A wake up call this morning.
Tag Archives: family
Family Friday. Grandchildren are the Crown and Glory of the Aged.
Last Saturday I attended a family event. About one hundred and fifty people gathered together to celebrate being children, grandchildren and great grandchildren of my mother and father. My parents are both dead, but we met to honor their memory and their sacrifice to rear us, their ten children.
It was because of their example I had endurance to have fourteen children of my own. My father was a farmer. The land produced crops and fed animals. I remember my father walking across a field scattering corn seed with a fiddle. He did not have the modern machinery that ploughs up the ground, prepares it for the seed and then sows the seed all in a few days.
He arose early every morning to milk cows, “twenty four seven”. My mother and father 
shared the work. Mummy supplemented the income by rearing hens and selling the eggs. As we their children grew up we helped with the work. My parents educated all their ten children.
The event last week was a focus for some of my own children to return from far away to join the celebrations. My son David called me two weeks before to tell me he was thinking of coming over from Canada to be there. It would be an occasion when he and Jacquelyn could introduce their baby daughter Ava, now eight months to his brothers and sisters and extended family. I was delighted and encouraged him to come.
God blessed his plans. He was able to book flights that were affordable even at short notice and within the time frame of days he could get off work. I met them at Dublin airport. One year ago exactly Brendan and I stood in Dublin airport and waved goodbye to David and Jacquelyn as they left Ireland to settle in Canada. They returned to these shores of Ireland last Thursday! It was a day of joy! They were with us for five full days.
Baby Ava met and played with her cousins, got nursed and shared around to willing arms to hold her. David hung out with his brothers and sisters. Jacquelyn met up with friends.
David and Jacquelyn are adjusting well to being young parents. They lovingly care for Ava. . Last evening I found one of Ava’s bottles. I shed a few tears. I was missing David and his family. I miss Jacquelyn up early in the kitchen preparing bottles of milk for Ava. I miss my grandchild playing around on the floor. I miss my son David.
But I have joy in knowing he is starting out in life to look after his own family.
Like my father and my husband he will be an excellent provider and protector for Jacquelyn and Ava. Brendan and I got to see our grandchild Ava.
Grandchildren are the crown and glory of the aged. Proverbs 17 v 6
We will see her again.
Testimony Tuesday. Call In The Experts.
If one is in any kind of trouble he wants someone who can help. If your car breaks down you call a mechanic. If you have a burst pipe in the house you call an expert, the plumber. If the electric wires are not working you call an electrician. You don’t call a plumber to fix the electrics. If you need a house built you call a builder. If you need to sell your house you call someone who can market your house. If you need legal advice you call a lawyer.
If one’s body is the trouble he calls the doctor. The doctors can help by diagnosing his disease. He will give his professional advice and prescribe drugs or advise surgery if necessary. It is marvellous the advances in medical care in the 21st century in the west and we get to benefit from it.
I discovered in my research, that people who have cancer in Russia do not have the expertise we can avail of here in the United Kingdom. What can they do?
God gives experts in the Church who have different gifts to help the people. Some people have the gift of healing. So if one is sick call the experts in healing. Call those who believe in God, who know how to pray, and help spiritually to bring healing to the mind and body.
Call people who believe God answers prayer, people who believe that God heals. People who already have experienced healing. One wants to be around those who have faith and who love and help one through the days of loneliness, fear, and sickness.
For one day I had the symptoms of sickness and wretching, side effects from having treatment from chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Wretching alone made me feel weak and fearful. My body and mind could not take any more pain. I passed out. During that morning two people rang me. One lady felt The Lord prompted her to ring me and pray for me.
Knowing God alerted someone who knew how to pray comforted me. She prayed for me and she brought me peace. My niece rang me and said God told her to ring me and pray for me. He told her to remind me it was God who taught me to pray. Again I was overwhelmed with God’s love for me. He sent help. I am so thankful God preserved me from pain, burning and sickness.
