Lord’s will for my life. I proceeded to dismantle the nursery that for so many years had mocked me and caused me to doubt myself and my ability to know the Lord’s will for my life. I gave everything away except for a couple of things I couldn’t bear to part with. Having a peace in my heart, I crossed off the words “a child that will call me mom” that had been listed on my “miracles” prayer list for over a decade and never prayed again for it. For the past two years I have been content in that state.

On August 20, 2019, I felt prompted by the Lord to pray one more time for a child. I did so, although I was confused about it and thought it was unnecessary since I was fine to not have a child of my own and had been so for quite some time now. Three days later a woman, who was due in 4 weeks time, asked me to adopt her baby girl because she was unable to care for baby. After counselling with many people and discussing all the legal matters with our Thai lawyer, I decided to step through the doors that the Lord seemed to be opening. Every time I was sure there was a roadblock, the Lord seemed to open the door even wider. Everything seemed to work perfectly. The mother was steadfast in her decision, the Lord worked miraculously on the legal side of things, and I began to prepare to bring a child into my home. As the days went by and I saw the Lord working mightily on my behalf to bring this about, my heart thrilled more and more. The baby came a week early on September 16^th, and the Lord worked it out for me to be able to participate in every aspect of the birth. I was able to drive the mother to the hospital, hear the baby’s heartbeat on the monitor while the birth mom labored, help her through the labor, and be the first to hold the baby. After the birth, the Lord continued to miraculously open doors for us. God allowed me to secure a private room for us to use so we didn’t have dozens of eyes watching and wondering why this foreigner was crying so much over this baby. The birth mom had signed over her rights of guardianship to me and the social welfare representatives that visited us in the hospital had awarded me guardianship. I participated in a class that all the new parents had to take before leaving the hospital, and the Lord worked it out for me to be able to legally name her. It was a name that had such special meaning to me that I had chosen so many years ago to give to my daughter that one day I knew the Lord would give me.

The term “Gotcha Day” is a familiar term in the realm of adoption and the day that all those praying and hoping to adopt long for. It is the day that you are finally able to take your child home. My Gotcha Day was September 19^th - exactly 2,741 days . . . or 90 months . . . or 391 ½ weeks since the day I first found out I was approved to adopt. As I walked out of the hospital that day with my baby girl in my arms, my heart swelled at God’s goodness to me, His kindness to me, His care for me. Here out of the blue God had given me the long desire of my heart. The birth mother and I had an appointment the following week after she recovered from her labor and surgery for her to sign over her final rights so I could officially adopt the child. I enjoyed every bit of that first week – the round the clock feedings, dressing my baby girl up in special outfits, informing my friends and family, taking her to church and showing her off, checking on her a thousand times to make sure she was still breathing, finding out she loved the pacifier and bottles I had chosen for her, cradling her in my arms and singing her a special song I wrote just for her, and so much more.

My joy quickly turned into a sorrow I have never felt before, and my life turned upside down when the following week the birth mother reported to the police that I had stolen her baby. Of course, we had many witnesses including doctors, nurses, social workers and official documentation that spoke to the contrary, so I wasn’t in trouble, but because she hadn’t signed her final rights away yet, I was forced to give my baby girl back. As I stood there with the police officers, our lawyer, fellow friends and the birth mom, I held my baby girl in my arms one last time and sang her her special song choking back tears. I kissed her cheek, breathed her smell in deeply and handed her back to her birth mom. It is hard to explain, but in that moment, surrounded by all those people, I never felt so alone, so abandoned, so betrayed, so mistreated, so angry. My constant prayer for the next 48 hours was two-fold, “Lord, please give me back my baby girl” and “Lord, please help me to remain faithful and not be overcome with anger and bitterness.” It has been two weeks exactly since that terrible afternoon. My baby girl has been away from me longer than she was with me. Each day I find I can bear it a little more but only through the strength of the Lord. I don’t yet know why the Lord allowed this to happen to me when I had previously been so content. I don’t yet have the blessing of looking back in hindsight, but I know one day I will understand it all, and I will be able to see God’s goodness and purpose for it.

