Music
Jesus keep me near the cross.
As a young girl I lived with my two brothers and my parents (who were missionaries) in a little asbestos house, which was the Church manse in Adelaide South Australia. My Father was the Pastor of a small AOG.
My Mother, always having the work of the Lord on her heart, started a Sunday school class in our home, which meant I had to round up the neighbourhood children for a Bible lesson and chorus singing every Sunday morning. (Church was in the afternoon)
Mum had a peddle organ which was going out of fashion even then, but she made that organ and all of us sing. One day Mother asked me to play one hymn for that little Sunday school group. I had never played before in front of a group and although I was taking a few lessons, progress was slow. But I will never forget that first time (playing for the Sunday school) because somehow I managed to play the hymn almost flawlessly and I’m sure the Lord helped me. I certainly became aware of the wonderful words of that beautiful hymn by Fanny Crosby. It became one of my favourites — Near the cross.
Jesus keep me near me near the cross
There a precious fountain,
Free to all, a healing stream
Flows from Calvary's mountain.
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Chorus – In the Cross, in the Cross, be my glory ever.
Till my raptured soul shall find Rest beyond the river.
Chorus – In the Cross, in the Cross, be my glory ever.
Till my raptured soul shall find Rest beyond the river.
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Near the Cross, a trembling soul
Love and mercy found me,
There the bright and morning Star
Shed its beams around me.
Near the Cross, a trembling soul
Love and mercy found me,
There the bright and morning Star
Shed its beams around me.
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Near the Cross! O Lamb of God
Bring its scenes before me,
Help me walk from day to day
With its shadow o'e.r me.
Near the Cross! O Lamb of God
Bring its scenes before me,
Help me walk from day to day
With its shadow o'e.r me.
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Near the Cross I'll watch and wait
Hoping, trusting ever,
Till I reach the golden strand
Just beyond the river.
-----------------------------
A few years later (when I was in my teens) Mum, Dad and I left Australia for New Guinea. Dad was specifically asked to teach the Christian natives of New Guinea about the 'Gifts of the Spirit.’ The first meeting held inland was at Maprik. All the Missionaries and some native Christians from the surrounding area came to Maprik Mission Station to hear Dad preach. I remember that he spoke a simple message about the Holy Spirit and the need to have a clean heart.
That night the power of God fell on the group. Many were touched – shaking, weeping and praying as they received that glorious gift of tongues. The wonderful thing about it was that there were exactly two people from each of the five Mission Stations represented, who received the gift.
Next morning we woke to hear a woman crying and screaming. Apparently her husband was at the meeting – he had been living in secret sin and fell under deep conviction. He went home that night but couldn’t sleep so around midnight when he could stand it no longer he ran around the whole village confessing his sins of adultery. The Missionaries of course, then shared the Gospel with them and counselled the couple.
A few days later my parents and I travelled on to have meetings at another Mission Station. On the Sunday morning people started to arrive for church but many more came than was usual. The Church was packed to overflowing. The missionary thought that people must have heard there were new missionaries in the area. (It was a little nerve wracking to me because in those days {1959} the natives often came half naked and armed with their very long spears etc.) The chief told us that word had gotten out about the man in Maprik who fell under conviction and confessed his sins. They concluded that my Dad must be a very powerful man and they wanted to hear what he had to say. I believe that is how the move of God started in New Guinea because for the next five years or so, the Church just absolutely mushroomed. I don’t know the statistics but literally thousands of people came to Jesus for forgiveness and to get right with God. Hundreds of Churches grew up all over the place in a very short time. Later my two brothers and their wives joined the missionary team and I left for Bible College in Australia.
I witnessed those wonderful times as a young teenager but I was very lonely because there was no-one my age among the missionary children that I could relate to. I did much work in New Guinea like baby-sitting the missionaries children, teaching children/adults to read English, teaching women how to sew by hand, playing the accordion at the meetings and occasionally giving Bible lessons. During those times the Lord spoke to me about serving Him.
I had taken only a very few piano accordion lessons in Australia before arriving in New Guinea but I had grasped the basic’s. My mother didn’t have to tell me to practice in New Guinea because often there was no one to socialise with, so I occupied myself by trying to play the accordion. One day whilst practising I became aware of the powerful words to the song I was playing. It was about the love of God and as I was playing the tears flowed down my cheeks as they often do whilst in the Lord’s presence. I rededicated my life to the Lord that day and asked Him to help me play the accordion and promised to play for Him wherever I go. I have since played in countless meetings and the accordion has often come in handy at home groups. Here is the song. —
THE LOVE OF GOD
The love of God is greater far, than tongue or pen can ever tell.
It goes beyond the highest star and reaches to the lowest Hell.
The guilty pair, bowed down with care, God gave His Son to win.
His erring child He reconciled and pardoned from his sin.
--------------
Oh love of God how rich and pure
How measureless and strong.
It shall for evermore endure
the saints, the angels song.
-------------------
Could we with ink the ocean fill, or were the sky of parchment made.
Were every stalk on earth a quill and every man a scribe by trade.
To write the love of God above would drain the ocean dry,
Nor could the scroll contain the whole though stretched from sky to sky.
