Tag Archive for: Testimony

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A Special Community Group

As it is, there are many parts, but one body. The eye cannot say to the hand, ‘I don’t need you!’ And the head cannot say to the feet, ‘I don’t need you!’ On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable1 Corinthians 12:20-22

We are Forest Farm Community group, a small group of Christians based at Forest Farm, the residential home for adults with cerebral palsy, located next to the Pick ‘n Pay on William Nicol Drive and have been growing in Christ since 2009.

Our first few meetings were a little daunting and met with apprehension as you can imagine but we soon got familiar and comfortable with each other. We read and discussed the book of Nehemiah and went through ‘The Purpose Driven Life’ by Rick Warren. It was an amazing 40 Days for both parties and I got to know the small nucleus of regular attendees rather well. I realized soon afterwards that the group, which had grown to about a dozen, were hungry for God’s word so it was important to give it to them in a communication mode that was suitable to the majority of them. I started to bring DVDs to the meetings: Andy Stanley, Louie Giglio, Bill Hybels, Angus Buchan and Joyce Meyer. The more I brought, the greater their hunger for God’s word. I have become well known throughout Forest Farm by the management, staff and residents; not just our own group which now fluctuates between 15 and 20 attendees…. Glory to our Lord!

As a group, we talk of how we can be a blessing to others by using simple examples such as caring for their friends, talking to and supporting them, making a cup of tea for them when they are down, pushing their wheelchairs or sometimes just a smile. We have built up such a great relationship that we can confide and trust in each other at all times.

This part of my life’s journey has been challenging and at first I wondered why I was prompted to take it on. Through the years I have realized that, as we all have a purpose in life according to God, I see this as part of my calling. I left my homeland many years ago, got married and have a fantastic wife and two wonderful children – one a ‘special needs’ child – but both a blessing to us! Jason has been and continues to be a challenge to us both but without God in our lives, we would never have coped.

The experience I have gained by ministering to this group and the unconditional love flowing in and through them has helped me cope with some of the difficulties that I have faced with Jason and it has brought my own son closer to God in his own way.

I continue to think of Genesis 12 v 3 – I have been Blessed by God and I can only continue to be a Blessing to others in Forest Farm through His name.

The Apostle Paul, in Romans 5:3-5, says that we should “rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perserverance; perserverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out His love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.”

The group do have disabilities and are different in many ways but share the same passion as you and I – for the Love of Jesus Christ!

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Justin Tamlin

The Greatest Gift of All

On August, 20th, 2002 (10 years ago), I was involved in a car accident when a driver crashed into my driver’s door at around 90km/h. I was trapped in my car for three hours and unable to walk for 10 months. I wrote this a few months after my accident …

This morning I woke up and discovered a 29 year old man in my bed. I was about as shocked as you are, until I remembered it was my birthday.

Today I was given the best gift I have ever received. It’s actually a gift I have been given every single year for 28 years. This was the first year I actually stopped long enough to notice it, examine it and revel in it. This year I noticed the gift of life! 

I think what caught my eye this year was the way in which this gift was wrapped so differently from previous years. It was wrapped in the shredded metal of a car accident 104 days ago. It was wrapped in the flashing lights and sirens of pain. It was wrapped in the wet glaring eyes of a wife and family on the side of a dark road. It was wrapped in the dim lights and shrieks of ICU. It is a gift wrapped with staples and pins and four operations and put in a constricting cast for 3½ months.

God has given me the gift of life for another day. All I have is this moment. Every fragment of creation is shouting God’s majesty. Every flower, every sunset, every rain drop displays God’s signature. It is a gift to be alive. It is as though my senses have been opened to what’s been there all along and gone unnoticed. The gift of sight, the gift of hearing music, the gift of tasting flavours, the gift of walking and running, the gift of sleep, the gift of a relaxing bath. Amazing gifts are all around us, indescribable presents to elicit gratitude reveal themselves the minute we step out of bed. But we stumble past them without a glance. We’ve wrapped them in foolish notions of “I’m invincible”, “I’m young”, “I have tomorrow”, “I have a whole lifetime” and “Not today!” 

