Christ and a Military Base

[1]

Romans 8:28 GOD’S WORD Translation (GW)

  ²⁸We know that all things work together for the good of those who love God—those whom he has called according to his plan.

 

When I was 12 I was sent off to boarding school. Up until that time I had led a very sheltered life. I attended a preparatory school connected with a college where Dad was a much respected teacher. Over the next six years I picked up my “street smarts.” Originally I found it expedient to stand up for the opinions of the authorities. I regarded their rules, their opinions, and their decisions as sacrosanct.

This submersion in boarding school was like taking large helpings of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. Being a somewhat normal if nerdy teenager, I tried lots of forbidden things just for the kicks. I tried alcohol and tobacco, shoplifting, and other obvious sins. Worse, I learned subterfuge, deceit, and general distrust of the establishment.

The establishment had taught me the legal aspects of Christianity. They taught me to read inspiration their way. Their way supported church authority at all costs. Therefore I read the Bible with their interpretation. I read the Spirit of Prophecy with their interpretation. Everything I read showed me how evil I had become. Indeed I quickly recognized that I was damned. Furthermore, there was no way I could change that status.  This led me deeper and deeper into a sinful, lawless life. My fellow students were quick to urge me on in my descent towards hell.

But God had decided to defeat the seeming triumph of Satan and evil over my life. He led me to Germany. I went there to learn German−at another boarding school. This time my fellow students were all German. Knowing no German initially, I felt cut off from my fellow humans. Because of this, I attended a Sunday church on the American army base and joined its choir, merely for companionship. They spoke English, so we could understand each other.

These new friends came from all walks of life and all religious persuasions. Some came to church for exactly the same reason as I had, for companionship. They had as much Christianity as I did. Others came because they loved Jesus and wanted fellowship with other Christians. One of these made it his mission to introduce Jesus to me.

Yes, I knew Jesus. He carried around a big black book with all of my misdeeds in it underlined in red. He was seeking to punish me for all of my evil deeds. This new Jesus, according to this young Christian, was a savior. At first I didn’t really know what that word meant. But with long patience this missionary taught me. He had a very simplistic understanding of Jesus, even childlike. But that’s exactly what Jesus had declared as essential to being a Christian. Finally I accepted this new concept of Jesus. I then spent many years unlearning what my early training had so successfully drummed into every facet of my psyche.

Now I was learning from and about a Jesus who loves me unconditionally—all the time!

Thank you, Lord, for working out circumstances for my good. Help me to communicate Your love to those You bring to me.

---

[1] U.S. Army Military Base at Darmstadt am Main Germany https://www.pinterest.com/pin/565061084476668082/

The Grace of Our Lord Jesus Christ

[1]

 

2 Peter 3:9

Holman Christian Standard Bible

⁹ The Lord does not delay His promise, as some understand delay, but is patient with you, not wanting any to perish but all to come to repentance.

When I was 12, I was sent off to boarding school. Up until that time I had led a very sheltered life. I attended a preparatory school connected with a college where Dad was a very respected teacher. Over the next six years I picked up my “street smarts.” Originally I found it expedient to stand up for the opinions of the authorities. I regarded their rules, their opinions, their decisions as sacrosanct.

This submersion in boarding school was like taking large helpings of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. Being a somewhat normal if nerdy teenager, I tried lots of forbidden things just for the kicks. I tried alcohol and tobacco, shoplifting, and other obvious sins. Worse, I learned subterfuge, deceit, and general distrust of the establishment.

The establishment had taught me the legal aspects of Christianity. They taught me to read inspiration their way. Their way supported church authority at all costs. Therefore I read the Bible with their interpretation. I read the Spirit of Prophecy with their interpretation. Everything I read showed me how evil I had become. Indeed, I quickly recognized that I was damned. Furthermore, there was no way I could change that status.  This led me deeper and deeper into a sinful, lawless life. My fellow students were quick to urge me on in my descent towards hell.

But God had decided to defeat the triumph of Satan and evil over my life. He led me to Germany. I went there to learn German—at another boarding school. This time my fellow students were all German. Knowing no German initially, I felt cut off from my fellow humans. To compensate, I attended a Sunday church on the American military base and joined its choir, merely for companionship. They spoke English, so we could understand each other.

These new friends came from all walks of life and all religious persuasions. Some came to church for exactly the same reason as I had—for companionship. They had as little Christianity as I did. Others came because they loved Jesus and wanted fellowship with other Christians. One of these made it his mission to introduce Jesus to me.

Yes, I knew Jesus. He carried around a big black book with all of my misdeeds in it underlined in red. He was seeking to punish me for all of my evil thoughts and actions. This new Jesus I now met was a savior. At first, I didn’t really know what that word “Savior” meant. But with long patience, this missionary taught me. He had a very simplistic understanding of Jesus, even childlike. But that’s exactly what Jesus had declared as essential to being a Christian. Finally I accepted this new concept of Jesus. Then I spent many years unlearning what my early training had so successfully drummed into every facet of my psyche. I was not doomed but, praise God, forgiven and a child of God.

