When All the Saints Come Marching In: Chronicles of an Unknown Saint

By Rita Edkins

Do you sometimes think: is this it? Shouldnt there be more to my life than this? Is there perhaps a unique plan and purpose for my life that I have not explored? This book can be an awakening for you. This book was written as a call and cry for those who desire a meaningful and fulfilled life, filled with joy and sheer determination to be more than just about me. To seek the plan and unique personal intention behind a life that can be well lived.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Partridge Publishing Africa
• Release date: Apr 13, 2015
• ISBN: 9781482806847

Rita Edkins

The journey of dependence from people pleaser to liberation.

Book preview

Copyright © 2015 by Rita Edkins.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

www.partridgepublishing.com/africa

Contents

Declaration

Foreword

A Tribute To June Gaffley. 2 June 1929 – 27 November 2008.

Commencement

The Heavenly Vision    Chapter One

Stunted    Chapter Two

Misunderstood    Chapter Three

What About You, Lady?    Chapter Four

The Audience Of One    Chapter Five

Flying Solo    Chapter Six

Leave Your Country!    Chapter Seven

The Junior Holy Spirit    Chapter Eight

The Beauty Of His Grace    Chapter Nine

Hullo?! Can Somebody, Anybody Hear Me?    Chapter Ten

Camouflaged Graves    Chapter Eleven

Standing At The Crossroads    Chapter Twelve

Conclusion

Scripture quotations marked AMP are from The Amplified Bible, Old Testament copyright © 1965, 1987 by the Zondervan Corporation. The Amplified Bible, New Testament copyright © 1954, 1958, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked KJV are from the Holy Bible, King James Version (Authorized Version). First published in 1611. Quoted from the KJV Classic Reference Bible, Copyright © 1983 by The Zondervan Corporation.

Scripture quotations marked MSG are taken from THE MESSAGE. Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003 by Eugene H. Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group.

Scripture quotations marked NIV are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®. NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked NLT are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

This book is dedicated to my children, Mary-Ann and Paul

-Whom I disappointed often -

But loved always

Bible study notes and devotionals I have used the most are:

Every Day with Jesus – Written originally by Selwyn Hughes and revised by Mick Brooks. Distributed through CWR

Closer to God – Scripture Union. South Africa

Devotional – Smith Wigglesworth 1999

My Utmost for His Highest – Oswald Chambers and revised by James Reiman 2000

Various Devotionals by – Nina Smit

Inspiring Women Every Day – Various Authors and Distributed through CWR

Pursuit of His Presence – Kenneth & Gloria Copeland 1998

Most Read Authors

Max Lucado

Phillip Yancey

Selwyn Hughes

Charles Swindoll

Robert A. Morey

Peter Hammond

Michael Youssef

Joyce Meyer

These and many others have assisted me so very much in my personal spiritual journey and I thank you all for your writings.

Bible verses have been quoted from a variety of versions and are quoted according to my journals as I wrote them. I enjoy using various interpretations. Praise God for His Word to us all. Read the Bible!

DECLARATION

I have journalled since 1979. Wherever possible I have given credit to people, places or events. Mostly however I have simply jotted down what deeply touched me and added to my spiritual walk, and to my freedom in Christ. Many of my stories came to me second-hand and perhaps even third-hand and I have no recollection of their origin. If my use of words or tracts have offended any saint reader, I urge that you forgive me. The true intention of this book is simple – to encourage a closer and more intimate relationship with Jesus Christ.

I gratefully remember all who encouraged me after reading my first book: Crumbs from the Master’s Table. I remember with gratitude family and friends who urged me to continue writing and to continue sifting through my journals and notes in order to ‘complete’ this book. You are co-labourers to this work.

I am thankful to Marion Smith who edited this book, to Nola Shaw who drew me back always to continue writing, to my fellow Israel travellers who became firm friends and encouragers – Ria Lourens, Christine Mcmeekin and Cheryl Neizel.

Above all I praise God because He sticks closer than a brother and in whose hands we are able to receive the power to be blessed, healed and restored.

FOREWORD

T he writer has clearly sketched her path to the realisation of getting involved in the spiritual depth of a true believer’s path and to become established in His devotion and the realisation of the depth of His Word as stated in John 18 as well as in Isaiah 49.

