Destination Cambodia cont'd

Our brothers-in Christ: Samuel, Daniel and James

Makantime with the children
More hope chernarng nah! (Khmer: The food is very delicious!)
Serving the Lord with soap and suds
The kitchen looking spick and span on Sunday morning
The church services that we attended on Sunday were the highlight of our trip. Many children would gather at the Koh Kong church porch early in the morning to attend the children’s worship service and Sunday school led by our young brothers-in-Christ - Daniel, Simon, Samuel, Lendy and James. These 12-year-old boys are the fruit of the ministry, each of them now serving zealously in the children’s ministry, leading church worship services, assisting Pastor Noe and Marissa, and teaching others at the Sunday School class.

Our Cambodian sisters presenting a song item to the children

James leading us in the children's worship session

It was really amazing for us to experience the powerful working of the Spirit in these young lives who are surrendered to Him

Bro Ivan teaching the kids the song: 'Jesus is the Way the Truth and the Life'

Jesus Christ is the Way, the Truth..

and the Life..His Banner over me is Love!Jesus is the Shepherd and we are His sheep..

His Banner over me is Love..=)

James with his Sunday School kids

For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. ~ Galatians 3:26
Sister Grace and lil' Darah

Mother and Daughter

Marissa and Ivan

Samuel teaching his Sunday School class

Daniel and his assistant teacher Kok Sla with some of the children

Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity. ~ 1 Timothy 4:12

Darah in her sundress..such a darlin'!

James leads us in the Sunday worship,

Lendy and Simon play the guitar and piano respectively

Only Jesus can satisfy..amen! :D

These boys are faithful and fearless for the cause of Christ

To see them serve God with great passion is an amazing blessing

Song item: I will sing of my Redeemer..:)

I will praise my dear Redeemer,

His triumphant power I’ll tell,

How the victory He giveth

Over sin, and death, and hell.

Sing, oh sing, of my Redeemer,

With His blood, He purchased me.

On the cross, He sealed my pardon,

Paid the debt, and made me free..

All of us worshipping God together

Pastor Noe greeting the newcomers to Koh Kong

Amazing power of Christ manifested in this man of faith..Pastor Noe sharing with us from God's Word in Khmer and English

Daniel helping Pastor Noe out with the illustration of repenting and turning away from sin

Together as a family-in-Christ

The boys presented a song about surrendering to God's Will in Khmer..

Do you hear our dear Father's still small voice?

He is calling you to follow Him today..

Will you go in His name?

In the afternoon after the morning service, we packed into the van and made our way to another island, Baklong, where we attended the weekly afternoon church service for the local people by the sea. Kok Sla, Simon, Samuel and James seated at the back of the van.

The children of Baklong ready to worship the Lord

Daniel leads all of us in the worship session

Seeking His face together..praising His name!

Nothing beats worshipping our Lord in the midst of His beautiful and breathtaking creation together with our Baklong family-in-Christ

Prayer is power..pray without ceasing

Samuel presents a song item to us: In His Time

Pastor Victor, Darah and the friendly neighbourhood tabby cat

Here kitty, kitty..Darah and Mommy with the very sleepy cat taking his afternoon nap

This is just a foretaste of the beauty that God promises in the new heaven and new earth..pictures of peace and tranquility in God's beautiful land of Cambodia

It was wonderful beyond description being with the people of God there and experiencing His presence in our midst. After the service, we had a delicious fellowship lunch of pepper crab and a variety of local dishes prepared by the brothers and sisters there. In the late afternoon back at church, we played games with the youth and later headed out for a seafood dinner with the missionaries and the boys. We were all having such a blessed time fellowshipping with God’s people that it was with a tinge of sadness in our hearts when we left for Singapore the next day. All of us departed Koh Kong with the faith believing that God’s light will continue to pierce through the spiritual darkness in this huge and needy mission field. It is with gladness that we can testify that He is truly working in a mighty way in this land.

It has been a great blessing and challenge to our faith to witness the deep and mighty working of God in our ministry in Cambodia. With seeds of God's love and truth planted in the hearts of these young children, we pray that they will grow mightily in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ and be shining lights for Him in their country and beyond.