Bible Study:  When God "Abandons" You

Have you ever been there before? That terrible place where you feel all alone, where comforting words from friends and loved ones seem to have no effect, where the walls around you seem dark and there is no light to be seen, and even the Lord seems to have left you all alone. Sometimes we can feel like we are living in this dark place even when we know we are in the center of the Lord’s will. In this dark place our head knows what is right and wants to take the lead, but we often become overwhelmed by the shoutings of our heart and the feelings that the trial brings. At dark times like this it is easy for our emotions to unhinge the truths we normally live by.

During times like this . . .

• it is easy for us to believe God is not good even when we know, “The LORD is good, a strong hold in the day of trouble; and he knoweth them that trust in him.” Nahum 1:7

• it is easy for us to believe we don’t deserve to have to go through this trial because we love the Lord and have been faithful to Him even when we know, “Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.” James 1:12

• it is easy for us to believe the trial will never end even when we know, “. . . weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.” Psalm 30:5

• it is easy for us to believe that the only way out of the trial is to fight your way out even when we know, “The LORD shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace.” Exodus 14:14

• it is easy for us to believe that nothing good could come of the trial even when we know, “. . . knowing that tribulation worketh patience; And patience, experience; and experience, hope: And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.” Romans 5:3-5

• it is easy for us to believe that we are all alone even when we know, “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me . . . ” Psalm 23:4a

God never abandons His children. He is always in the dark place in the trial with you. He is ever ready to comfort you, love you, and guide you out of the darkness.

Here are four ways to help you bring the “balance” back between what you believe in the moment and what you know to be true when you are going through a trial.

1. Strengthen Your Faith – Pray and ask the Lord to give you a faith that remains. Still your own voice and listen to His. Search the Scriptures or read good books about people who also went through fiery trials and find out how they remained faithful. Pray and ask the Lord to give you wisdom. Seek godly counsel.

2. Remind Yourself of God’s Promises – Search the Scriptures for times the Lord has clearly spoken to you or showed you a promise. Reclaim these promises. Write the words, “I still believe” next to the verse. Take time to praise the Lord for His goodness and mercy toward you. Take time to worship Him.

3. Separate Fact from Fiction – Look at yourself and honestly answer the question, “Is how I’m responding to this trial based on what I know to be true or what I am feeling in the moment?” Feelings of injustice, confusion, betrayal, fear and doubt will never help us to remain faithful in the trial or help to bring us through it. Take the time to write down things you know to be true about the Lord.

4. Act Presently on Your Future Perspective – Remind yourself of other trials where the Lord has brought you through. Looking at a past trial through the eyes of hindsight can help you in your present trial. Realize that a trial is just another opportunity to show great faith. 

Copyright 2019 www.sharihouse.com

________________________________
*Disclaimer:

I have chosen to highlight the life of these ladies because of what they have accomplished for the Lord not because I agree with their doctrinal beliefs.  As with all study of man, our focus should be on the character traits they bestowed in their lives that allowed the Lord to use them, how the Lord used them, the methods of ministry they incorporated that allowed them to be effective, etc.  We do not study man to get our doctrine.  Our doctrinal beliefs should only come from the Bible.  To that end you may find you don’t agree with the doctrine of a particular person that I write about, but I believe there is still much wisdom we can gain from studying their lives.

Her Story Silhouettes {Alberta Skinner / The Great Storykeeper}

Go to www.sharihouse.com to read more "Her Story Silhouettes"

Silhouette:     

Francis Alberta Skinner was born on August 5, 1903, in Nebraska. Her parents were Albert and Francis Skinner, and her father was an ordained Baptist minister. She was number six in a family of girls – Carrie, Alma, Josephine, Grace, and Edna. When Alberta, as she was known to her family, was only three months old, her mother passed away. Her father remarried when she was eight years old, and her 6^th sister, Mabel, was born the following year. Over the next 15 or so years, Alberta’s family moved several times, and her father pastored churches in Indiana, Colorado, Kansas, and Nebraska.

