Some weeks ago, an Indian woman with her teenage daughter knocked on Judy and Raymond Law’s door one Saturday evening while they were having tea. When Judy answered the door, this woman who was so nervous she was shaking, asked Judy if she was a Christian. And when Judy said, “Yes, she was,” the Indian lady then wanted to know if they had meetings in the home!! And when Judy said, “Yes, they did have a meeting there on Sunday morning,” this woman told her an incredible story. It seems that she professed back in South Africa where they come from. She has a brother in the Work there whose name in Peter Chetty. However, she’s married now to a staunch Hindu who is opposed to the Truth and has made things so difficult for her (ripping up her Bible, etc) that it’s years since she’s actually been able to go to any meetings. She has three teenage daughters. Lately, she’s become very concerned about them feels very strongly that she needs to be setting Truth before them. She’s actually said as much to her husband who amazingly didn’t object. So every Sunday morning, this woman has been having a wee meeting with these three girls who are aged from 18 down to 13, as her husband is away playing soccer then. They’ve lived in New Zealand for 8 or 9 years, have been in the area where Laws live for about 7 years. Both she and her husband are Primary School teachers at a school in Mount Wellington where a mission was held about 8 years ago though she didn’t know that at the time, of course.
Anyway, she goes for regular walks and has always been looking out for anyone who looked as if they may be professing or for houses that didn’t have TV aerials, etc. She’d seen Judy several times mowing the lawn or gardening, and noticed that she always wore a skirt rather than trousers. She had long hair and their house had no TV aerial!! Then one Wednesday evening in the summer, when she went past, she saw a lot of cars outside. Through the window, she could see someone standing up holding a book. She was pretty sure there must be a meeting on in that home!
So for a long time, she’d been trying to pluck up the courage to go to Laws and ask them about the meetings. This particular evening, she’d taken her eldest daughter along with her so that if her own courage failed, the daughter could do the talking!! Judy invited her in. They happened to have the Sister Workers staying there, so it was great that they were there. Desiree encouraged her to just keep doing what she was doing in having the little meetings with her girls.
She and Judy have since met up to go walking, so they were able to have some good talks. One day recently, this woman took the day off work to prepare a lovely Indian lunch and invited Judy along. She also got her eldest two girls off school to come home for lunch, too.
Then about a month ago, she apparently asked Judy if it would be alright if her eldest girl came and sat in on our Sunday morning meeting. So that was arranged. We were all expecting her the next Sunday but all three of the girls turned up and have been coming every Sunday since. They’ve had about 4 or 5 meetings now and listen so respectfully and look up all the places. Judy has a Bible and hymnbook each for them. Before the meeting starts, they all sit there reading them.
Anyway two Sundays ago, along came the girls as usual. We were all so thrilled to see that they had their mother with them – such a sweet little lady no bigger than the girls and just so so happy to be there. Though she didn’t have any part, of course – she said afterwards how wonderful it was to be back in a meeting. Our second hymn was 313, “Where all is peaceful, calm and still” and she had tears running down her cheeks while we were singing it. After the meeting, she told us that her husband had found out last Sunday that the girls were coming to the meetings. He was very cross but she’d said to him that they couldn’t be in a better place. She’d gone and prayed that God would shut his mouth so that he wouldn’t upset the girls when they came home from the meeting!! Apparently, he never said a word to them about it!! He just said to his wife, “I hope you won’t be going, too!!” She said to him, “Well, why shouldn’t I go and be with my friends? You go and enjoy being with your friends on Sunday mornings.” So I don’t know if he knew that she was coming today with the girls but I guess he must have suspected she would go. He must have mellowed quite a bit from what he used to be because he knows and accepts that his wife won’t leave the house in the mornings unless she’s prayed even if it means they run late for work. He will actually wait for her. So we don’t know where the story will end – it would be wonderful if she and the girls could come to the mission but she’ll have to go slowly with her husband as she won’t want him forbidding them to go to any meetings.
She and the three girls were at the meeting again last Sunday and the mother spoke and prayed!! She didn’t take the emblems, though. She spoke at some length and was telling us that she first made her choice at the age of 13, and then some problems arose and she lost out. In the meantime, she must have grown up and married this Hindu man. For many years, she had no chance of getting back to meetings. Then they emigrated from South Africa to New Zealand. Five years ago, her mother died and she went back to South Africa for the funeral. While there, she renewed her covenant with God ( that’s how she put it when telling us this in her testimony this morning). Of course then she had to come back here to her husband. No doubt he would not have been at all happy about what she’d done. I guess it was around then that he tore up her Bible and gave her great opposition so she wouldn’t have had any chance of going to meetings, as he was too opposed.
Another thing she told us that just happened the night before – they had a house full of visitors. In spite of the fact that there were lots of people around, burglars broke into their bedroom at the back of the house while they were all right there in the front part of the home! But all that was taken were things belonging to her husband – nothing of hers was stolen even though her handbag was right there in full view. Her Bible was in it and she’s quite sure that’s what stopped the thieves looking into it!! She had some drawers with jewelry in from when she was married. She said she wouldn’t have cared if they had taken that, but even that was not touched. She sees it all as evidence that God looks after his own. She told her husband that’s why nothing of hers was touched and only his things were taken!!!
It’s really doing something for our meeting to see them coming and to hear of her wonderful faith and how God has already answered so many of her prayers. We just hope and pray that things will open up for her and the girls in future days.
Truth Archive 