God's dream for the people of Cambodia can and will be a reality. Whether it is through praying against the divisive schemes of the evil one, supporting the ministries there financially, labouring on to lift up the gospel and power of salvation in the midst of the people - we are all in this together for the glory of God. There are many ways we can be a part of God's plan for Cambodia. Together we can serve the Lord by giving the people of Cambodia a better forever. Only the truth of God has the absolute power to set the people of Cambodia free from the strong bondage of sin and their country’s past.

Only with God, all this can and will be possible.

The desire of our missionaries for each child in the ministry is that they will experience God’s love, receive Him as Lord and Saviour and live new and victorious lives in the power of the Holy Spirit. Please pray especially for the 12-year-old boys that they will develop godly character and integrity, grow in spiritual maturity and be mighty witnesses for Christ. Bro Ivan hopes that God will open the door for our older children in GLCC to come and see the Koh Kong children’s ministry work that they may be challenged by the dynamic way He is working in the hearts of the young ones there.

Special thanks from our dear Sis Marissa to those who have been covering her in prayer and giving sacrificially to His work. Thank God for providing Marissa with the piano keyboard, laptop, children’s ministry supplies and clothes for the children. All that she needed, God’s Hand hath provided..great is His faithfulness.

A revival in the hearts of the people of Cambodia is in God’s Will. Let us continue to pray for Pastor Noe and his family, and our sister Marissa as they labour faithfully to reach the next generation of Cambodians for Christ.

Who is so great a God as our God?

Thou art the God that doest wonders..

For with God all things are possible.

(Psalm 77:13-14a, Mark 10:27b)

Dearest Lord, we know that You love the people of Cambodia so much and that You want them to have a joy and peace that will last an eternity. Please use our church here, all of the talents, experiences, and resources that You have blessed us with, so that the people may experience the salvation, healing and spiritual transformation that only comes from being in relationship with You. May You powerfully set every Cambodian free from the bondage of fear and sin, that they may experience a beautiful life of faith, victory, grace and peace from trusting in You as their Sovereign Lord and Saviour. Continue to protect and bless each and every faithful missionary labouring for you in the country and grant them the spiritual breakthroughs they need. Please help me remember all of the things that You have revealed to me and continue to make my heart broken and compassionate for Your beloved people there. Teach me daily not to be satisfied and complacent with the comfortable life I have here. Lord, please help me remember always. May Your wondrous plan of redemption for Cambodia move in a mighty way through Your Spirit in Your time.

In Jesus' name, amen.

He Maketh No Mistake

My Father’s way may twist and turn,

My heart may throb and ache,

But in my soul I’m glad I know

He maketh no mistake.

My cherished plans may go astray,

My hopes may fade away,

But still I’ll trust my Lord to lead

For He doth know the way.

Tho’ night be dark and it may seem

That day will never break;

I’ll put my faith, my all in Him,

He maketh no mistake.

There’s so much now I cannot see

My eyesight’s far too dim;

But come what may, I’ll simply trust

And leave it all to Him.

For by and by the mist will lift

And plain it all He’ll make,

Through all the way, tho’ dark to me,

He made not one mistake.

~ A. M. Overton

God Leads Us Along

In shady, green pastures, so rich and so sweet,
God leads His dear children along;
Where the water's cool flow bathes the weary one's feet,
God leads His dear children along.

Sometimes on the mount where the sun shines so bright,
God leads His dear children along;
Sometimes in the valley, in darkest of night,
God leads His dear children along.

Though sorrows befall us and Satan oppose,
God leads His dear children along;
Through grace we can conquer, defeat all our foes,
God leads His dear children along.

Away from the mire, and away from the clay,
God leads His dear children along;
Away up in glory, eternity's day,
God leads His dear children along.

Chorus:
Some through the waters, some through the flood,
Some through the fire, but all through the blood;
Some through great sorrow, but God gives a song,
In the night season and all the day long.

