Yesterday Susan and I went to visit a terminally ill 73 year old woman I had visited several times before. This was to prove a most memorable visit for us as a couple.

I had several fruitless visits with Donna in the past. She had no particular interest in my Christianity or God. While she was very pleasant about it, it was clear she was far from God. The books I lent her were handed back unread and she had excuses for not reading any of them. I had almost despaired of reaching her for the Lord until yesterday. Her life had been rough to say the least. She had looked after her disabled husband for many years, had buried her son when he was only months old, buried her daughter as a young adult, and attended the funerals of her brothers and sisters. She was very much alone with difficult memories to keep her company as she quietly waited for her cancer to succeed in its lethal enterprise. I must confess that she was not bitter, only very sad about being so alone.

She had called leaving a message on our answering machine that she would appreciate a visit. Susan and I went the next day. When we arrived we found Donna sitting out on the verandah of the home where she boarded. As soon as we sat down she looked at me and asked, "Gordon, could you teach me to pray?" She wanted me to pray and she would repeat the words after me. She indicated that she was seeking the Lord and wanted to know she would be with Him when she died. I led her through a penitential prayer and she prayed the words after me most earnestly. When I was done she kept her head bowed and soon her thin voice was heard as she spoke directly to her Creator. "Dear God, You are so good, I love you and want to be with You.", she said. "I am nobody in the scheme of things, but please hear me and give me a place in your heaven. I just want to be with you. Please take me there soon, I have suffered much. Dear God You are so great and wonderful and I don't even know what to say to You, I am so humble. Please hear me, I want to be with You so much. Amen."

Susan and I had tears in our eyes as we heard this sincere and contrite expression of faith on Donna's part. We felt that we were on holy ground as we were privileged to listen in on this woman's prayer for forgiveness and acceptance by the Lord. Although we attended two church services that Sunday, we felt closer to the Lord in those few moments than we did all day Sunday.

It is such a joy and privilege to minister to pastorless people like Donna and have the joy of hearing them weep their way to the Saviour. We are humbled to be in such a position as we are with this great responsibility of declaring the unsearchable riches of Christ and knowing that in His time the increase will be given. We worked for many months with Donna and nothing happened. Then, one sunny Sunday afternoon it seemed that everything happened.

How grateful we were that we had not written her off because of her seeming lack of interest in Christian things. Now Donna has given us another assignment, "Gordon, please pray that I will go to heaven soon." She is an eager person and has assurance that God has heard her prayer and will give her heaven as her portion.

The sacrificial support that many of you give towards our expenses insures a continued ministry of hope to hurting people. Thank you for praying and being a part of what we do for the sake of our great God and Saviour. Let us rejoice in what has been done and be ambitious to see greater things done for the glory of God.