Alberta graduated from Moody Bible Institute, and in 1930, when she was in her late twenties, she surrendered to full-time missions work and joined the Bible Christian Union. The BCU was an organization that focused specifically on church planting in Europe using teams of missionaries in urban areas. Over the next decade the missionaries, which numbered over 100, had great success in planting more than 400 churches in 12 countries. With the start of World War II, some of the countries in Eastern Europe suddenly became part of the Soviet Union. Many of the missionaries were forced to flee to Western Europe. Some missionaries were taken prisoners or martyred, and others were cut off from the mission and never heard from again. Alberta was serving in the far eastern part of Czechoslovakia when she was seized by the Russian Communists and told, “You can leave and never come back, or you can stay and never leave.” Alberta stayed.

In 1945, the Iron Curtain went up and all communication with Alberta’s family, fellow missionaries, and the mission board stopped. All financial support was cut off, and for years friends and loved ones had no idea what had become of her. Years went by one after the other. Alberta’s father passed away in 1948, her sister Carrie in 1962, her sister Edna in 1966 along with aunts and uncles and four of her brothers-in-law. Finally, in 1969, after 25 years, the phone rang at the BCU headquarters in Pennsylvania. It was Alberta. She was alive. She spoke of God’s goodness and preservation and how, although she had endured ridicule and persecution, she had continued to faithfully serve the Lord. She had met a godly Russian pastor named Eugene Stumpf. They were married and the Lord blessed them with six sons.

During this time the Communists did everything they could to destroy Christianity and erase it from existence. They destroyed church buildings; harassed, incarcerated, and executed religious leaders; and flooded the schools and media with anti-religious teachings. In the midst of all of this, Alberta and her family stayed strong, and although they had faced much persecution and had been forced to live in a small wooden structure with a dirt floor for their home, their ministry had flourished. Souls had been saved and churches were started.

Alberta had been granted permission to return to the States for a brief trip to receive some much needed dental work, but not before being warned by the Communists that harm would come to her husband and her boys if she tried to stay in America. As soon as her medical needs were met, Alberta went back to her husband, her children, her ministry, the persecution, the ridicule, the uncertainty of what the future held not knowing if she would ever return again.

Alberta passed away on September 5, 1981, at the age of 78. Change was coming to Europe. In less than 10 years the Iron Curtain would fall. Annexed countries would be given their liberty. Missionaries would once again be free to minister. Alberta didn’t live long enough to see this, but during those long dark years, she held fast to her faith, trusted in her God, and continued to be a light to the people God had called her to who were sunk in darkness while evil abounded. She is truly a woman of whom it could be said, “She hath done what she could”!

Her Story/My Story:  

In today’s society, when we tend to document every part of our life through pictures, posts, Pinterest and podcasts, it is hard to imagine having your story “lost.” In my pursuit of finding out more about Alberta, this amazing women who wouldn’t turn her back on her calling in the face of grave danger and the unknown, I scoured the internet, contacted her old mission board, and sent out emails and messages to those who manage archival and family ancestry websites. Normally when I write a Silhouette my problem is the abundance of information I find and deciding what parts are best for me to include. In Alberta’s case, though, the little I was able to find out about her story and her missions work came from a single article written by her mission board back in 1994 and information procured from her family members’ obituaries and descriptions on an ancestry website . . . which had some differences themselves. Other than that, there was no other information about all that time, all those years, all that faithful service. All of it unknown to us, but not unknown to God. It might seem that her story is lost, but God knew right where she was at all times. He knew of her faithful service to Him. He knew of her sacrifice she made so that others could know Him. He knew. He knew the chapters of loneliness being separated from her family, and the chapters of love she surely experienced with her husband and children. He knew the chapters of suffering felt by the hands of those who oppressed her. and He knew the chapters of joy as souls were saved and the church grew amidst persecution. He knew. Her story isn’t lost. He knew.