The author and composer of “God Leads Us Along” was an obscure preacher and carpenter who spent a lifetime humbly serving God in small rural areas. Often the salary was meager and life was difficult for his family. Through it all, however, George A. Young and his wife never wavered in their loyalty to God and His service.

The story is told that after much struggle and effort, the George Young family was finally able to move into their own small home, which they had built themselves. Their joy seemed complete. But then, while Young was away holding meetings in another area, hoodlums who disliked the preacher’s gospel message set fire to the house, leaving nothing but a heap of ashes. It is thought that out of that tragic experience, George Young completed this hymn, which reaffirms so well the words of Job 35:10: “God my Maker, who gives songs in the night.”

~ from Amazing Grace by K. W. Osbeck

A Lifestyle of Brokenness

Brokenness is not a feeling. It is not an emotion. It is a choice that I make. It is an act of my will. And brokenness is not primarily a one-time experience or a crisis experience in my life, though there may be those.

Brokenness is rather a continuous on-going lifestyle. It's a lifestyle of agreeing with God about the true condition of my heart and my life as He alone can see it. It's a life style of unconditional, absolute surrender of my will to God. Even as the horse that has been broken. It's surrendered and sensitive to the direction and the wishes of its rider. It's a life style of saying, "Yes, Lord, not my will, but yours be done."

Brokenness is the shattering of my self-will so that the life, the spirit, the fragrance, the life of Jesus may be released through me. Brokenness is the lifestyle of responding in humility and obedience to the conviction of God's Spirit and the conviction of His Word. And as His conviction is continuous, so my brokenness must be continual.

Brokenness is a lifestyle that takes me in two directions. It's a lifestyle vertically of living, so to speak, with the roof off in my relationship toward God, as I walk in the light in transparent honesty and humility before Him. But it's a lifestyle that requires also that I live with the walls down, in my relationships toward others.

~ Nancy Leigh DeMoss

The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.

~ Psalm 51:17

I Never Knew

Vision

Every age needs men and women who will redeem the time by living with a vision of the things that are to be.

~ A. E. Stevenson

Seasons

To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:
A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;
A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up;
A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;
A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away;
A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.
What profit hath he that worketh in that wherein he laboureth?
I have seen the travail, which God hath given to the sons of men to be exercised in it.
He hath made every thing beautiful in his time: also he hath set the world in their heart, so that no man can find out the work that God maketh from the beginning to the end.
I know that there is no good in them, but for a man to rejoice, and to do good in his life.
And also that every man should eat and drink, and enjoy the good of all his labour, it is the gift of God.
I know that, whatsoever God doeth, it shall be for ever: nothing can be put to it, nor any thing taken from it: and God doeth it, that men should fear before him.

~ Ecclesiastes 3:1-14

Enemies of Grace

...from without: legalism, expectations, traditionalism, manipulation, demands, negativism, control, comparison, perfectionism, competition, criticism, pettiness and a host of others; and from within: pride, fear, resentment, bitterness, an unforgiving spirit, insecurity, fleshly effort, guilt, shame, gossip, hypocrisy, and so many more ... grace killers, all!

~ Charles Swindoll

Moments

Days pass and the years vanish and we walk sightless among miracles.

Lord, fill our eyes with seeing and our minds with knowing.

Let there be moments when Your presence, like lightning, illumines the darkness in which we walk.

Help us to see, wherever we gaze, that the bush burns unconsumed.

And we, clay touched by God, will reach out for holiness and exclaim in wonder,

"How filled with awe is this place and we did not know it."

~ Gates of Prayer

Cheesecake

It floats effortlessly towards the table
A small slice of serenity atop a simple china plate.
The eyes of the waitress are elsewhere
Utterly unaware.
The fork slices through
Softness envelopes and disguises the sharp metal prongs.
Suddenly..
Resistance,
A short, yet satisfying crunch.
Sharpening the senses.
Anticipation almost at an end.
First taste
An explosion of textures
Aiming to savour every ounce of essence.
All too soon a solitary crumb
A distant reminder
Of innocent ecstasy.