If I’m honest my 29 years feel more like 29 light years. I feel so far away from where I started and it’s all happened so quickly. But the trauma of near death and disability has thrown open the gates of understanding and appreciation of life like never before. Come to think of it, I think I had an even greater disability before the accident – I didn’t realise I celebrated a birthday every day! 

What a birthday . . . what a God . . . what a gift!

 

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Irene Robinson

Adoptive Families

I was sceptical at first. Although I didn’t say it, I was thinking things like: “you haven’t given yourselves enough time to fall pregnant before considering adoption,” “don’t rush into it,”  “have you tried this or that procedure?”, “it’s scary adopting, you don’t know what you’ll get,” “it’s a life time commitment.”

We were sitting opposite each other at her place of work as she shared her experience of trying to fall pregnant in the few years she and her husband had been married. She had just ordered a book called “Adopted for Life” which had been an inspiration to her brother on the adoption of his second child. She shared some of the thinking in this book by Dr Russell Moore. My scepticism gradually moved to intrigue. I don’t remember ever hearing “adoption” considered in the way Dr Moore wrote about it.

“Adoption is about an entire culture within our churches, a culture that sees adoption as part of our Great Commission mandate and as a sign of the gospel itself.” Adopted for Life, Dr Russell Moore

A few days later when Dr Moore’s book arrived, my friend loaned me her copy. As I read the opening chapter to Leigh we were both moved to tears.

Leigh and I invited a few families in our church who in recent years had chosen the adoption route to our home for Sunday lunch. As they shared their personal journey with adoption my admiration for each person’s compassion and love for their children grew. Each one’s story was different and very personal. Let me introduce them to you.

Having a mother who worked at Princess Alice Adoption Home for 26 years, Lucille Gerry has been exposed to abandoned children for much of her life. As children, she and her sister, Carol-Anne (who adopted 4 children of her own), helped at Princess Alice, feeding and playing with the babies. Working at Starfish also made Lucille very aware of the vast numbers of children without parents and saw many 2 year olds looking after babies. When Lucille and Billy married, they chose to adopt rather than have their own children. Both their daughters, Sarah, now aged 4, and Hannah, 2, were abandoned at birth. Lucille is relieved that both girls have similar backgrounds so that there is no comparison or feelings of inferiority because one may have had a “better” start to her life. The Gerry’s got Sarah from Baby Haven and Hannah through a Roodepoort Child Welfare social worker.

 

Ashlea and Ralph Martin always felt that adoption was a good idea so decided to have one biological child and then adopt. But while Ashlea was helping at Thula Baba, then one of Rosebank’s Rays of Hope projects, she met and fell in love with Christi who was 3 weeks old at the time. When Christi was 3 years old, Ashlea met Thuli who was from Tsolofelo Baby Sanctuary. Once again, Ashlea fell in love with Thuli who was so tiny and very under developed. Both Ashlea and Ralph are career musicians and are thrilled that both girls share their love of music and are themselves very musical.

 

In Gael and George Gilchrist’s situation, God used infertility to get their attention. As Gael said “Adoption came from the heart of God. He gently spoke the possibility into our hearts and slowly kindled an excitement and anticipation as the idea became a reality.” Gael has made available an honest and beautifully written account of their movement from believing they would have their own biological children to embracing the idea that God puts families together in many different ways. As Gael so eloquently told us “All hardship can draw us to God or alienate us further…the choice is ours. We decided to draw nearer.” If you would like to read Gael’s full story, just email her at gaelgilchrist1@gmail.com and request a copy.

Gael and George were thoroughly screened and eventually accepted to be adoptive parents. Unlike the other stories of adoption, Joshua was chosen for them; they did not choose him. But they loved him from the moment they met him in February 2012. He was 6 months old at the time and had spent his entire life at Impilo.