Fear of death can overwhelm the cancer sufferer. It can leave one with no courage to fight. So one lies down under the sickness and loses the will to live. I had been bleeding for three years from my colon but I thought it would go away. I thought the blood could be coming from heamoroids or colitis. I believed that God can heal and have prayed for others who have been healed. At no time did I think of cancer.
I eventually came to realise my condition was not improving, but getting worse, I told my husband. I needed others to help me. We went to the hospital. The doctor examined me and referred me on to the oncology specialist. It seemed I had cancer. I was numb and was relieved that my condition was discovered. I now knew the truth. I was too weak to care. I had no fight left. I was not in control any more. I was now dependant on the help of experts, the doctors to diagnose the condition and those who believe that God heals.
The news hit my husband and children hard. They were sad but not hopeless or overwhelmed. They loved Mum and didn’t want me to die. They believed God would come to our aid in my time of despair. They gathered around me the first night and prayed for my healing. My family arose as an army to fight fear, cancer and death. The war was on.
We were in a spiritual battle. When someone comes into your house to steal your property will you stand by and let them steal it? No you will put up a fight to put the robber out or call the police for help. So it was with my family. The devil was bringing cancer and death to their mum to steal her away from them. They believed God and spoke God’s promise over my life that I shall not die and by the stripes of Jesus I am healed
Scriptures say the thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. (John 10:10 NIV)
Jesus was referring to the evil one, the Devil who comes to kill. The Devil is a spiritual being and one cannot fight him physically. But we can fight him and defeat him with Gods spiritual weapons of war. Jesus came on earth to destroy the works of the Devil. He preached the gospel of the Kingdom of God, for people to turn to God away from sin and He would forgive their sins and heal their diseases. He died on the cross and shed his Blood. If we accept his sacrifice we will be healed. By his stripes we are healed.
The weapons to defeat Satan are faith in God, speaking out the Name of Jesus, and saying the Blood of Jesus is against you Satan and walking in peace, forgiving others as Jesus has forgiven us our sins.
If I am in trouble I want to call someone who knows how to pray to God and get results. I needed prayer warriors who were not afraid of the enemy and had the right weapons and armour to win the battle. As news of my trouble spread people prayed for me.
After my family prayed for me, the bleeding stopped within a week. The battle was on and my family was winning. The healing from Cancer began.
God promises to be with us in trouble.
“Because he loves me,” says the Lord, “I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name. He will call on me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him. (Psalm 91:14-15 NIV)
Sanguine Sunday. An Earthquake hit our Family in 2010
When I received the news that I had Malignant Fourth Stage Bowel Cancer it was like an earthquake hitting our family. We were shaken and the after effects nearly overwhelmed us.
“Therefore let all the faithful pray to you while you may be found; surely the rising of the mighty waters will not reach them.”psalm 32 v 6
In our generation because of good communications we hear news of worldwide events very soon after they happen. There are wars, persecutions, earthquakes, tsunamis and signs in the sun and moon. Many people have died in these disasters. Jesus predicted these events would happen.
“Nation will go to war against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be great earthquakes, and there will be famines and plagues in many lands, and there will be terrifying things.”
“And there will be strange signs in the sun, moon, and stars. And here on earth the nations will be in turmoil, perplexed by the roaring seas and strange tides. People will be terrified at what they see coming upon the earth, for the powers in the heavens will be shaken. (Luke 21:10-11, 25-26 NLT)
People feel helpless and experience fear and distress as they watch these events unfold on their television screens. Jesus gave us an antidote in a few verses later, by advising us to keep alert and pray.