~ S. Holmes

He's our Fav..=)

Blessed birthday to a dear Bro who's 18 with 11 years experience..;)

Your talent is God's gift to you; what you do with it is your gift to God. ~ Leo Buscaglia

Enjoy who you are and who the Lord God made you to be..

Enjoy Him and the journey of faith that lies ahead of you..

He which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ. (Philippians 1:6b)

We thank God for ya, Bro! :D

Redeeming The Time

..Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light.
See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise,
Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.
Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is.

~ Ephesians 5:14-17

Backward Christian Soldiers

Which song are we marching to as Christian soldiers of the Lord? We need to decide whether it is the old hymn - Onward Christian Soldiers, or the more modern version - Backward Christian Soldiers..

Backward Christian soldiers, fleeing from the fight,
With the cross of Jesus, nearly out of sight.
Christ our rightful master, stands against the foe
Onward into battle, we seem afraid to go.

Chorus:
Backward Christian soldiers, fleeing from the fight,
With the cross of Jesus, nearly out of sight.

Like a mighty tortoise, moves the church of God.
Brothers we are treading, where we've often trod.
We are much divided, many bodies we,
Having different doctrines, but not much charity.

Crowns and thrones may perish, kingdoms rise and wane,
But the cross of Jesus, hidden does remain.
Gates of hell should never against the church prevail,
We have Christ's own promise, but we think it might fail.

Sit here then ye people, join our sleeping throng.
Blend with ours, your voices in a feeble song.
Blessings, ease and comfort, ask from Christ the King,
But with our modern thinking, we won't do a thing.

- George Verwer

Father, please help us to endure hardship as good soldiers of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Please help us to remember that no soldier in active service entangles himself in the affairs of this earthly life. Help us to please You and praise You daily with all that You have blessed us with and with all that You have made us to be for Your glory.
In Jesus' name, amen.

The Word is our weapon,
Jesus is our Shield
To witness is our mission,
To hardship we WILL NOT yield.

The Master Hath Come

The Master hath come, and He calls us to follow
The track of the footprints He leaves on our way;
Far over the mountain and through the deep hollow,
The path leads us on to the mansions of day:
The Master hath called us, the children who fear Him,
Who march ’neath Christ’s banner, His own little band;
We love Him and seek Him, we long to be near Him,
And rest in the light of His beautiful land.

The Master hath called us; the road may be dreary
And dangers and sorrows are strewn on the track;
But God’s Holy Spirit shall comfort the weary;
We follow the Savior and cannot turn back;
The Master hath called us, though doubt and temptation
May compass our journey, we cheerfully sing:
“Press onward, look upward,” through much tribulation;
The children of Zion must follow the King.

The Master hath called us, in life’s early morning,
With spirits as fresh as the dew on the sod:
We turn from the world, with its smiles and its scorning,
To cast in our lot with the people of God:
The Master hath called us, His sons and His daughters,
We plead for His blessing and trust in His love;
And through the green pastures, beside the still waters,
He’ll lead us at last to His kingdom above.

~ Sarah Doudney

Do we not see God at work in our circumstances? Dark times are allowed and come to us through the sovereignty of God. Are we prepared to let God do what He wants with us? Are we prepared to be separated from the outward, evident blessings of God? Until Jesus Christ is truly our Lord, we each have goals of our own which we serve. Our faith is real, but it is not yet permanent. And God is never in a hurry. If we are willing to wait, we will see God pointing out that we have been interested only in His blessings, instead of God Himself.

~ Oswald Chambers

An Honour To Be Used In His Service

I thought I looked and saw the Master standing, and at His feet lay an earthen vessel. It was not broken, not unfitted for service, yet there it lay, powerless and useless, until He took it up. He held it awhile, and I saw that He was filling it, and soon I beheld Him walking in His garden, where He had "gone down to gather lilies." The earthen vessel was yet again in His hand, and with it He watered his beautiful plants and caused their fragrances to be shed forth more abundantly.