Thank You, Lord, for working out things for good. Help me to communicate this with those You bring to me.

---

[1] https://www.westminster.org.uk/school-life/pastoral-care/boarding/

Water in a Drought

Jeremiah 32:17

Amplified Bible (AMP)

¹⁷ ‘Ah Lord God! Behold, You have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and by Your outstretched arm! There is nothing too difficult or too wonderful for You

[1]

Ikizu Secondary School and Seminary is located in the great steppe country near Lake Victoria in Tanzania. Steppe country is characterized by 4 feet tall grass punctuated by picturesque flat topped acacia trees. It is only slightly better than desert. Being very close to the equator it receives two rainy seasons a year, two weeks in November and December and six weeks in February and March.

The year was about 1969, and I was a math and science teacher in the secondary school. It also became my responsibility to take care of all physical maintenance on campus, including providing the campus with electricity and water. I had some great student helpers that actually made the maintenance possible. One of these was Abraham Sando.

One Friday morning Abraham knocked on my door. “Sir, we are getting no water from the pump.” He broke the news apologetically but with finality.

“Has the pump broken down? Is the engine working okay?” I queried.

“Yes, sir!”

“Did you turn it off last night?”

“Yes, sir! And I started it this morning again.” He and I walked over to the water pipe that came up from the well, which was a mile down in the valley next to a creek that usually had a little water in it. There was definitely no water coming up the pipe. We had received no rain in the short rainy season. It was now the beginning of March, and we had received no rain so far this rainy season. The dam the villagers got their water from had dried up completely. Villagers had dug 6 and 8 feet deep holes in the bottom of the dam where a pitifully meager supply of water would trickle in overnight. The creek was dry, too.

My thoughts ran quickly to the more than 200 students and staff who depended on our well for water. We had a tank, but it would not last more than about three days.

“Please go back down the hill and turn the pump off,” I said resignedly to Abraham. “We’ll leave the pump off until Sunday morning, and I hope water will run into the well in the meantime. Hopefully we can pump on Sunday.” He smiled in agreement. He was also worried about the dire consequences we faced without water.

As soon as George Dunder, our principal, arrived in his office that morning, I went in and alerted him to our predicament. He asked for my suggestions. After a discussion of what we might do, I suggested that we make Sabbath a day of fasting and prayer for rain. We did exactly that. Really the only alternative would be to close the school down and send all of the students and staff away.

On Sabbath I overheard a number of students discussing our water situation. These particular students tended to be very skeptical all the time. They reasoned that the day of fasting and prayer was really worthless. After all it was in the middle of the longer rainy season, so if it started to rain, it would not be God answering our prayer; it would simply be the natural course of events. On the other hand, if it didn’t rain, then God clearly hadn’t answered our request, if He existed at all. I couldn’t help seeing their reasoning and wondering how God would answer our prayers and preserve His integrity. I said nothing to them because all I had was questions, too.

Our water tank was nearly empty by Sunday morning. After Abraham came up from starting the pump, we walked over to check the flow in the pipe. We had a tap located on the main water pipe. We measured how fast the water was coming up by opening the tap and timing how long it took to fill a five gallon can. Water was indeed coming up the hill but only at a quarter of the normal rate. I asked Abraham to check this tap every hour or two during the day to gauge how much water was running or see if the well had again run dry.

He checked in with me that evening and reported that the water was still pumping at the same slow rate. We normally ran the pump about 8 or 10 hours a day 6 days a week, and this kept us in ample supply of water.

“Good! If we are still getting water, let’s run the pump night and day until either the flow of water returns to normal or until the water runs out entirely. When you go down in the evenings, just fill up the diesel tank to run the pump engine and check the oil. Then watch the flow of water up here on the hill several times during the day. Don’t go down there on Sabbath. I will personally do the Sabbath duty.” I didn’t want him to worry about whether he should work on Sabbath.

For the next six weeks we continued on this regimen. There was not even a hint of rain. The tropical sun burned down on us every day from a clear blue sky. But we had just enough water to meet our needs.

One day in the middle of April, well into the dry season, a black storm came up. It rained hard and long. All the creeks started running. Some water ran into the dam, more than filling the holes the desperate villagers had dug. A great relief filled my soul. And the well ran totally dry!

I said to the skeptical students, “What do you think? You suggested that either way our need was met, it couldn’t be the hand of God. Now you are witnesses. You have drunk the water God provided for six whole weeks without rain.”

For once in their smug skepticism they were speechless.

Thank You, God, that Your might power and outstretched arm is still as mighty today as in the time of Jeremiah and that You have ways of meeting our needs that we would never even dream of!

---

[1] https://www.hipporoller.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/gokwe-dry-dam-zim.jpg