“Watch out! Don’t let your hearts be dulled by carousing and drunkenness, and by the worries of this life. Don’t let that day catch you unaware,
Keep alert at all times. And pray that you might be strong enough to escape these coming horrors and stand before the Son of Man.” (Luke 21:34, 36 NLT)
I faced death myself in 2010 when I was diagnosed with Malignant Bowel Cancer, fourth stage. A different Earthquake hit our home. Death came to our door. I faced death. My family faced death of a loved one. We all experienced the feelings that come along with helplessness, fear, distress and looming death. We were weak. Unless something changed the prognosis for me was death. Man has no power over death. I realised I was dying. I had no desire for anything in this world. I was prepared to leave my husband and family behind.
But there is one who has the power over death. It is Jesus. He died on the cross and took the keys of death and hell off Satan.
In the previous years of my life I had tried to pray and read the Word of God each day. We prayed together as a family. I tried to obey him God as far I knew how to. In my hour of need God turned up. God made my husband and family strong. They prayed for me. My husband and I had taught our children how to pray. God heard their prayer. Psalm 102 describes what happened.
“LORD, hear my prayer! Listen to my plea! Don’t turn away from me in my time of distress. Bend down to listen, and answer me quickly when I call to you.
My heart is sick, withered like grass, and I have lost my appetite. Because of my groaning, I am reduced to skin and bones.
My life passes as swiftly as the evening shadows. I am withering away like grass. But you, O LORD, will sit on your throne forever. Your fame will endure to every generation. You will arise and have mercy on Jerusalem — and now is the time to pity her, now is the time you promised to help.
He will listen to the prayers of the destitute. He will not reject their pleas.
Let this be recorded for future generations, so that a people not yet born will praise the LORD.
Tell them the LORD looked down from his heavenly sanctuary. He looked down to earth from heaven to hear the groans of the prisoners, to release those condemned to die.
And so the LORD’s fame will be celebrated in Zion, his praises in Jerusalem, when multitudes gather together and kingdoms come to worship the LORD.
He broke my strength in midlife, cutting short my days. But I cried to him, “O my God, who lives forever, don’t take my life while I am so young!
Long ago you laid the foundation of the earth and made the heavens with your hands. They will perish, but you remain forever; they will wear out like old clothing.
You will change them like a garment and discard them. But you are always the same; you will live forever.
The children of your people will live in security. Their children’s children will thrive in your presence.” (Psalms 102:1-2, 4-5, 11-13, 17-28 NLT)
I am recording this today to tell you and the children yet unborn that God in heaven, who made the earth and heavens reached down from his throne and delivered me from death. He did not turn away from me as it says in verse one. “Don’t turn away in my hour of distress.”
You may be at home reading this, you may have never heard that God answers prayer today. He does. He is interested in you. He loves you. Are you distressed about what you see coming on the earth, troubles within and without. Begin to pray and and talk to God as you would a friend. Begin to read the scriptures. I am telling you this is the best medicine you could take. It will make you strong. It is guaranteed to bring healing. What God did for me he will do for you.
It flowed down the center of the main street. On each side of the river grew a tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, with a fresh crop each month. The leaves were used for medicine to heal the nations. Revelation 22 v 2
May the words I share with you today bring healing from fear, distress and anxiety. As Jesus said “Look up.”
So when all these things begin to happen, stand and look up, for your salvation is near!” (Luke 21:28 NLT)
Testimony Tuesday. My Son Patrick Nearly Drowns.
When some of my children were home for Easter we were recounting how some of them had near death experiences. Here is an example of our son Patrick being saved from tragedy.
When our children were young, Brendan and I would take them out for a walk in the long summer evenings to tire them out before bedtime. No one wants to go to bed when it is still daylight. We would all climb into the minibus, teenagers to toddlers, all had to come along. No time for individualism in our family. When we went for a drive we all went for a drive. When we went for a walk we all went for a walk.
We went to a nearby marina along the river. There was a play park there as well. Children would take turns on swings, slides and roundabouts. They sqealed with delight as they swung high on the swings. Brendan and I could relax a little and chat, knowing the older ones were looking out for the younger ones.