It is no surprise to anyone who reads my Her Story Silhouettes that I love to know the stories of people’s lives. These stories challenge me, they encourage me, they make me smile, and they give me hope. Even as a child I loved to listen to stories. Some of my favorite story tellers were my grandparents. They were the keepers of the past. All throughout my childhood and even adulthood every time I went to visit my Grandma House, she would get out her “albums” filled with pictures, cards, and mementos. We would sit for hours and go through them page by page, and I would listen to her stories . . . stories filled with love for friends and family and the Lord. Those “albums” are now my special treasures that I get to look through whenever I’m back in the States. My Grandpa Meloy was also a fantastic storyteller. He often would regale us with stories from his life as a boy on the farm, his time as a soldier during WWII, and his work at the steel mill. How he could remember names and dates from decades before was always beyond me. Shortly before he passed away, I was able to “interview” him and record his voice telling about his family, his salvation experience, and some of his old stories. That recording is so precious to me. I have been journaling my own story and walk with the Lord for years. I’m not sure who in the world would ever want to read it, but even if someone did read all 75 journals, there are many stories in my life that are not included in the pages of the journals. They are the stories of my life that are known only to God. 

Bible Study:  The Great Storykeeper

There are many names used in the Old Testament to refer to God.

He is Adonai - Lord and Master

He is Jehovah Raah - The Lord My Shepherd

He is Jehovah Shalom - The Lord is Peace

He is Jehovah Shammah – The Lord is There

One of my most favorite names for God is El Roi – The God Who Sees Me. We find the name attributed to God in Genesis 16:13 when a handmaid turned concubine finds herself in the wilderness all alone. She has nowhere to go. She has no idea what the future holds for her let alone for her unborn child. God met with her and assured her that He knew where she was. He was watching over her. He knew the stories of her life that were yet to be written. In that moment the comfort His words brought her caused her to call Him El Roi. Hagar was actually brought to this same point several years later in her life, when once again she found herself in the wilderness, with nowhere to go, not knowing what to do, and both she and her son on the brink of death. God once again spoke to her and told her this wasn’t the end; it was just the beginning. This part of Hagar’s story always reminds me of that adage to be careful to not place a period where God is only using a comma.

When Alberta made the decision to stay behind the Iron Curtain, there is no way she could know what the future held, but she knew who held her future. I’m sure everyone of us have had points of uncertainty in our lives. We have had times when we feel like we are invisible to the world or we feel like we are alone or that no one understands what we are going through or that a story in our life has abruptly come to an end. I want to encourage you today that the Lord sees you. He knows where you are. He knows what your future holds. He knows your story and it is recorded in Heaven.

There are several references in the Bible to the “books” that are kept in Heaven. Whether these books are all literal or figurative is not the point of today’s study, but the point is that God is the Great Storykeeper. Some of His books include the Book of Life mentioned in Revelations 20:15 that has the record of those who trust Christ as their Savior. Isaiah 65:6 tells us that the iniquities of the rebellious were written before God. Malachi 4:16 says, “They that feared the LORD spake often one to another: and the LORD hearkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the LORD, and that thought upon his name.” There is the book with the seven seals that we read of in Revelations 5 that announces the judgments that will be brought upon the earth by God during the Tribulation. And then there is the book that holds the stories of us before we were born mentioned in Psalm 139:15-16, “My substance was not hid from thee, when I was made in secret, and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect and in thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them.”

I want to make three observations from Isaiah 42:16 concerning this matter of the stories of our lives. The Bible says, “And I will bring the blind by a way that they knew not; I will lead them in paths that they have not known: I will make darkness light before them, and crooked things straight. These things will I do unto them, and not forsake them.”

1. “And I will bring the blind by the way that they knew not; I will lead them in paths that they have not known . . . “

God knows the story He wrote for your life before you were born. He knows the best paths for us to walk. He likens us to a blind person who cannot see the best way to go or who is unaware for some reason of His chosen path for us. If we allow Him to lead us and the stories of our lives, God will bring us by a way and down a path that we did not know about. I could give you example after example of times in my life where I thought I knew the Lord’s path, but He had other plans. I can assure you that never once when I left for the field of Nigeria back in 1995, did I think that 25 years later I'd be serving the Lord in Thailand. I'm not sure that could even be considered a crook in the road. That is like switching from your current path to a road on a map you never looked at or ever considered buying.