 

Charles and Louise Pitt have two children, Jenna (14) and Matthew (12). About 6 years ago, Charles and subsequently Jenna, who was 8 at the time, began thinking that adoption might be a possibility for their family. Louise was terrified. They as a family then became involved in Hotel Hope, a home dedicated to rescuing abandoned children and AIDS orphans. See their website www.hotelhope.com. When they met Phindle who is now 3, she chose the Pitts to be her “forever family”. Although they’re only in the beginning stages of the adoption process, Phindle, is well and truly part of the family.

 

 

 

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Irene Robinson

Deep Faith: Taryn’s Story

Who is Taryn?

Up until Sunday morning, 27th February, most of us at Rosebank Union Church didn’t know her. But on that day, at the 8:00 service, Leigh read a letter she had written, introducing herself and explaining why she wished to be baptized. Her story was read again at the 10:00 service. By the end of the morning, hundreds of people knew Taryn and have begun praying for her and her family. 

I was one of those people who had never met Taryn although I was aware of her situation because of Leigh’s contact with her. Since that Sunday, I think about her, pray for her and tell others about her. 

Here is what Leigh read before he and her dad, Peter Durham, carried her from her wheel chair into the waters of baptism.

“Good morning. My name is Taryn Dickinson. Up until two years ago many would have described my life as blessed. I was born into a big and beautiful family with parents who loved me and sisters who still to this day remain my best friends. As a little girl I attended Sunday school at Rosebank Union Church. We grew up knowing the Lord and as a young adult I accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and Saviour. Life was good. I married the love of my life, we travelled the world and lived and worked overseas. God blessed us with a beautiful healthy baby girl, Tess, followed by her equally beautiful and healthy baby brother, Campbell. Life was a bed of roses and we hadn’t come across one thorn…

Tarryn's Baptism

“As Christians we know that storms will come and that our faith will be tested but often we get swept up in day-to-day living without giving a moment of thought to how we will equip ourselves when the storm finally hits. My brother and sister-in-law lived in Bermuda for a time and every so often they would be given fair warning of approaching hurricanes. They would prepare themselves and their home. They would huddle with their little girl in the bath with a mattress covering them while the storm raged outside. They were prepared and protected as best they could be. They didn’t open their doors and go outside to observe the forces of nature. That would have been reckless and irresponsible. I’m using this analogy because I was that person who went out into the storm, ill-equipped. The weather was wonderful so why prepare for a storm?

“Two and a half years ago, a few months after the birth of my son, I started noticing weakness in my fingers. I was fit and healthy so naturally these signs were noticeable. I brushed it off and put it down to a pinched nerve. Symptoms progressed at an alarming rate and despite visits to several neurologists, scans, invasive testing and in-depth investigation of my symptoms, my doctors were unable to diagnose my condition. Finally after 3 months, my husband and I sat in yet another doctor’s waiting room as grief consumed us while being told that I had Motor Neuron Disease, also known as ALS, a rare, degenerative disease that mainly destroys the body’s muscular neurotransmitters. In one sentence I was given 2 to 3 years to live. Thoughts of an empty chair at my daughter’s wedding table, missing my son’s sports games, birthdays, graduations and all those wonderful privileges that come with being a mom threatened to overcome me. I was drowning in sorrow as I turned to the only One I knew could bring me out of this…God.

Tarryn Dickinson“With a strong, supportive, praying family, we asked God to give us all courage, strength and the greatest faith in the midst of such a calamity. He has not only answered our prayers but given me so much more, a peace that not even I understand, family and friends who continue to amaze me with their love, kindness and support. Over the past two years I have lost most of the use of my left arm, my legs and my speech but regardless of my weakening body my faith and my walk with Him grows stronger every day.

“Today I am incredibly privileged to be able to show and share with each one of you, my Rosebank Union Church family, and my Lord and Saviour, this outward show of my deep faith.”