Then I said to myself, "Sorrowing Christian, hush! Hush! Peace, be still! You are this earthen vessel, powerless, it is true, yet not broken, still fit for the Master's use. Sometimes you may be laid aside altogether from active service, and the question may arise, what is the Master doing with me now? Then may a voice speak to your inmost heart, 'He is filling the vessel, yes, only filling it to be ready for use.' Don't ask how He will use you. Be silent. Is it not all too great an honour for you to be used by Him at all? Be content, whether thou art employed in watering the lilies or in washing the feet of the saints. It doesn't really matter. Surely it is enough for an earthen vessel to be in the Master's hands and employed in the Master's service."

~ C.H. Spurgeon, The Quotable Spurgeon

Praying for a Dear Sis

Hi all,

This is a prayer & thanksgiving blog done up by Hui Zhi (thanks loads for the labour of love, sis!) which will cover Hwai May's recovery and progress..do stay tuned for more prayer updates and keep on keeping on in prayer for her..:)

Check it out and pray on at: http://fellowship-in-prayers.blogspot.com/

Thanks guys ;)

God Always Answers Prayer

When the idea is not right, God says, "No"
No - When the idea is not the best
No - When the idea is absolutely wrong
No - When though it may help you, it could create problems for someone else

When the time is not right, God says, "Slow"
What a catastrophe it would be if God answered every prayer at the snap of your fingers.
Do you know what would happen?
God would become your servant, not your Master.
Suddenly God would be working for you instead of you working for God.
Remember: God's delay is not God's denials -
God's timing is perfect.
Patience is what we need in prayer.

When you are not right, God says, "Grow"
The selfish person must grow in unselfishness
The cautious person must grow in courage
The timid person must grow in confidence
The dominating person must grow in sensitivity
The critical person must grow in tolerance
The negative person must grow in positive attitudes
The pleasure-seeking person must grow in compassion for suffering people

When everything is all right, God says, "Go"
Then miracles happen
A hopeless alcoholic is set free
A drug addict finds release
A doubter becomes a child in his belief
Diseased tissue responds to treatment, and healing begins
The door to your dream suddenly swings open.
And there stands God saying, "Go!"

~ from Pastor Jason's sermon on prayer

God is waiting to be put to the test by His people in prayer. He delights in being put to the test on His promises. It is His highest pleasure to answer prayer, to prove the reliability of His promises.

~ E.M. Bounds

Dear all, please continue to keep Joanne & Hwai May in your prayers that both of them may have a full & swift recovery - that they may be up & about + out of hospital real soon. Thank God that He is in absolute control..hang in there and hang on to God, gals..we're behind ya in prayer! =)

My Trust is in You

The fear of man bringeth a snare: but whoso putteth his trust in the LORD shall be safe.

~ Proverbs 29:25

Man of Faith, Man of Prayer

George Mueller has proved to the world the truth of Philippians 4:19 and he will always be remembered as the man who got things from God. His testimony is an inspiration to Christians everywhere. Three weeks after his marriage, he and his wife decided to depend on God alone to supply their needs -- never again to approach people about them. Now he felt led to relinquish his small salary as a preacher completely. Wishing that all support be spontaneous, he put a box in the chapel for his needs; determining never to run into debt, and to get his needs supplied only by requests to God Himself. This was October, 1830. When he died, in March 1998, 68 years later, he had obtained from God more than any one else who ever lived -- seven and a half million dollars.

Mueller was the son of Herr and Frau Mueller. His father was a Prussian tax-collector. The family moved to Heimershleben, four miles away, in 1810. Soon two other sons were born. Strangely gullible, the father would entrust his small sons with considerable amounts of cash to teach them to acquire the habit of possessing money without spending it. This back-fired, for George, in particular, devised numerous methods of using the money for himself without being detected. Before he was ten years old, he repeatedly stole from the government funds in his father's keeping.

Herr Mueller wanted his son to be a clergyman and make a good living, in order to be able to support him when he became old. Schooling was obtained for George at Cathedral Classical School at Halberstadt, with very little supervision given him from about age 10 to 16. His mother died when he was 14. George was playing cards, not even aware of her illness that night. He spent the next day at a tavern with some friends.