---------------
Another time my Father was asked to take care of the small work in the remote Sepik area. I saved a blind woman’s life at that time. A crocodile had attacked her and she had sustained sever gashes to her leg. She somehow came to me to get her wounds dressed every day for several weeks as there were no hospitals that she could go to, no bandages for sale and no medicine and wounds easily got infected in the hot climate.
One day my Mother asked me to give a Bible lesson at the only public school in the whole of the Sepic Area. We had to cross the deep, mile wide, crocodile infested Sepik River in a small canoe fitted with an outboard motor to get to our destination. I remember preparing the study on – ‘Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem’ about the palm waving etc. I studied much that day and read more Scriptures than was required for the study. I read about Jesus’ command to – "Go ye into all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature." My heart was touched again and it was then that I felt the call to study at the AOG Bible School in Brisbane when I turned eighteen.
Near the Cross I'll watch and wait
Hoping, trusting ever,
Till I reach the golden strand
Just beyond the river.
-----------------------------
A few years later (when I was in my teens) Mum, Dad and I left Australia for New Guinea. Dad was specifically asked to teach the Christian natives of New Guinea about the 'Gifts of the Spirit.’ The first meeting held inland was at Maprik. All the Missionaries and some native Christians from the surrounding area came to Maprik Mission Station to hear Dad preach. I remember that he spoke a simple message about the Holy Spirit and the need to have a clean heart.
That night the power of God fell on the group. Many were touched – shaking, weeping and praying as they received that glorious gift of tongues. The wonderful thing about it was that there were exactly two people from each of the five Mission Stations represented, who received the gift.
Next morning we woke to hear a woman crying and screaming. Apparently her husband was at the meeting – he had been living in secret sin and fell under deep conviction. He went home that night but couldn’t sleep so around midnight when he could stand it no longer he ran around the whole village confessing his sins of adultery. The Missionaries of course, then shared the Gospel with them and counselled the couple.
A few days later my parents and I travelled on to have meetings at another Mission Station. On the Sunday morning people started to arrive for church but many more came than was usual. The Church was packed to overflowing. The missionary thought that people must have heard there were new missionaries in the area. (It was a little nerve wracking to me because in those days {1959} the natives often came half naked and armed with their very long spears etc.) The chief told us that word had gotten out about the man in Maprik who fell under conviction and confessed his sins. They concluded that my Dad must be a very powerful man and they wanted to hear what he had to say. I believe that is how the move of God started in New Guinea because for the next five years or so, the Church just absolutely mushroomed. I don’t know the statistics but literally thousands of people came to Jesus for forgiveness and to get right with God. Hundreds of Churches grew up all over the place in a very short time. Later my two brothers and their wives joined the missionary team and I left for Bible College in Australia.
I witnessed those wonderful times as a young teenager but I was very lonely because there was no-one my age among the missionary children that I could relate to. I did much work in New Guinea like baby-sitting the missionaries children, teaching children/adults to read English, teaching women how to sew by hand, playing the accordion at the meetings and occasionally giving Bible lessons. During those times the Lord spoke to me about serving Him.
I had taken only a very few piano accordion lessons in Australia before arriving in New Guinea but I had grasped the basic’s. My mother didn’t have to tell me to practice in New Guinea because often there was no one to socialise with, so I occupied myself by trying to play the accordion. One day whilst practising I became aware of the powerful words to the song I was playing. It was about the love of God and as I was playing the tears flowed down my cheeks as they often do whilst in the Lord’s presence. I rededicated my life to the Lord that day and asked Him to help me play the accordion and promised to play for Him wherever I go. I have since played in countless meetings and the accordion has often come in handy at home groups. Here is the song. —
THE LOVE OF GOD
The love of God is greater far, than tongue or pen can ever tell.
It goes beyond the highest star and reaches to the lowest Hell.
The guilty pair, bowed down with care, God gave His Son to win.
His erring child He reconciled and pardoned from his sin.
--------------
Oh love of God how rich and pure
How measureless and strong.
It shall for evermore endure
the saints, the angels song.
-------------------
Could we with ink the ocean fill, or were the sky of parchment made.
Were every stalk on earth a quill and every man a scribe by trade.
To write the love of God above would drain the ocean dry,
Nor could the scroll contain the whole though stretched from sky to sky.
---------------
Another time my Father was asked to take care of the small work in the remote Sepik area. I saved a blind woman’s life at that time. A crocodile had attacked her and she had sustained sever gashes to her leg. She somehow came to me to get her wounds dressed every day for several weeks as there were no hospitals that she could go to, no bandages for sale and no medicine and wounds easily got infected in the hot climate.
One day my Mother asked me to give a Bible lesson at the only public school in the whole of the Sepic Area. We had to cross the deep, mile wide, crocodile infested Sepik River in a small canoe fitted with an outboard motor to get to our destination. I remember preparing the study on – ‘Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem’ about the palm waving etc. I studied much that day and read more Scriptures than was required for the study. I read about Jesus’ command to – "Go ye into all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature." My heart was touched again and it was then that I felt the call to study at the AOG Bible School in Brisbane when I turned eighteen.
posted by Evie at 8:37 PM
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