Why am I sharing Taryn’s story with you? Because she is someone worth knowing even if it’s just through this blog. As she’s become weaker and weaker, her faith has become stronger and stronger.

I’ve just finished reading Mark Buchanan’s latest book, “Spiritual Rhythm” where he tells the story of a fellow in his church called Clarence. I want to quote a short section that Mark wrote about Clarence, replacing his name with Taryn’s.

“The only thing she does in the church now is show up, which is a major feat in itself. Taryn is learning the secret of abiding. She’s practicing a tenacious dependency on Christ every day, every moment. In this wintertime of her life, when she can do very little, she’s experiencing her greatest closeness with Jesus. Her life is taking the shape of a prayer. If prayer, as Revelation 5 tells us, is incense in the throne room of God, then Taryn’s days are pure fragrance.”

Listen to Taryn’s Testimony

CLICK HERE to listen to a recording of Leigh Robinson reading Taryn’s testimony on the occasion of her baptistm

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Irene Robinson

Ed & Ros Thomas

I love talking about people. Anybody who knows me well will tell you that. For some time now I’ve gotten to know a couple, Ed and Ros Thomas, and I can’t wait to tell you about them.

Ed & Ros ThomasEd and Ros, 59 and 61 respectively, have raised three amazing children who are all happily married. While Ed grew up in an atheistic environment, Ros grew up in a missionary home.

After searching for the meaning to life which led him down many paths, Ed became a believer in Christ when he was in his mid-twenties. Ros saw her parents live by faith and learned to live this way herself at a very young age.

After becoming a Christian, Ed thought it would be a good idea to look for a life partner. After going out with 16 different girls in the space of a year, which he found very draining to say the least, he decided to put the matter into God’s hands. 

His hunger to grow in his faith and learn the Bible led him to participate in the Emmaus Bible Correspondence Course which was handled by Terry Dunn, Ros’ father. It was then that Ed met Ros. He heard that she was visiting old people in Hillbrow, so went along to help. As they spent time together, they realized they shared a similar desire to give themselves to help those in need.

It was a whirlwind courtship – they met in July, were engaged in September and got married in the following December. Two very different people from very different backgrounds with very different gifts came together, and for the past 36 years have significantly impacted the lives of thousands of people.

For the past 15 or more years, Ed has visited South African prisons every second weekend, Bible in one hand, myriad pens, musical instruments and books (as requested by the prisoners) in the other. He has seen armed robbers and murderers transformed into law-abiding citizens who run honest businesses outside the prison gates—so much of it because of their own personal study of the Bible.

Ed is passionate about getting as many people as possible to study the Bible. To do this he uses and promotes the Emmaus Bible Correspondence School courses which are FREE. He’s put together a sheet which tells the reader all about it, answering any questions they may have and detailing the course material. Emmaus Bible School is a worldwide Bible correspondence ministry www.emmausbibleschool.co.za which is available to anyone anywhere. Ed has distributed more than 50,000 of these information sheets and has remarkable stories of the effect of the Word of God in the lives of people. It’s truly inspiring to listen to him talk about the power of the Scriptures.

Ros has the most compassionate nature and heart for people that I have ever seen. This has led her to open up and run guest houses. At one time she ran three simultaneously!

It all started when a teenager with problems came to live with them. As word got out that the Thomas’ cared for and loved people, others of all ages came to stay. From 1999 to 2006, they hosted students from language lab where teenagers and adults from all over the world came to learn English. Ros keeps an album with their photos and details.

Then the need for a safe house for drug addicts became apparent. This turned out to be both draining and challenging but at the same time they also saw the power of Christ transform lives. Ros’ love and nurture approach combined with Ed’s support for these broken individuals, make the couple a formidable team. In addition to the safe house, they meet a very real need by providing seven stunning studio apartments for singles.

Ed and Ros rarely come to church together. They make it a habit to invite their tenants to church and they provide the means to get them there. We often watch Ros walk to her favorite place to sit in church with two, four or sometimes even six people following her. Shortly after, Ed arrives with a few more. Many of their ‘guests’ have become Christians as a result of Ros and Ed’s commitment to bringing them to church.

