All for the Best

By Stewart Dinnen

Stories of people who have joined WEC International, a Christian mission agency working all over the world to reach peoples unreached by the gospel.
Accounts of people who have advanced in their walk with God - their fears and fumblings, and their movement towards vital faith. They are rewarding stories because they are honest, down-to-earth testimonies about things that are usually left up in the air.
Originally published in print in 1988.

• Language: English
• Publisher: WEC Publications
• Release date: Feb 21, 2013
• ISBN: 9781301222315

Book preview

All For The Best

Testimonies of Christian growth

compiled by Stewart Dinnen

WEC Publications, Gerrards Cross

Smashwords edition

Copyright 1988 WEC Publications

Smashwords Edition, License Notes

Thank you for downloading this free ebook. You are welcome to share it with your friends. This book may be reproduced, copied and distributed for non-commercial purposes, provided the book remains in its complete original form. If you enjoyed this book, please return to Smashwords.com to discover other works from WEC International. Thank you for your support.

Unless otherwise stated Scripture quotations in this publication

are from The Holy Bible, New International Version,

Copyright 1973,1978, International Bible Society.

Contents

Introduction

Section 1: The End Of Me - God Takes Over

1 My desert and His oasis Martje van de Berg

2 My success or His sufficiency? Keith Bergmeier

3 My culture or His kingdom? Paul Finch

4 My good self or Jesus only? Hester Withey

5 My understanding or His revelation? Sheila Kilkenny

Section 2: Saved From Sterile Religion

6 A Christian look-alike Andy Lawrance

7 From training novitiates to planting churches Graciela Snelling

8 Sought out to be a soul-winner Rafael Vega

9 God — where are you? Creuza Santana

Section 3: God's School For Leaders

10 Strange turns on a desert road Dieter Kuhl

11 The missionary 'image' put me off Heather Wraight

12 To Brazil — and the world — with love Robert Harvey

13 Out of my puddle into His sea Mady Vaillant

Section 4: Gaining By Giving

14 It can't happen in South Sumatra Werner Jahnke

15 You don't belong to yourself Marie Dinner

16 Proving God financially Philip & Nancy Wood

17 Standing and moving in faith Matt & Margaret Paton

Section 5: Trust Under Trial

18 Sing a song in Singapore Maurice Charman

19 Learning the Lord's lessons Cecily Booth

20 Middle East marathon Alex McFarlane

21 Paper missionary Geoff McEvansoneya

22 Forty-nine years of miracles Frank Chapman

Section 6: Unlikely Candidates

23 Not planning to quit, but expecting to reap Rita Egli

24 You pray just like your mother Jenny Faulkner

25 Pruning and stretching Nan Pin Chee

26 The logical thing to do Liz Hentschel

Introduction

Stuck? Want to be moving and maturing? Or perhaps you are moving and it's so exciting you want to move faster!

If you are saying Yes to any part of that first paragraph this book could well meet your need.

It contains a number of accounts of how people have advanced in their walk with God - their fears, their fumblings, and their movement towards vital faith.

They are rewarding stories because they are honest, down-to-earth testimonies about things that are usually left up in the air. You'll be able to `get a handle' on the particular aspect of truth illustrated.

Each chapter contains vital spiritual principles. Some are highlighted for you before you move on to a new chapter, so don't rush through. Let the Spirit of truth take the principles and apply them directly and deeply to your own life.

You never grow simply by knowing. You grow when you take what you have learned and apply it with the will. In algebraic terms:

K (knowledge) + A (application) = G (growth)

The mind and the will have to be in action together, and when that happens you have the experience of being liberated by truth. Try it!

Stewart Dinen,

January 1987

Section 1

The End Of Me -

God Takes Over

1

My Desert - And His Oasis

`Martje van de Berg'

(Proper names have been altered

in the interests of security.)

Destination Desert

Fierce-looking tribesmen watched us as we landed in 'Khamzan' on a clear summer day in 1972. Stray dogs kept a safe distance. Birds of prey soared high above a dusty plain which ended in rugged mountains.

I felt as if I were entering a different world. Only the white baby coat of our one-year-old son reminded me vaguely of the clean and orderly world we had left behind. But even that memory was fleeting; the dirty airport floors had long lost their original whiteness.

We had entered a different world indeed! This was a world ruled by strong family bonds, tribal allegiances and blood feuds; a world where honour and bravery are considered higher virtues than truth, love and compassion.

We had come to set up and run a small hospital in an area devoid of any medical care. With our arrival a long-fostered dream had become true.

It wasn't long before that dream seemed completely shattered. I am embarrassed to have to admit that our problems in the first couple of years were more related to learning to work together as a mission team, than to living in a strange culture.

Our leaders were a couple with experience in the Muslim world. They were naturally anxious to see the project succeed in conservative and potentially hostile surroundings, so they left us little room to fool around. The other six of us were all new recruits, somewhat immature, critical in outlook, and rather unbroken, I'm afraid. Different cultural backgrounds, strong views, cramped living conditions and few social outlets created an ideal climate for clashes. Soon my husband and I felt ill at ease and not accepted. The fact that I was pregnant again and not feeling well increased my inability to cope. We thought back on God's guidance in our lives. Had we somehow misunderstood His direction?