Aaron loved boats. He brought his canoe along with us to the river. He was paddling his canoe along the bank as the others played at the park. He went off to inspect some boats that were parked at the marina.
Patrick followed him. He was two years old at the time and often wanted to be around Aaron. Next thing I knew Patrick was lying face down in the water with his little anorak puffed up with the water, his arms out and his wellingtons on his little feet. Patrick was drowning. Aaron was quick to act and grabbed hold of his wee brother. We arrived to help. We slapped him on the back to dislodge the water and helped him breath again. Only for Aaron’s quick response Patrick may have drowned.
We were all in shock at the thought of what could have happened to Patrick. We returned in silence. We got the children ready for bed and said our night prayers together. We all thanked God for saving Patrick that evening.
Brendan and I trusted God to protect our children. Psalm 91 says
If you say, “The Lord is my refuge,” and you make the Most High your dwelling, no harm will overtake you, no disaster will come near your tent. For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways; (Psalm 91:9-11 NIV)
The angels were busy that day.
Testimony Tuesday. Norming and Storming Brings Unity.
In earlier years some children left home for university and others were still at home. At holiday times those at university would return home to Ireland with their luggage. They would have to find a spare bed or share with others for the duration of the holidays. We all had to adjust to being in close proximity again.
When children leave they have more space in their new surroundings. So returning to a confined space stretched their patience and they had to sacrifice their own comfort. They usually were stressed out after exams at university and tired after all the activity student life demands. They would crash in bed and sleep late.
I had other expectations. I looked forward to their company and some help to give me a break from working in the home. Instead I had more work to do, more cooking and shopping. Home was somewhere for them to get their batteries recharged. My batteries were running out.
In my dilemma I would get frustrated with the children and made demands they were not able to meet. Children would get frustrated with each other and disputes would have to be settled. All this was too much for me. I would call on my husband to talk to any child who was misbehaving and settle disputes between me and the children, or between each other.
Brendan had his work cut out. He called these times “Norming and Storming.” The children were disciplined and reconciled. Often I felt disciplined when I had to be reconciled to my own children. The father has the ability to do this for his family. He can bring unity. While living together as a big family we had to get on with each other and forgive each other. We had to go through the process each time we were together.
Despite all the Norming and Storming at the beginning, holidays always turned out to be refreshing times when we could spend time together at meals and at play. My husband and I were stretched at these times. When everyone left we needed to take a break ourselves to forget about our troubles and spend time together.
When any group of people get together to do a task, they have to take time to know one another. Each one’s skills and gifts are needed in the Christian life to help each other. I needed others to help me get healed. Someone with the gift of healing helped, another with the gift of prophecy encouraged, a deliverer, the doctors, nurses, family and friends were all needed to love me back to health. God works through people. We are his hands and feet. That is why it is important to get on with each other and forgive each other.
We make up the Body of Christ. Where brothers dwell together in unity The Lord commands a blessing.
“How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity!
It is as if the dew of Hermon were falling on Mount Zion. For there the Lord bestows his blessing, even life forevermore.” (Psalm 133:1, 3 NIV)
Family Friday. We Move to A New Town
Brendan and I moved back to Ballynahinch, Co Down where I was born. Nine children moved with us. Four other children were at university. One was married. Friends were perplexed at us moving away from Coleraine with your big family. “How were we going to manage?” they asked. “You will never get good schools like here. Where will you live? Your children will miss their friends.”
I had been praying for five years that God would provide a bigger home for us. I knew these young children would turn into teenagers and would need more space. I believed that God would provide for me. He gave me my children, and I believed he would help me. When the children of Israel went into the promised land they were given land according to the size of their tribe. I had a big family and I hoped that God who helped the children of Israel would do the same for me.