Ed and Ros are nearing retirement but the couple shows no signs of stopping, or even slowing down for that matter. Ed has taken early retirement from his work as an accountant with the City of Johannesburg, they have gotten their affairs in order, are renting out their houses, and will be flying to Thailand at the end of April to take their ministry a step further – taking the gospel of Jesus Christ to the people of this great country.

What an amazing couple! What an amazing story.

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Irene Robinson

Pick ‘n Eat Pavements

We all have a few “defining moments” in our life time that contribute significantly to the kind of person we become. A defining moment is an experience that happens in our daily life that affects us deeply.

Denise O'CallaghanDenise O’Callaghan who has been around Rosebank Union Church for many years had one of those defining moments when she was working as an au pair in Paris in the middle 60s. Coming from a privileged home in South Africa, she never questioned the apartheid way of life. As a young person, away from home and very homesick, she was determined to attend a Miriam Makeba concert so she could have some connection with home. She met Miriam personally and so began a wonderful relationship between a young white South African girl and a great star in exile from her home country. Something significant happened in Denise’s heart. Miriam was kind, gracious and generous towards Denise, and Denise began to see people of colour as being the same as her although different in culture and appearance.

When Denise was in her mid twenties and a wife and mother, the next defining moment happened. Her husband became a believer in Christ and Denise reacted very negatively towards him and the other Christians she met. She went kicking and screaming to house meetings making a scene whenever she was around other Christians. At one of the house meetings, in the depths of emptiness, she had a vision of Jesus. He was leaning towards her with his arms outstretched, all knowing, all understanding, all forgiving. Before she knew it, she was standing up, arms held high, praising the Lord, utterly unaware of her surroundings. The Denise who walked into that meeting was not the Denise who walked out. That was 38 years ago and she’s never been the same since. Those two defining moments have contributed towards the person Denise is and the passion she has.

Denise continues to be excited about the volunteer teaching she does to Grade 10 (Life Skills) and Grade 11 (English) students at Roseact Saturday School in Alexandra Township on Saturday mornings. (For more information about this great ministry, contact Louise Cameron at louise@ruc.org.za or 073 303 3021).

Motivated by the biblical principle that we are to take care of the less fortunate (Matthew 25:37-41), Denise has been growing vegetables (tomatoes, beans, spinach, gem squash, chillies, green peppers) out side her property in Parktown North for the past 5 years. These vegetables are made available for passers-by to help themselves as they are en route to the taxi rank or bus. She calls her unique brain child, “Pick ‘n Eat Pavements” and is hoping that the concept will grow.

To keep others from taking everything for themselves, Denise has added these words to her sign “Pick what you need but please leave some for your brother.” It’s a principle right out of Deuteronomy 23:25 where God says “You may pluck a few heads of your neighbour’s grain by hand, but you may not harvest it with a sickle.” What profound wisdom! What a wonderful way to fulfil Matthew 25:40 “Inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it for me.”

Well done Denise!

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Irene Robinson

The Garwood Story

The GarwoodsThe year was 1998. The day was 20 May. It was a day we will never forget. My husband, Leigh, received a phone call from Olivedale Clinic to say that a young couple in our church had just given birth to their first child and there were serious complications.

Leigh rushed to the hospital to find that Nicholas, who had been born prematurely, had suffered distress as the umbilical cord was wrapped around his neck. His left eye had not developed fully in the early stages of pregnancy. Subsequently as a baby he had an expander inserted to help grow the socket in which his prosthetic eye now fits.

Kevin and Cheryl were told later that their son had a serious brain injury and he was eventually diagnosed with Athetoid cerebral palsy with spasticity. Simply explained, this is a condition where the brain can’t send the correct messages to the muscles. The Garwoods were told to put their son in a home and to get on with their lives as Nicholas would never walk, talk or be educated. This they refused to do. Nicholas already had a home and they were not going to give up on him.