Lutheran church confirmation classes started at this time, and it was a custom for candidates on the eve of confirmation to make a formal confession of their sins to the clergyman in the vestry. Mueller used the opportunity to cheat clergyman of 11/12ths of the fee his father had given him for the cleric. Confirmed the Sunday after Easter, 1820, he was now a religious lost person. When George was 15, his father was transferred to Schoenebeck, Prussia. The son was left at home to supervise some repairs and to study for the ministry. George was up to his old tricks. He collected money which the villagers owed his father for taxes, then took a trip which he later called "...days of sin." He would stay in expensive hotels, sneaking out after a week without paying a bill. However, after a couple weeks of this, he was caught and put in jail for 24 days. The elder Mueller bailed his son out, and soon George entered school at Nordhausen, Prussia, where he stayed for two and one-half years. He studied from 4 a.m. until 10 p.m. The teacher said he had great promise, but drinking and debauchery continued to cancel these acclaims. This time (1820-1825) was also spent in contriving to provide himself with money for his bad habits.

In 1825, when 19 years old, he left school and entered Halle University as a student of Divinity. The University had 1,260 students, including some 900 divinity students preparing themselves for the Lutheran Church ministries. Here he decided he must reform if a parish was to ever choose him as pastor. He renewed an acquaintance in a tavern with a fellow student named Beta, who was a backslidden Christian. They were former school-fellows. In August, 1825, Mueller, Beta, and two other students, pawned some of their belongings to get enough money for a few days of travel. Switzerland was decided upon, and George forged the necessary letters from their parents with which to get passports. Mueller, like Judas, decided to carry the purse. His friends unwittingly paid part of his expenses as a result and 43 idle days of travel followed.

Back at the University, Beta was stricken with remorse and made full confession to his father. Beta began to attend a Saturday night Christian meeting in a home. Mueller, hearing about this, became sincerely interested, and pressed his friend into taking him to the meeting. Beta did, reluctantly, not believing George would like it -- reading the Bible, praying, singing hymns, and listening to a sermon. As he sat in the Wagner residence, George saw something he had never seen before -- people on their knees praying. He felt awkward for being there and even apologized for his presence. The host pleasantly invited him to come as often as he pleased. As he walked home, he declared, "All we have seen on our journey to Switzerland, and all our former pleasures, are as nothing in comparison with this evening!" That Saturday night in mid-November, 1825, turned him around as Christ became his Savior. At age 20 the unstable pagan found the power to overcome his moral weaknesses and a new life began.

In January, 1826, as he began reading missionary literature, he felt inclined in this direction more and more. He wrote his father and brother to this end. However, the reply from father was a furious objection to these plans. As a result, George decided he would have to support himself at the University, rather than take funds from his father. Back at Halle he obtained a well-paying job of teaching German to American college professors and translating lectures for them. He preached his first sermon on August 27, 1826, at a village six miles from Halle. During this time he lived for two months in the Orphan House built by August Hermann Francke, Professor of Divinity at Halle. Here the seed of an idea was sown that was to come to fruition later in Bristol. In 1828, he completed his University courses.

Mueller now had a desire to become a missionary to the Jews, so he applied to a society in London which majored in this work, which led to an invitation to come for a six-month probationary period in London. He left home on February 10, 1829 and arrived in London on March 19. His English became fluent, although he never lost his German accent. The regulations and routine at seminary tempted him to give up his ideas. His study of Hebrew was unremitting, and soon resulted in delicate health. Advised by doctors and friends, he went to the country for a change of air and schedule which was to change his life as well. He traveled to Teignmouth in Devonshire and became acquainted with Henry Craik, who would become his loyal associate in the ensuing years. Here he attended the reopening of a small meeting-house called Bethesda Chapel, where he was touched deeply by one of the speakers. By the time he returned to London, he was a different man, having learned the value of meditation upon the Scriptures, beginning in August, 1829.