2. “. . . I will make darkness light before them, and crooked things straight . . . “

We love the bright paths God takes us on or the cheerful stories that He writes for us. They are full of joy and richness. But sometimes there will be parts to the “ways” and “paths” God leads us on that are dark and crooked. They are filled with heartache and peril. We don’t like those stories. I have experienced more than once in my life a dark patch. Sometimes the Lord illuminates the way and other times He holds my hand through it. At times I have had a crooked path staring me straight in the face, and I wondered how I could ever manage. Sometimes all of a sudden God just clears the way, and other times He walks with me down the crooked path pointing out sharp rocks and things lurking in the corners, giving me instructions on how to navigate through it.

3. “. . . These things will I do unto them, and not forsake them.”

No matter what, our story is never lost. We are never forsaken. God is always there watching, and He knows. If you feel lost or like your story is at an end, remember God is there and He knows. If you feel like you are working and serving and no one is taking note, remember God is there and He knows. If you feel like your story has taken too many crooked paths to ever be considered a road, remember God is there and He knows. Whether or not anyone else knows what is going on in your life, remember God is there and He knows.

Jesus Himself has thousands of stories from His time on earth that are not recorded anywhere and are unknown to us. John 21:25 tells us, “And there are also many other things which Jesus did, the which, if they should be written every one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written.” How wonderful it will be to get to Heaven and see the evidence that God knew us and knew all our stories. How much more glorious it will be to sit at Jesus’ feet and listen to Him tell His stories from His life on earth. But until then, keep serving the Lord, keep pointing others to Christ, keep letting God direct your paths, stay faithful no matter what the unknown future brings, and always remember, that if no one else knows, God is there, He knows, and He is the Keeper of your story. 

Copyright 2019 www.sharihouse.com

________________________________
*Disclaimer:

I have chosen to highlight the life of these ladies because of what they have accomplished for the Lord not because I agree with their doctrinal beliefs.  As with all study of man, our focus should be on the character traits they bestowed in their lives that allowed the Lord to use them, how the Lord used them, the methods of ministry they incorporated that allowed them to be effective, etc.  We do not study man to get our doctrine.  Our doctrinal beliefs should only come from the Bible.  To that end you may find you don’t agree with the doctrine of a particular person that I write about, but I believe there is still much wisdom we can gain from studying their lives.

Her Story Silhouettes {#26 Gladys Aylward / Whatcha' Need?}

Go to www.sharihouse.com to read more "Her Story Silhouettes"

Silhouette:     

Gladys Aylward was born on February 24, 1902 in London, England. Not known for being a scholar, Gladys left school at the age of 14 and entered the work force as a domestic worker in a wealthy home. She aspired to become an actress, but much to her disappointment, her dark black hair and black eyes along with her small stature were not conducive to that job. At the age of 18 she went to an evangelistic meeting somewhat against her will. She had no time for the “fear” tactics that often accompanied these types of meetings and left as soon as she could. As she was leaving someone asked her name and said, “Miss Alyward, I believe God is wanting you.” It wasn’t enough to make her go back inside, but later on she returned to speak to the preacher and got saved. From that point on, her focus in life changed.

At the age of 26, after reading of the millions in China who had never heard the Gospel, she applied to the China Inland Mission to be a missionary. She knew the Lord was calling her to this work, but she struggled to grasp the Chinese language. After her 3-month probationary course, she received this news: “It is with great regret that I have to recommend to you that we do not accept Miss Aylward. She has a call to serve God – she is sincere and courageous – but we cannot take the responsibility of sending a woman of 26, with such a limited Christian experience and education to China.” She was very disappointed and was sent instead to another town to be a housemaid for a retired CIM missionary couple who had served in China. She learned much from them, and it only strengthened her resolve to go to China and fulfill her calling. From there she worked in several ministries including being a “Rescue Sister” who went out to the docks at night in South Wales talking to the homeless women and girls working the streets. With her mind always on how to get herself to China, Gladys decided to return to London where she was able to once again secure a paying job as a parlor maid. With only a few coins to her name, she cried out to God, “Oh God, here’s my Bible! Here’s my money! Here’s me! Use me!” At that moment the mistress of the house came to her room to give her three shillings to reimburse her for her travel to London. She took that as a sign from God that He would provide the rest.

