New Every Morning

1 minute 45 second read

How did someone who from an early age thought that she would serve God as a missionary in India end up working among the peoples of North Africa, both in Algeria and later in the south of France?

“The pastor Harold Fife, was on the board of the North Africa Mission (later to be renamed Arab World Ministries) and was given time off pastoral ministry every other year (I think) to visit the countries of North Africa. On his return he would give a report of the work on the ‘field’. This was never very encouraging. These were totally Muslim countries with some structured medical and educational Gospel outreach but with opposition on every level and very few conversions. I listened with great interest, congratulating myself that I would be going to India so wouldn’t have to face these difficulties!

“The years were passing for me and I was not free to think about taking any steps forward but the time came when I felt that I needed to be sure of God’s leading concerning my future field of service. An evening missionary meeting was scheduled at the church and I prayed that the Lord would speak to me directly. I was always interested in these meetings and acutely aware of the widespread needs for personnel. But I needed a specific call. The meeting ran its course but I was no clearer when we stood to sing the last hymn: ‘Take my life and let it be consecrated Lord to Thee’. I happily sang: ‘Take my hands, feet, voice etc’. – no problem. ‘Take my silver and my gold’ didn’t apply – I didn’t have any.

“Then I was stopped short when we reached the verse: ‘Take my will and make it Thine, it shall be no longer mine; take my heart it is Thine own, it shall be Thy royal throne’. It was clear to me that I had been resisting the thought of North Africa because of the difficulties of the terrain but I knew at that moment that this was where the Lord wanted me to go. It was only four short lines that didn’t take long to sing but it was as though time stood still.”