You must distribute the land among the clans by sacred lot and in proportion to their size. A larger portion of land will be allotted to each of the larger clans, and a smaller portion will be allotted to each of the smaller clans. The decision of the sacred lot is final. (Numbers 33:54 NLT)
We moved to a modern, warm bungalow. There was plenty of room for us all. My son John loved his new home and town. He made friends easily at his new school. He loved getting outdoors. He would spend a Saturday with his new friends walking along the river behind our house or wandering over fields and forests beyond. There was a corn mill nearby that was still working. The boys went down there and looked at the large wheel turning with the water flowing over it. I remember going there when I was a child with my father. He was getting bags of corn bruised into oats. The river behind our house fed the wheel that turned the grinding stone in the mill.
John’s adventures reminded me of Robert Louis Stevenson’ poem,
Keepsake Mill.
Over the borders, a sin without pardon,
Breaking the branches and crawling below,
Out through the breach in the wall of the garden,
Down by the banks of the river, we go.
Here is the mill with the humming of thunder,
Here is the weir with the wonder of foam,
Here is the sluice with the race running under
Marvellous places, though handy to home!
He would head off down the back of our garden, through a hole in the hedge to meet his friends. They went fishing and swimming in the river behind the garden. He would not return till late.
John started a new school, and travelled nine miles by bus to it. His older sister went to the same school. Settling into a new area and a new school can be daunting for any child. John looked on his experience as an adventure and was enjoying a whole new world, new countryside, meeting my extended family, and making new friends. He never looked back.
I later found out that our new neighbours’ son was bullied on the bus and at the school John went to. He left and went to another school. My daughter and son did not face any trouble on the bus or at school. Because they had each other, no one dared pick on John because his big sister would soon respond and not take any hastle. She was used to dealing with her siblings. On any bus full of teenagers there will always be banter. John and his sister took it all in their stride and didn’t make any enemies.
We all had a family holiday to Spain in the year 2000. On the flight over to Spain John met a girl who went to his old school. She was telling him that many of the children in his old class were using drugs. I was so glad we moved when we did. It was good for my daughter as well. She was getting to the age where she was being influenced by friends to rebel. She was made head girl in her new school. Both my children found favour when they moved to a new town and new school. I knew God was with us and he would look after us just as this scripture says.
And you saw how the LORD your God cared for you all along the way as you traveled through the wilderness, just as a father cares for his child. Now he has brought you to this place.’ (Deuteronomy 1:31 NLT)
Family Friday. We Needed a Van for our Big Family
Brendan and I were having coffee in a country farm house built in 1871 outside Vancouver, Canada. We were having a late St Valentine’s treat. It had a wooden veranda the kind you see in cowboy movies. There was a big chestnut tree in the garden and underneath was a long wooden carriage. We were enjoying the first of the spring sunshine sitting outside on the veranda, just as the original family would had done all those years ago.
I noticed a photo of the family who lived here on the wall inside. There was a note below telling us the history. A family with twelve children lived here.
The carriage has sat dormant through the years of change. Modern city dwellings are all around this old house. Modern four by fours speed past on the highway nearby. The city has overtaken the country. I imagined the family of the house going into town or going to church in that old vehicle. It would have been their version of a four by four one hundred years ago.
As our family grew so did the size of our vehicles. When Brendan and I had two children we lived in town and didn’t need a car. We travelled by bus or train. The only four by four I had then was a pram. We had a big Pedigree pram. There was space to put the groceries underneath and two children sleeping, head to toe. We had bicycles for each of us and the two children. Then our family became six. We had a child seat on each of the adult bicycles. We went for bike rides along the river, where we lived. Two more children arrived. There was no time for bike rides.
Brendan invested in his first car. It was a white Hillman Hunter. We called it Nimrod. That is the name of a character in the bible. He was a mighty hunter. Our children were very happy with the up grade. We felt so proud of ourselves with our first car. Back then wearing seat belts was not necessary. My six children packed into the back seats. We didn’t have to use a baby seat either. One of the older children nursed the youngest child.
