Mother lay in
bed, twisting the sheet in her thin, frail
hands. It was the beginning of the Great
Depression and things couldn’t have been worse.
Daddy had been laid off from his job at the
railroad, they were struggling to make their
mortgage payments, and with four other children,
ages 8,6,4 and 1 ½, Mother was pregnant again.
This time her morning sickness seemed to last
all day. Blood tests proved she had pernicious
anemia that made her too weak to even hold her
youngest toddler.
Late
that afternoon, Mother called Daddy into the
bedroom. “I believe I’m about to miscarry, “ she
whispered hoarsely. Daddy responded as he
always did by kneeling by her bed, holding her
hand and praying fervently. In spite of
their dire circumstances, Mother and Daddy could
not bear to lose a child. It was
unthinkable. Each life was precious in the
sight of God and therefore precious to this
devout couple.
During the last year, visiting missionaries had
spoken at the church Mother and Daddy attended.
So impressed were my parents with the scope of
the missionaries’ work that they desperately
wanted to contribute to the offerings designated
for their ministries. The problem was,
they had no money. After considerable
discussion, they decided to give Mother’s gold
wedding ring toward the missionaries’ support.
It was not an easy decision, but not one they
ever regretted and which had far-reaching
effects.
Now as Mother lay on her bed, with evidence that
she might soon miscarry, she and Daddy dedicated
the unborn baby to the Lord, asking that if God
so chose, the child might one day be called to
Africa as a Christian missionary.
As the days and weeks went by, Mother passed the
crisis and their healthy baby, their fifth
child, was born. Wisely, Mother and Daddy
never told their daughter, Norma, about their
dedication until years later.
Norma was not only a strong baby physically but
grew into a strong-willed child. As a
teenager, she went through a rebellious stage
that prompted Mother and Daddy to double their
prayers for Norma. Still, they persevered
in prayer.
One day when Norma was still a teenager, she
made a life-changing decision to commit her life
to Jesus Christ. Like Saul of Tarsus,
Norma never looked back, never changed her mind
and never strayed from the path she felt God had
chosen for her. So, it was a tearful time
of thanks and praise when Norma announced to
Mother and Daddy one day that God had called her
to be a missionary to Africa. Only after
her plans were complete and Norma was sure of
her calling did Mother and Daddy tell her of
their dedication prayer before her birth.
Norma graduated from Bible College and married
her fiancé, Andy, who was also preparing for
missionary service in Africa. Arriving in
Guinea, West Africa, Andy began building
schools, churches and missionary homes while
learning the language and preaching through an
interpreter. Norma involved herself in
Bible translation and working with the native
women.
After eight years of marriage and still
childless, Norma was diagnosed with cancer.
So grave was the prognosis, that it was
determined she only had about three months to
live. Norma and Andy immediately returned
to the United States where oncologists in a New
York hospital confirmed through extensive tests
and x-rays that Norma did indeed have cancer in
her abdomen.
But before any treatment or surgery could begin,
God performed a miracle of healing in her body.
She had tenaciously held on to Psalm 118:17,18,
“I shall not die, but live, and declare the
works of the Lord. The Lord hath chastened
me sore; but he hath not given me over unto
death,” and God had honored her steadfast faith.
Returning to Africa, God blessed them with three
children born two years apart. All three
later graduated from Seminary. Two of them
returned to Africa as missionaries and the other
joined the staff of a large church in the
Northeast. Norma and Andy were able to
complete over 35 years of missionary service in
Africa before their retirement.
Mother and Daddy’s sacrificial gift of her gold
wedding band to support foreign missions would
reap great benefits. But even more, their
dedication of their unborn baby to God, their
exemplary lives and their unshakeable faith
resulted in their daughter, Norma, becoming an
outstanding missionary, wife and mother in West
Africa.
While some might have immediately accepted a
miscarriage as God’s will in desperate
circumstances, Mother and Daddy viewed it as an
opportunity for God to show His power and His
will. They entered into a covenant with God
which He abundantly honored.
The blessings of God are indeed passed on to our
children and to our children’s children.
by Mariane Holbrook
http://www.marianholbrook.com
Mariane Holbrook is a retired teacher, an author
of two books, a musician and artist. She lives
with her husband on coastal North Carolina. She
maintains a personal website
http://www.marianholbrook.com and
welcomes your Emails at
Mariane777@bellsouth.net.