Gladys wasn’t sure where in China she was going to go but had heard of an elderly missionary lady named Jeannie Lawson who was looking for someone to help her in her work. Saving for the 90£ it would cost her to go by boat was going to take too long, and so instead she opted to go over land and enter China through Russia. This would be a long and arduous undertaking and even the officers at the railway station tried to dissuade her, especially since China and Russia had been in a state of undeclared war for some time, but she would not be swayed. Each week she took her earnings and put it towards her ticket. On October 15, 1932 at the age of 30, Gladys boarded the first of many trains and was finally on her way. She passed through Holland, Germany, Poland, and finally crossed into Siberia. From this point her trip took perilous turns including being detained by and subsequently escaping from Russians soldiers, hitching a ride on a Japanese ship, riding numerous trains and buses, and finally taking two days to cross three mountain ranges and ford numerous rivers on the back of a mule. Her trip over thousands of miles long took her a month, but when she arrived in Yangchen, she felt she was finally home.

Gladys found Jeannie Lawson, the 73-year old missionary lady she would be helping, living in an old run-down inn in a poor part of town. Yangchen was a stopping point for the mule caravans that traveled the dusty roads peddling their wares of coal, cotton, pots, and other things. Gladys went immediately to work helping her restore the dilapidated inn, and they named it The Inn of the Eight Happinesses. The hope was that if they could get those travelling on the mule trails that passed right in front of their property to stop in for a bite to eat and a dry place to sleep and lodge their mules, the missionaries might have an opportunity in the evenings after dinner to share the stories of Jesus with them.

Besides the work Gladys and Jeannie did at the inn, the ladies visited villages outside the city each week and brought the people the Gospel and whatever medical help they could offer. It didn’t take long for Gladys to adopt the traditional Chinese clothing and noticed that with her dark hair and eyes and short stature, she fit right in. Gladys practiced Chinese for hours a day, and by the end of the year, she was fluent enough to take part in the story-telling after the evening meals. By this time Jeannie had become very frail, and she passed away leaving Gladys to carry on the work by herself.

In 1936 Gladys became a Chinese citizen and was known as an honest, caring person. Once she was called on to stop a large prison riot and was instrumental in instigating prison reforms. She was greatly respected in her town and was asked by the government officials to be a foot-inspector. This job required her to patrol the district and enforce a decree that had been made outlawing footbinding. It gave her untold opportunities to share the Gospel and show love and care to the people as well. Many times she risked her life to help people in need, and the people began to call her “Ai-weh-deh” or “Virtuous One.” Gladys adopted her first child, a girl about 5 years old, from a lady using her for begging, and named her “Ninepence” since that is what she paid to obtain her. A year later Ninepence brought a young orphan boy to Gladys, offering to share her food with him. Gladys adopted him, as well, and her family began to grow.

By July of 1937 the official Sino-Japanese War was underway, and Gladys’ life became in danger as the Communist were specifically targeting missionaries. One day the Japanese bombed Yangchen, and Gladys found herself buried beneath the rubble. She was rescued and immediately set up an improvised hospital. She would secretly visit villages under Japanese occupation and report any observations on her travels to the Chinese officials. The war left many children orphaned and most were brought to Gladys to care for. She eventually found herself with 100 orphans and had to beg from everyone to provide food for them. She got word that there was an orphanage in Sian, a province many miles away in Free China, that would take the children in if she could get them there. One of her converts was tasked with the job of taking the orphans to the Yellow River which they would cross and then reach Sian by train. After five weeks, Gladys had another 100 orphans, ranging in age from 3 to 16, that she was caring for. She was waiting for the gentleman to return to help her get them to safety when she received word that he had been captured by the Japanese and was presumed dead. She knew she had to get the rest of the children to safety, and so she made preparations for them to travel to the next town over with the Chinese General’s wife. Gladys herself insisted on staying behind to care for those still left in Yangchen. By this time the Japanese army had learned of her intelligence work and had put a price on her head. As she prayed for guidance from the Lord, she opened her Bible and read the words, “Flee ye; flee ye into the mountains . . .” She took that as direction from the Lord. The Japanese soldiers arrived that very night and the next morning she narrowly escaped amid flying bullets, one of which grazed her.