Happier days in Holland

I had been a happy and secure child who loved the Lord and wanted to serve Him. As a teenager I had joined a Bible club, which provided me with a circle of Christian friends. Not only did we hike, swim, and play football on the beach, we also met every Saturday evening for Bible study, and on Sunday morning early for a prayer meeting. Deep and lasting friendships were made while we searched together to discover how we could serve the Lord.

At the age of seventeen I participated in a summer campaign organised by Operation Mobilisation. It was a revolutionary experience. A lot of my theoretical Christian knowledge became practical. It was also in OM that I was confronted with the challenge of Islam. I was sure that I was to be a missionary, and most likely among Muslims.

In my final year of grammar school I sought further direction. I had an aptitude for mathematics and science, and was interested in studying medicine, but the length of the study discouraged me somewhat. When I consulted various people I got conflicting advice. One morning I read James 1:5: If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God who gives generously to all … I took this promise, and in the wisdom I believed I had received, I decided to become a doctor, enrolling in the rather leftist University of Amsterdam.

Later I met Hans, a medical student two years my senior, who shared the same desire to serve God in the Muslim world. Even before graduation we started looking for job opportunities abroad. We approached several mission boards related to our church but found out that they had no work in the part of the world in which we were interested. In 1970 we attended a mission conference put on by various faith missions. Here the challenge of Khamzan was presented — an open door for medical professionals in a strongly Islamic country. We both knew that this was God's call to us, and this assurance grew as time went by.

Our steps were directed towards WEC International, one of the societies considering entrance into Khamzan. During the Candidate Course we became acquainted with the mission's working principles and we came to love and appreciate the praying and supportive fellowship within the WEC Family.

Seeing it through

So, we really had no reason to doubt God's clear guidance, and by God's grace we did not quit. Our home background of strong dykes, adverse winds and Calvinism helped us to stick it out!

A holiday away from the place of tension greatly helped us to see things in proper perspective. Many issues were not that important after all! I also came to see myself in a new and not too flattering light. I discovered that I was oversensitive and critical, and that the 'beam' of criticism in my own eye considerably distorted my view, both of fellow workers and of the situation.

One of WEC's international leaders came out to counsel our team, and gradually things began to work out. We learned to relate to and appreciate one another. Mutual trust was built, and fellowship restored.

After these initial problems we settled in quite well. The fierce tribespeople turned out to be warm and loyal friends, once we got to know them. As the men began to trust us, they started to bring their wives to the clinic. If a Khamzani woman fails to produce living children, her husband may divorce her, or at least take a second wife. How gratifying to help a woman have her first living baby after eight pregnancies!

We became accustomed to the fact that Khamzanis don't like to leave a patient alone in hospital. Often several relatives or friends stay with him, cooking his favourite food in the corridor and sometimes even sharing the bed with him! If the patient is a victim of blood revenge, as many as twenty or thirty armed men from his village or tribe keep watch around the hospital, turning it into a kind of fortress. Once the patient is discharged, we often get an invitation for a meal in his home. Nothing can be compared with the famous Khamzani hospitality! These visits give us opportunities to build friendships and share the gospel.

In the early days of the medical work we had to tackle anything, often with limited resources. As time went by and our facilities improved, we were able to help the patients more effectively. Life was full of challenge, and although we did not work for men's appreciation, we received plenty of it.

My personal desert

In 1977 our third child was born after a troublesome pregnancy. Little Annette was only four pounds, but right from birth she was a fighter. She made it all right! She has a great sense of humour and infectious laughter.

But by now we had become field leaders. Hans was the only full-time doctor, being on duty day and night, seven days a week. The work kept multiplying and gradually exhaustion crept in. He continued to do all he had to do but, when he finally got home at night, he had little or no energy left to contribute anything to our family life. Our different personalities started to play up. Hans is a reserved type of person, and when he gets tired he withdraws within himself and becomes very quiet. To me verbal expression is almost as much a necessity of life as breathing! I started to feel emotionally neglected. I guess I was. We tried to talk things out. We prayed about it. We started to quarrel about it! These quarrels would often leave me crying. The more I pressed Hans, the more he withdrew.

I went over the happy memories of our first love, as one looks at pictures from times long past, or places far removed. We had met during one of the summer campaigns with Operation Mobilisation. I felt much attracted to Hans quiet reserve. He seemed so strong and controlled, compared to my outgoing and rather impulsive nature. On one of the last days of that summer we went for a walk in the woods. Hans confided that he knew a great many girls (probably a bit of an overstatement, but who cares), but that he had never experienced what he felt for me. He was quite sure that the Lord wanted us to continue our lives together. I had been often 'in love' since I was fourteen and needed time to sort out my feelings. Soon I was as sure as he was, and our relationship proved durable. Halfway through my study we got married. Happy and busy years followed as Hans graduated and worked as a resident in a hospital to get more experience in the fields of internal medicine, surgery and obstetrics. When I graduated in 1971, we were the proud parents of a beautiful baby.

Together we had made our mud house in Khamzan into a home. Hans had taken some share in the care of the children to enable me to be involved in the medical work as well. We had sweated together over our first emergencies as Hans operated and I gave the anaesthetic. We had been companions in joy and laughter, in disappointment, hurt and sickness. Now our common adventure seemed to have turned against us.

A new perspective

In this dark episode God met me, not by changing the circumstances, but by changing my perspective. He showed me that I had placed myself in the centre of my thinking; I was neglected, my emotional needs were not met. But He did