Words of encouragement from Jeff
Lyell
Greetings As a small part of helping Michael at this time, I’m
putting some thoughts together for the monthly newsletter.
I have been thinking over the last couple of weeks about some of the
people I know or have known who are ordinary everyday people, but have done
extraordinary things. They have gone out of their comfort zone, outside of
what is normal for them and trusted God to meet with them in their
endeavour.
I’d like to finish the story I started last Sunday about my mother.
Mum was a farmer’s wife and their circumstances meant that she had not
travelled very much. The opportunity came for her to accompany a friend
(Julie) who was planning to travel to China. They were both in their late
sixties. This was mum’s first overseas trip.
They were to meet with an organisation in Hong Kong and transport Bibles
and Christian literature to the mainland. While in China they were to
visiting an orphanage run by a Church-based group and to distribute
Christian tracts around the towns they stayed in on their journey.
They were to travel with a guide, but the day after their arrival their
guide was arrested, leaving them to find their own way around. They were
already out of their comfort zone but this was way outside their
expectations. They could have delivered the bibles and ‘done the tourist
thing’ for a while and returned home.
Instead they chose to trust God and go on to complete what they came for.
Mum and Julie chose to distribute tracts in a town at 2.00AM. They walked
around putting them under doors and in windows. They had gone into a street
and were busy with their task when suddenly a light went on and a door
opened. They were surprised to see a group of policemen come out of the
door. They had walked into the police barracks. The police walked straight
past them not noticing two Aussie grannies in their barracks at 2.00AM. God
was certainly with them. They didn’t do any more night time distribution
after that, but continued to put the tracts where they could as they
continued on to the orphanage.
Their trip was designed to strengthen the Church in China with more
resources, and to encourage the workers in the orphanage. However Mum knows
her Heavenly Father in a way that she could not have learned by staying home
in Mildura.
Our God delights to prove He is faithful to those who will
trust Him.
Jeff Lyell
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