Gladys caught up to the children by the next night. She determined she must get them out of the war zone and to safety if she was to save their lives. They had no food and no money, but she knew the Lord would take care of them. Every road was controlled by the Japanese, so they had to make the 100-mile journey through the mountains and down the Yellow River. Their perilous journey lasted 30 days, but Gladys brought them to safety before collapsing in delirium from typhoid fever.

It took Gladys several months to recover from her sickness, but when she was well, she continued to work with the refugees until the war neared its end. In 1944 she moved to the village of Tsingsi in northwestern China and worked there for a time and also spent 4 years in Szechwan in southern China working with missionaries from the China Inland Mission. From there she moved to Chengtu and was appointed Biblewoman at the Chinese Theological Seminary. As the Communists’ hold on China continued to get stronger and the dangers for missionaries grew greater, she was persuaded to leave for the first time since her arrival 17 years prior. She arrived in England in the Spring of 1949, and while there, she was used by the Lord to speak to many large audiences about the plight of the Chinese Christians and encourage them to have a part in missions.

It pained Gladys to hear how the Chinese suffered under Communist rule, and she longed to return to help them. In 1957, when Gladys was in her mid-50’s, she finally felt free to return to missionary work after her mother passed away.  Communist China would not allow her to return, so she opted to work for a time in Hong Kong with the Chinese refugees until in 1958 when she settled on the island of Formosa, currently known as Taiwan. It was here she spent her remaining years running mission halls and an orphanage. She made many trips around the world telling the stories of the need for missionaries and raising funds for her orphanages and the people she loved so dearly. 

On January 3, 1970 at the age of 67, Gladys died from a bout of influenza. So famous was she at this point that memorial services were held around the world to mourn her death. This little woman, deemed not suitable for missionary work by man, was used by God to do a great and lasting work for Him. She is truly a woman of whom it could be said, “She hath done what she could”!

Her Story/My Story:  
Gladys and Jeannie worked hard to prepare the inn at Yangchen which was an overnight stop for the mule caravans that transported goods throughout the area. They knew if they could provide food and a place for people to sleep, it would give them the opportunity to share the Gospel. Because the Chinese people had very little experience with foreigners, they distrusted them greatly and thought they were devils. They often threw clods of dirt at Gladys when she was working in the courtyard of the inn or drug her out of the courtyard to witness a beheading. They tried to scare her off, but they couldn’t. Once the inn was ready, Gladys would try to get the muleteers to come into the inn by yelling, “Muyo beatch, muyo goodso, how, how, how, lai, lai, lai.” “We have no bugs, we have no fleas, good, good, good, come, come, come.” When that didn’t work, Gladys would go straight out into the road in front of their inn and grab the reins of the lead mules that were passing by and pull them inside the courtyard. All the other mules would follow, and the muleteers had no other option but to go in as well. Gladys and Jeannie served the men a delicious meal and fed the mules. After dinner, they provided the men with free entertainment – stories they told them from the Bible about a man named Jesus. The ladies knew that the best way to spiritually reach those that the Lord put in their path was to meet them at their point of need. It was slow going, but they started seeing people trust Christ as their Saviour. As the new converts and even those who had not yet trusted Christ traveled along the rest of their journey, at each stop along the trail, they would retell the stories they had heard. Eventually their inn was filled every night as word spread about this great place that would, for a reasonable price, provide a dry bed for you and your mules, free entertainment, and a delicious meal.