Now he began to gather some of his fellow-students from 6 to 8 a.m. each morning for prayer and Bible reading. Evenings he would pray with anyone he could find, often until after mid-night. During these days he felt he did not want to be limited to ministry amongst the Jews alone, so he resigned from the London Society. Back in the Devonshire area he began to preach in chapels in Exmouth, Teignmouth and Shaldon. He was then called upon to pastor at the Ebenezer Chapel in Teignmouth, a congregation of 18 people where he began in 1830. During this year he became convinced of the necessity of believer's baptism, and was rebaptized. In January of 1830 he undertook a monthly preaching engagement just outside Exeter, lodging there with a Mrs. Hake, an invalid. Mary Groves, age 29, was keeping house for her. Mueller, with a mature outlook on life, was greatly attracted to Mary, though he was only 24 years of age. On October 7, 1830 they were joined in marriage at St. David's Church in Exeter.

Three weeks after their marriage, they decided to depend upon God alone to provide their needs as already indicated. They carried it to the extent that they would not give definite answers to inquiries as to whether or not they were in need of money at any particular moment. At the time of need, there would always seem to be funds available from some source, both in regards to their private income, and to the funds for his vast projects soon to be discussed. No matter how pressing was the need, George simply renewed his prayers, and either money or food always came in time to save the situation. On February 19, 1832, he records an instance of healing by faith. Suffering from a gastric ulcer, he believed God could heal him and four days later he was as well as ever. In the spring of 1832, he felt he must leave Teignmouth. Craik, his friend, had gone on to Bristol for a visit, and Mueller felt led to go there also. On April 22, he preached his first sermon in Bristol. A friend offered to rent Bethesda Chapel there for a year if the two men would stay and develop a work. Agreeing not to be bound by any stipulation, Craik and Mueller accepted the call. On May 25, 1832, the Muellers settled permanently in Bristol which became his home until he died. A long association with the chapel on Great George Street also began. In July of that year, Bristol was visited with a plague of cholera which took many lives, but none of those among whom he and Craik ministered. On September 17, 1832, his first child, Lydia, was born.

It was on February 25, 1834, that George Mueller founded a new Missionary Institution which he called "The Scriptural Knowledge Institution for Home and Abroad." It had four objectives:

1. To assist Sunday Schools, Day Schools and Adult Schools, and where possible to start new ones.

2. To sell Bibles and Testaments to the poor at low prices, and if necessary, to give them free of cost.

3. To aid missionary effort. (This was to provide financial aid to free-lance missionaries.)

4. To circulate tracts in English and in various foreign languages.

The Orphan House became a fifth objective, and the most well known enterprise, yet it is right to point out that Mueller was greatly used in developing the other objectives as well.

On March 19, 1834, a son, Elijah, was born but he died the next year, June 25, 1835, from pneumonia, leaving the Muellers with only one child -- Lydia. The summer of 1835 found Mueller himself in very poor health, slowing down his pace and giving him time to write "The Narrative of the Lord's Dealing with George Mueller."

For some time he had been thinking about starting an orphanage in Bristol. On December 9, 1835 he presented his burden at a public meeting. No collection was taken, but someone handed him ten shillings and a Christian woman offered herself for the work. After five days of prayer $300 came in and it seemed they might now have enough money to rent a house, equip and furnish it. The other request was for Christian people to work with the children. His basic aim was to have a work -- something to point to as visible proof that God hears and answers prayer. His heart went out to the many ragged children running wild in the streets, but that was a secondary reason for starting the orphanage.

He rented Number 6 Wilson Street, where he himself had been living, and on April 11, 1836, the doors of the orphanage opened with 26 children. These were girls between seven and twelve years old.

The second House was opened on November 28, 1836, to care for children from babyhood to seven years of age. In September, 1837, a third house was opened for boys over seven years of age.

Illness plagued Mueller from time to time, and in late 1837 he was very weak. This time his head provided the discomfort. He went to Germany in the spring of 1838 as well as in February, 1840, when he saw his father for a last time. Presumably he still had not accepted Christ as George noted, "How it would have cheered the separation on both sides were my dear father a believer." He died shortly thereafter. The years 1828 to 1843 were surely years of trials for Craik and Mueller as they prayed in everything. All were properly clad and everyone sat down to regular meals in the Houses. Mueller never incurred a debt, and God supernaturally provided for everyone. A well known story indicates the kind of life that was lived.

