Very nice story- thanks, I must admit that one made my eyes a bit misty. I like stories that can evoke emotions. Bob Simons
For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Jer. 29:11 [EMAIL PROTECTED] ----- Original Message ----- From: "Michael Paul Johnson" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Monday, December 17, 2001 11:30 PM Subject: [RR] A Grain of Wheat -an inspirational, true story > A Grain of Wheat -an inspirational, true story > > Back in 1921, a missionary couple named David and Svea Flood went with > their two-year-old son from Sweden to the heart of Africa-to what was > then called the Belgian Congo. They met up with another young > Scandinavian couple, the Ericksons, and the four of them sought God > for direction. In those days of much tenderness and devotion and > sacrifice, they felt led of the Lord to set out from the main mission > station and take the gospel to a remote area. > > This was a huge step of faith. At the village of N'dolera they were > rebuffed by the chief, who would not let them enter his town for fear > of alienating the local gods. The two couples opted to go half a mile > up the slope and build their own mud huts. They prayed for a spiritual > breakthrough, but there was none. The only contact with the villagers > was a young boy, who was allowed to sell them chickens and eggs twice > a week. Svea Flood, a tiny woman only four feet, eight inches > tall-decided that if this was the only African she could talk to, she > would try to lead the boy to Jesus. And in fact, she succeeded. > > But there were no other encouragements. Meanwhile, malaria continued > to strike one member of the little band after another. In time the > Ericksons decided they had had enough suffering and left to return to > the central mission station. David and Svea Flood remained near > N'dolera to go on alone. > > Then, of all things, Svea found herself pregnant in the middle of the > primitive wilderness. When the time came for her to give birth, the > village chief softened enough to allow a midwife to help her. A little > girl was born, whom they named Aina. The delivery, however, was > exhausting, and Svea Flood was already weak from bouts of malaria. The > birth process was a heavy blow to her stamina. She lasted only another > seventeen days. Inside David Flood, something snapped in that moment. > He dug a crude grave, buried his twenty-seven-year-old wife, and then > took his children back down the mountain to the mission station. > Giving his newborn daughter to the Ericksons, he snarled, "I'm going > back to Sweden. I've lost my wife, and I obviously can't take care of > this baby. God has ruined my life." With that, he headed for the port, > rejecting not only his calling, but God himself. > > Within eight months both the Ericksons were stricken with a mysterious > malady and died within days of each other. The baby was then turned > over to some American missionaries, who adjusted her Swedish name to > "Aggie" and eventually brought her back to the United States at age > three. This family loved the little girl and were afraid that if they > tried to return to Africa, some legal obstacle might separate her from > them. So they decided to stay in their home country and switch from > missionary work to pastoral ministry. And that is how Aggie grew up in > South Dakota. As a young woman, she attended North Central Bible > College in Minneapolis. There she met and married a young man named > Dewey Hurst. > > Years passed. The Hursts enjoyed a fruitful Ministry. Aggie gave birth > first to a daughter, then a son. In time her husband became president > of a Christian college in the Seattle area, and Aggie was intrigued to > find so much Scandinavian heritage there. One day a Swedish religious > magazine appeared in her mailbox. She had no idea who had sent it, and > of course she couldn't read the words. But as she turned the pages, > all of a sudden a photo stopped her cold. There in a primitive setting > was a grave with a white cross-and on the cross were the words SVEA > FLOOD. Aggie jumped in her car and went straight for a college faculty > member who, she knew, could translate the article. "What does this > say?" she demanded. The instructor summarized the story: > > It was about missionaries who had come to N'dolera long ago ... the > birth of a white baby the death of the young mother ... the one little > African boy who had been led to Christ ... and how, after the whites > had all left, the boy had grown up and finally persuaded the chief to > let him build a school in the village. The article said that gradually > he won all his students to Christ... the children led their parents to > Christ... even the chief had become a Christian. Today there were six > hundred Christian believers in that one village.... All because of the > sacrifice of David and Svea Flood. > > For the Hursts' twenty-fifth wedding anniversary, the college > presented them with the gift of a vacation to Sweden. There Aggie > sought to find her real father. An old man now, David Flood had > remarried, fathered four more children, and generally dissipated his > life with alcohol. He had recently suffered a stroke. Still bitter, he > had one rule in his family: "Never mention the name of God-because God > took everything from me. After an emotional reunion with her half > brothers and half sister, Aggie brought up the subject of seeing her > father. The others hesitated. "You can talk to him," they replied, > "even though he's very ill now. But you need to know that whenever he > hears the name of God, he flies into a rage. Aggie was not to be > deterred. She walked into the squalid apartment, with liquor bottles > everywhere, and approached the seventy-three-year-old man lying in a > rumpled bed. "Papa" she said tentatively. He turned and began to cry. > "Aina," he said. "I never meant to give you away." "It's all right, > Papa," she replied, taking him gently in her arms. "God took care of > me. The man instantly stiffened. The tears stopped. "God forgot all of > us. Our lives have been like this because of him." He turned his face > back to the wall. Aggie stroked his face and then continued, > undaunted. "Papa, I've got a little story to tell you, and it's a true > one. You didn't go to Africa in vain. Mama didn't die in vain. The > little boy you won to the Lord grew up to win that whole village to > Jesus Christ. The one seed you planted just kept growing and growing. > Today there are six hundred African people serving the Lord because > you were faithful to the call of God in your life. ..."Papa, Jesus > loves you. He has never hated you. The old man turned back to look > into his daughter's eyes. His body relaxed. He began to talk. And by > the end of the afternoon, he had come back to the God he had resented > for so many decades. Over the next few days, father and daughter > enjoyed warm moments together. Aggie and her husband soon had to > return to America, and within a few weeks, David Flood had gone into > eternity. > > A few years later, the Hursts were attending a high-level evangelism > conference in London, England, when a report was given from the nation > of Zaire (the former Belgian Congo). The superintendent of the > national church, representing some 110,000 baptized believers, spoke > eloquently of the gospel's spread in his nation. Aggie could not help > going to ask him afterward if he had ever heard of David and Svea > Flood. "Yes, madam," the man replied in French, his words then being > translated into English. "It was Svea Flood who led me to Jesus > Christ. I was the boy who brought food to your parents before you were > born. In fact, to this day your mother's grave and her memory are > honored by all of us." He embraced her in a long, sobbing hug. Then he > continued, "You must come to Africa to see, because your mother is the > most famous person in our history." > > In time that is exactly what Aggie Hurst and her husband did. They > were welcomed by cheering throngs of villagers. She even met the man > who had been hired by her father many years before to carry her back > down the mountain in a hammock-cradle. The most dramatic moment, of > course, was when the pastor escorted Aggie to see her mother's white > cross for herself. She knelt in the soil to pray and give thanks. > Later that day, in the church, the pastor read from John 12:24: "I > tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and > dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many > seeds." He then followed with Psalm 126:5: "Those who sow in tears > will reap with songs of joy." > > > ___ > > Rev. Michael Paul Johnson AKA Soaring Golden Eagle <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Bible translation missionary, Evangel Bible Translators http://EvangelBible.org > Outpost 362, Mountain Creek Community Church, Dallas Texas http://mtcreek.com > http://eBible.org/mpj/ Jesus Christ is Lord! > > > _______ > This mailing list is dedicated to the glory of God. > Let the Golden Rule be your daily rule. > > Offering bucket: http://eBible.org/mpj/partner.htm > > To unsubscribe, send "unsubscribe rangernet" to [EMAIL PROTECTED] > or visit http://rangernet.org/subscribe.htm > http://rangernet.org Autoresponder: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > _______ This mailing list is dedicated to the glory of God. Let the Golden Rule be your daily rule. Offering bucket: http://eBible.org/mpj/partner.htm To unsubscribe, send "unsubscribe rangernet" to [EMAIL PROTECTED] or visit http://rangernet.org/subscribe.htm http://rangernet.org Autoresponder: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