In her process of waiting patiently and of eventually signing up to be a comrade in His army, she received the peace she had longed for. In her walk to fulfilment – distractions created doubt, but as we all should and as she did, she took her doubts to her Lord in prayer and remained in constant consultation with her Lord.

Be encouraged to read and to re-read until you yourself have realised the depth of the personal message in His word for each one of us. I encourage you to also be equally honest and to open your life to the Lord fully. I implore you to read and to re-read this book alongside His book, until the light experienced by the writer is revealed to you, and be free. I too want only to walk in the light of the Lord – where there is no darkness.

June Gaffley. November 2007.

A TRIBUTE TO JUNE GAFFLEY.

2 JUNE 1929 – 27 NOVEMBER 2008.

I t was our Headmaster’s birthday. Our school loved his birthday because we always got a half-day! We would finish school at second recess and were allowed to go home. No extra-mural activities and no homework for the scholars. For us as a staff, we knew there would be cakes for tea! As a relatively new member of staff, this was a memorable day because it was the first time that I met the Headmaster’s wife, June. I met her in the corridor as she proceeded towards the staffroom and I was on my way to the office. We exchanged smiles and continued on our way, each to their task and destination.

I noticed a basket in her hand, filled with various items and a few odd bits of flowers and foliage. I remember thinking how lovely it was going to be to have a little floral contribution to the table of cakes. A little something to brighten the room on this special day. On my way back to the classroom, passing the staffroom, I glanced inside the room and the Headmaster’s wife was chatting to the ‘tea lady’ who was enjoying a happy conversation with much laughter.

When the bell rang for recess, I entered the staffroom and stopped dead in my tracks. The normally dull, rather dreary, business-like room, had been transformed. The odd bits of flowers and foliage and the other items in her basket, had given the room an instant make-over. I remember thinking: only a very talented and resourceful, gifted person, could do so much for a room with so little. I expressed my delight, we introduced ourselves and that was the first of many, many meetings with June Gaffley.

We shared the same passion: Our Lord Jesus Christ. We both wanted to know Him more and we both wanted to make Him known. We met over many a cup of tea, or two or more cups of tea. We gleaned the Scriptures together, we prayed together and we sang together. June was a worshipper. She oozed the love of Jesus and got excited about ministry opportunities and spent many hours visiting the sick, the sad and the lonely. Sometimes I was privileged to go with her. June became my closest friend. June never hesitated to lovingly correct me, encourage me or forgive me. Ours was an open, honest, deep friendship. A rare find in these times of self.

June also became a true family friend and June played a huge role in a healing miracle as well as the salvation of my darling husband, Brian. One evening when we were in the kitchen making chips, Brian got severely burnt with boiling cooking oil. As the oil scorched his side, the inner side of his arm, leg and foot, I jumped around helplessly not really knowing what to do while his flesh burned. After removing his shoe and his sock and his shirt and having applied cold water drenched towels, I got him into the car and rushed him to hospital where he was immediately admitted to begin receiving treatment. Brian lay in hospital for three weeks, enduring much agony and his recovery was very slow. It was June who showed up regularly to visit him. Brian used to say: I love June’s visits, she bubbles with joy and makes me laugh. He always loved it when she prayed for him.

Brian was released to come home, but the wound on his side was not responding to the very costly treatment. I changed the dressings twice a day and we made him as comfortable as we could. Eventually our doctor said that he would need extensive skin grafts. He told us this on a Friday afternoon and said he would make a final decision as well as the necessary arrangements when we brought him in on the Monday morning. We were both distraught, not to mention distressed, as we did not know how we would pay for the surgery and we were concerned about the pain and healing of such a procedure.

On the Sunday after church, June arrived to visit with some of our friends from our beloved Methodist church. After tea and some chatting, we all gathered around Brian’s bed and prayed and anointed him with oil. After our prayers, they all left and our family got on with the day. That night, at exactly one o’ clock, Brian woke up and clearly remembered how very quiet and still it was in the room. He just lay very still and thought about what the next morning, Monday, would bring. Then he began to feel a very strange sensation underneath the bandages and dressings covering his wounds. I remember him telling me that it was actually quite painful. He said that it felt like insects crawling into his skin. Despite this, he just lay dead still until the sensation left. He said that he just felt at peace and went back to sleep.

The next morning I took Brian to the doctor. He opened up the wound so that he could make his decision concerning the commencement of the skin grafts. He stepped back