Brendan had the opportunity to buy a Peugeot 505. It had three rows of seats with space for seven children. Number seven child arrived soon after to fill the extra space. I remember going on holiday with the Peugeot packed to the gills with children and goods. We thought we would be pulled in by the Garda as we crossed the border to the south of Ireland for being overloaded. Some of the children hid as we crossed. What a relief we weren’t stopped.
When number eight child arrived Brendan bought a Volkwagon van. We took out a loan to buy it. Our young children became teenagers and needed more space. We needed a van. Also seat belts for passengers became the law. It was our biggest outlay. I learned to drive in our new vehicle. I often took my children and their friends to the park and to the beach after school. It is surprising that not many children from the town get to go on holiday or go to the beach.
Unfortunately the power steering went on our beloved van. It was going to cost too much to repair. A friend bought it, but we still had to pay off the loan. We learned from the pain of losing our Volkwagon. Any vehicle we bought after that was older and we paid for it in cash. We would pray and ask God to guide us. One Ford van was an ex Police van. It had special protection underneath, so a bomb would not attach itself. That van lasted a long time. Another van had been used as a school bus and was in pristeen condition.
And so on it went. After the Volkwagon we got a Ford van which can carry fifteen people. We have our seventh Ford van at the moment. Even though our children have left home we still have a Ford van. The good thing about the Ford model is that the seats can be removed. We use it to help people move house, move furniture, take lawn mowers to get fixed, collect fire logs, take the dog for a walk and trips when my grandchildren come to visit.
A friend of my daughter called us the “Minibus” family. She envied us going off on holiday with everything but the kitchen sink packed. So we progressed over the years from having a pram to having a minibus. I think we will continue to have a van even though we are pensioners. We will remain “The Minibus Family.”
I said to Brendan, “That would have been the family van back in the nineteen hundreds”. We finished our coffee.
Hope in British Columbia, Canada is a Special Place for Me. https://dailypost.wordpress.com/dp_prompt/places/
I was in Vancouver recently. As we drove along the highways in Vancouver I saw the sign for Hope on every overhead signpost. I thought it must be a large city up country. But it is a small town in the Fraser Valley, but if one wants to drive east in BC you will pass through Hope. As you drive towards Hope there are magnificent views of the mountains and the river Fraser.
In October 2008 Brendan and I were speaking at a conference in BC. 
Canada. On the Sunday afternoon we were driving back to Vancouver along the Fraser Valley. We stopped for a coffee break in this town called Hope. The cafe was known for home cooked pies. Our host said you can get mile high pie here! I wondered what he meant. In the display cabinet was a variety of home baked pies, blueberry, chocolate, banana, summer fruits, apple, lemon meringue and rhubarb.
I chose the biggest, the lemon meringue with a good helping of cream. It was the biggest lemon meringue I have ever seen. Lemon meringue is my favourite. In Canada the vans and the trucks, the rivers, the mountains, the highways and the bridges are big.
Seven years ago I would have been bleeding from my colon and hoping it would go away. Over the next few years I got hopeless for my future. I was slowly dying. Until in 2010 I could not hide the bleeding any longer. I was getting weaker. I was in despair. I was unhappy, in distress, lost hope, lost heart, discouraged, I threw in the towel. I resigned myself that things would not get any better. I felt lonely and rejected, even though I had my family around me. I was depressed and felt misunderstood.
Life was going on around me. I felt left behind. My children were doing well and leaving home. My home was getting empty and so was my heart. My husband was busy with his work. I didn’t feel I was needed any longer. Everyone seemed to think mum will be around forever. I had been strong for everyone one else, but now my strength was failing. What was there for me to do when all the children had left? I was hopeless.
Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life. (Proverbs 13:12 NIV)
Over the next four months I went through treatment the doctors ordered and my family and many people in the body of Christ prayed for me. God healed me of 4th stage cancer. I am alive to tell others that God heals today. He is not a God far away who does not care. He is near to help us when we cry to him. My hope was gone but God in his faithfulness helped me.