Food has always been an interesting aspect of my missionary life. Doors of friendship and many opportunities to witness have come about while I sat at someone’s table eating the traditional food they served me. Some of it has been delicious while other times it has been interesting to say the least. I remember when I was on a missions trip to Mexico as a 13-year old girl accidentally taking a bite of a red chili popsicle that I thought was strawberry. It was not yummy. While on a summer missions trip in Kenya during my college days, we went to this restaurant called the Carnivore . . . you can imagine what they sold there. I couldn’t handle knowing what I was eating and told them to just bring me a plate of whatever. I know I ate zebra, impala, and wildebeest among other things that day. Then in Nigeria I was offered everything from goat’s head, to street rats, to maggots the size of your thumb. Nigeria was my first experience with people eating raw termites, as well. Anytime it would rain, the termites would hatch. They look like large ants, and they have wings that fall off within the first 24 hours after they hatch. One day, I asked Amos, one of our Bible college students, why he was picking the wings off before he ate the termites. He looked at me like I was crazy and said, “Eat the wings! That is disgusting!” I thought to myself, “Well, to each his own, I guess.” With everything I’d been offered since my arrival in Nigeria, I had to laugh when I recently read one of my journal entries from August 15, 1997 where I recorded that I had to pray for grace for the meal that was set before me. I thought to myself, “What in the world could it have been” and quickly read on. The next few sentences made me burst out with laughter. I wrote that I had been invited to dinner at the Akinpeul’s house, and that she had served me . . . wait for it . . . a salad with chicken!!! My next sentence said, “I ate it . . . even the tomatoes, green peppers, cucumbers, and everything . . . except the lettuce.” I had forgotten that salads used to repulse me, and I guess I just couldn’t bring myself to eat the lettuce. I hope my host wasn’t too offended.

Bible Study:  Whatcha' Need?
I love how the Lord uses things that we can relate to in order to drive home a truth to us. We see in the Bible the Lord use the love shared between spouses to relate to us the love between Christ and the church. There are examples of shepherd and sheep that teach us how much we need to depend on God. Hosea uses the analogy of sowing and reaping and breaking up the fallow ground to show us our need to stir up our heart to seek the Lord, and Matthew likens us to a light to show us the importance of being a strong witness for the Lord to the world. Now most of us can relate at least a little to each of these things even if we’ve never been married, or raised sheep, or planted a field, but there is one thing that every single person can relate to no matter what your situation is . . . food. God uses food many times in the Bible to emphasize a truth He wants us to really understand. Here are some examples:

John 6:35 – “And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.”

Psalm 119:103 – “How sweet are thy words unto my taste! yea, sweeter than honey to my mouth!”

Matthew 4:4 – “. . . Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.”

Matthew 5:13 – “Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? . . .”

Proverbs 16:24 – “Pleasant words are as an honeycomb, sweet to the soul, and health to the bones.”

1 Corinthians 5:6 – “Your glorying is not good. Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump?”

1 Peter 2:2 – “As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby.”

Proverbs 15:17 – “Better is a dinner of herbs where love is, than a stalled ox and hatred therewith.”

The point is that God in His infinite wisdom uses everyday things to help us understand deep spiritual truths. In this He gives us the example of meeting people at the point of their need in a way that they can relate to. Gladys’ ultimate desire was to see the lost saved, but she knew she had to go about it in a practical way. She had to meet the people at their point of need and wait for the Lord to open the door of opportunity to share spiritual things with them. I have counseled with many women who are frustrated because they don’t feel like they have many opportunities to get out and witness on a regular basis whether that is due to work, family, or health restrictions. My counsel is always the same. Meet people at the point of their need, and you will find that many opportunities to witness will come. 

Copyright 2019 www.sharihouse.com

________________________________
*Disclaimer:

I have chosen to highlight the life of these ladies because of what they have accomplished for the Lord not because I agree with their doctrinal beliefs.  As with all study of man, our focus should be on the character traits they bestowed in their lives that allowed the Lord to use them, how the Lord used them, the methods of ministry they incorporated that allowed them to be effective, etc.  We do not study man to get our doctrine.  Our doctrinal beliefs should only come from the Bible.  To that end you may find you don’t agree with the doctrine of a particular person that I write about, but I believe there is still much wisdom we can gain from studying their lives.