And so began their journey as new parents trying to figure out how best to give Nicholas the life that God designed for him.

The Garwoods found an American home-based therapy programme to help with Nicholas’ development in the first few years. Kevin gave up his career to take care of Nicholas full time and through home schooling Nicholas has now completed Grade 3. He’s improved remarkably.

In April 2009, Kevin watched a video clip called “My Redeemer Lives” which showed an American father, Dick Hoyt (69), participating in an Ironman event with his disabled son, Rick (48). (www.teamhoyt.com)

Nicholas & Kevin

“I burst into tears when I saw it. As a father one of my biggest dreams was to one day be there for my son and support him in sporting events. I could never do that. When I saw this video, I realised there was a way to compete with my son,” recalled Kevin.

And so began their courageous sporting journey as Team Garwood. It’s been a journey filled with obstacles, but it’s been amazing and inspiring at the same time.

They started out by participating as a family in the Discovery 702 Walk the Talk in July 2009, walking 8 km. Kevin sourced a small jogging buggy from Canada, called a Wike, which conveniently can be used as a trailer too. Kevin’s Bible study group was helpful in rallying together all sorts of assistance and equipment that he might require on this athletic journey. They’ve steadily progressed to running, cycling and swimming and have now done a number of triathlons. Nicholas accompanies Kevin on all three legs of the triathlon. In the swimming section, Nicholas is in a kayak tethered to his dad’s waist. For the cycling part, Kevin hooks Nicholas’s “jogging trailer” to his bike pulling him and for the running leg of the race, Kevin pushes Nicholas in the Wike.

NicholasThe Wike weighs about 15 kg and Nicholas another 30 kg. Add that to Kevin’s own weight and the weight of his bike, and it’s remarkable that they even finish these races. It has taken lots of training, self discipline and perseverance for Kevin to be able to do all this. To get an idea of what’s ahead of them and to prepare for next year, Kevin will be doing the full Iron Man by himself in Port Elizabeth on 25 April 2010.

“It’s phenomenal what it has done for Nicholas. We can see a change in his personality, his speech is more fluent and he has a memory of note,” says his mom, Cheryl. She has supported this father/son duo in all their events and has recorded their amazing journey in a beautiful scrapbook. For those who attend Rosebank, ask the Garwoods to show you their scrapbook.

For those on Facebook, go to “Team Garwood” to get full updates and reports on their activities and races with photos.

Truly the Garwood story is inspiring. Proverbs 13:12 says that “When dreams come true, there is life and joy.” You just have to look at the faces of Nicholas and Kevin to see that life and joy.

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Leigh Robinson

A Wonderful Car Crash!

Would you think of describing your conversion to Christ as “a wonderful car crash?” It is true that some conversions are quiet and gradual. You don’t know the time of your spiritual birth; you just know you’re alive! That’s what counts. But others experience a more definite, sometimes dramatic, conversion. In my last blog I told you about Louise coming to Jesus after twenty-five years of prayer. Here’s a bit of her story:

“I left the (morning) service in a daze. Something was happening to me. I was elated, excited, joyous. I told Tim I had found a great church, and went back for the evening service. As soon as it started, I realised that all the hymns we were singing, all the words being spoken, all the Bible passages being read, were all speaking to me loud and clear. It was as if I had previously witnessed all church related things in Russian! Every question I thought was being answered, specifically, by the Pastor almost immediately, and I was overwhelmed, and then I began to weep and weep, and I was filled with the Holy Spirit. Thank you Lord. I wept that Jesus has been quietly tapping me on the shoulder all these years, and I never turned to greet him. I was ashamed, and joyous, and a million things all at once, including embarrassed, as I am not one for being openly emotional, and I found it excruciating! When the penny drops, and you let the Lord in, the power of the Holy Spirit taking up residence is something akin to a wonderful car crash!”

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” (2 Corinthians 5:17)

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