Today, nearly seven years later we were back in Hope. I asked the driver, “Did you know where the cafe is where I can get coffee and “Mile High Pie?” Hope is a small town. We found the cafe easily enough, off the main highway. I checked it out, and yes it was the same place. The cabinet was full of fresh sweet pies. I looked them over and found the lemon meringue! I enjoyed a coffee and pie at ten o’clock in the morning! Other customers were looking at me. In Canada people don’t eat sweet pie till the afternoon.
In the seven years since I was in the town of Hope I have gone through the valley of death. God has brought me through the other side because I grabbed hold of hope in the goodness of God to heal me. I celebrated my hope being restored as I ate the Mile High Pie in the town of Hope.
Family Friday. We Didn’t Get Invited Out to Dinner
While in Canada recently, a young man called David, picked us up from the airport at Dawson Creek. I remembered him from my last visit. He came to a meeting with his wife and four small children. They were like little mice playing quietly, not wanting to disrupt the meeting.
This couple reminded Brendan and I of times past when we would attend meetings with our young children. I had eight children at the time. The children joined in the singing and were well behaved when someone was speaking. We were the biggest family there.
Our host was telling us that David and his family don’t get invited out to dinner, because people think a family of four is too much to cope with. They can cope with adults but not young children! I sympathised with David. Wouldn’t the parents feel loved and accepted it someone had their family over for soup even.
Getting everyone ready for Sunday meetings became stressful for us as our family increased. We had to be up early, get dressed, be on our best behaviour, sit through services and then come home to make dinner for all of us. When we had ten children we decided to stay home on a Sunday morning. It was more relaxed for us all. Brendan taught our children in the relaxed atmosphere of home. I had plenty of time to cook dinner. For seven years we stayed home on Sundays. Jacob, Isaac, Abraham, and Angela were born in those seven years.
We remembered the love of God for children.
He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young. (Isaiah 40:11 KJV)
We knew God was carrying us in his arms.
In the earlier years when I had seven children we met up with friends for picnics. We would meet in each other’s homes for lunch. The other ladies were great cooks. Our children were around the same age, and played happily together. But as number eight child, number nine child, etc arrived the invites for dinner stopped. We were alone on Sundays together with our growing family. We lived far away from our parents or extended family, so no aunts or uncles to give a helping hand.
I will always remember the kindness of a friend, Rose Rodgers, who invited ten of us for dinner. She knew my husband was away on a trip. He was working on a mission and often I would come under attack from the enemy, the devil, when he was away. The enemy would use these tactics to wear me down. If I was not able to look after the children at home then my husband would have to stop travelling. I was determined I was not going to miss this dinner.
Came the day to go, I asked one of my daughters to help get the youngest child ready. She put the child in the bath and turned on the hot tap. She forgot to turn on the cold tap as well. I was busy seeing to the others when one of the other girls came running in shouting, “The baby’s legs are scalded.” I was calm. I knew this was an attack from the devil to stop me going out with my children for dinner.
I attended to the baby, dressed her, told my other children to get in the van and wait for me. We drove to the doctors surgery just to check that the baby was okay. I was praying all the way. I told the other children to behave while I went into the surgery. I didn’t know how long I would be. While I was waiting to be seen, one of the children came running to find me. Two of the girls were fighting in the van. I had to go out and restore calm. One was annoyed with the other for hurting the baby and was battering her with a stick. They were traumatised at the thought of permanent damage being done to their wee sister’s legs. I told them God would heal my baby’s legs. I returned to the doctor. He dressed the baby’s legs with cream and he reassured me her skin was not harmed.
Praise The Lord. I drove off with the van full of children to my friend’s house. We all filed in and apologised for being late. How I enjoyed that meal. My friend had a big heart. I will never forget this kindness from Rose Rodgers.
Healed of Cancer. Angela McCauley 