REFLECTION
The power of personal testimony Peter Woods (North Walsham) shares three stories of God at work through words of witness and encouragement
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T was during the return trip from a business engagement in the West Country that Jenny first opened up to us. She was chauffeuring my wife, Myra, and me back home when she broached the subject of faith. We had met several times previously and, because she knew we were committed Christians who attended The Salvation Army, she felt at ease discussing such matters with us. Jenny was unsure where she was on her journey towards a real commitment.
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Was she just ‘tinkering around the edges’? Did her spiritual journey have real substance? Could she honestly consider herself a Christian? Jenny had so many questions and, to seek out the answers, had attended several different churches. However, she had finished up with even more questions. The fact that Jenny had raised the subject early in our long car journey suggested that she wanted to discuss a range of issues. I listened a lot and tried
to give support and reassurance when it was appropriate. By the end of the journey she seemed a lot happier and indicated that we had left her with a lot to think about. Our suggestions had given her some kind of direction in her search. The conversation continued during further meetings, and the outcome was that Jenny was much more confident in her faith and even able to support others with similar needs. One of her friends that she told us about was a young woman, Bethany, who had suffered abuse in childhood, leaving her with serious mental health problems. She needed more support than social services were able to provide, and Jenny had stepped into the breach. Bethany had been introduced to the love and teachings of Christ during her early years through a friend of the family. This clearly had an impact on her but, over time and amid distressing circumstances, it had been lost, extinguished in her daily struggle with her demons. Once Bethany was older and receiving improved counselling, Jenny was able to provide additional help. To support both Jenny and Bethany, Myra and I sent words of encouragement whenever we could. These took the form of picture cards that Myra made from my collection of natural history photographs, with appropriate texts and more direct messages that we conveyed to Bethany via Jenny. We also prayed regularly for them both, asking Christ to intervene in their lives.
Salvationist 1 May 2021
SA p18, 19 1 May.indd 2
22/04/2021 10:05