One morning the plates and cups and bowls on the table were empty. There was no food in the larder, and no money to buy food. The children were standing waiting for their morning meal, when Mueller said, "Children, you know we must be in time for school." Lifting his hand he said, "Dear Father, we thank Thee for what Thou art going to give us to eat." There was a knock on the door. The baker stood there, and said, "Mr. Mueller, I couldn't sleep last night. Somehow I felt you didn't have bread for breakfast and the Lord wanted me to send you some. So I got up at 2 a.m. and baked some fresh bread, and have brought it." Mueller thanked the man. No sooner had this transpired when there was a second knock at the door. It was the milkman. He announced that his milk cart had broken down right in front of the Orphanage, and he would like to give the children his cans of fresh milk so he could empty his wagon and repair it. No wonder, years later, when Mueller was to travel the world as an evangelist, he would be heralded as "the man who gets things from God!"

By March, 1843, he felt the need for a second home for girls. On July, 1844, the fourth house on Wilson Street was opened -- the total of his homeless waifs now being 130. A letter received on October 30, 1845, changed his entire ministry...he was now age 40. Basically, it was a letter from a local resident complaining that the noise of the children was a nuisance. They were vastly over-crowded and there was not enough space for land cultivation, washing clothes, etc. He gave the letter much thought, listing the pros and cons. If he were to leave, he would have to build a structure to hold at least 300 orphans at a cost of $60,000. On his 36th day of prayer over the dilemma, the first $6,000 came in for a building program. By June, 1848, he received all of the $60,000 which he needed. He had begun to build the previous year on July 5, 1847, at a placed called Ashley Downs as the bulk of the money had been sent in. Building Number 1 was opened in June, 1849, and housed 300 children with staff sufficient to teach and care for them. It was a seven-acre site and finally cost about $90,000 as legal expenses, furnishings, and land purchase brought the price up higher than anticipated. The old houses on Wilson Street emptied and everyone was now under one roof.

Mueller was becoming a well known Christian leader. He answered some 3,000 letters a year without a secretary. Besides his orphanages, the four other objectives of his Scriptural Knowledge Institution claimed his attention and he continued his pastoral work at Bethesda Chapel also.

In 1850, he felt the need for a second orphanage. Donations began to come in miraculously again and finally, on November 12, 1857, a second building housing 400 children at a cost of $126,000 was built. Number 3 opened on March 12, 1862, housing 450 children, and costing over $138,000. It was housed on 11 1/2 acres. Number 4 was opened November 5, 1868, and Number 5 on January 6, 1870. These last two cost over $300,000 and housed 450 each.

From 1848 to 1874, money came in to improve and expand the work which went from 130 orphans to 2,050 during this time and up to 13 acres. Mueller describes these days, writing in 1874:

But God, our infinite rich Treasurer, remains with us. It is this which gives me peace. Moreover if it pleases Him, with a work requiring about $264,000 a year...would I gladly pass through all these trials of faith with regard to means, if He only might be glorified, and His Church and the world benefited...I have placed myself in the position of having no means at all left; and 2,100 persons, not only daily at the table, but with everything else to be provided for, and all the funds gone; 189 missionaries to be assisted, and nothing whatever left; about one hundred schools with 9,000 scholars in them, to be entirely supported, and no means for them in hand; about four million tracts and tens of thousands of copies of the Holy Scriptures yearly now to be sent out, and all the money expended...I commit the whole work to Him, and He will provide me with what I need, in future also, though I know not whence the means are to come.

His own personal income varied around $12,000 a year, of which he kept for himself $1,800 giving the rest away.

His fellow worker, Henry Craik, died on January 22, 1866, followed by the death of his wife on February 6, 1870. She was 72 and had suffered from rheumatic fever. James Wright married Mueller's daughter, Lydia in 1871 and also replaced Craik as his associate. Mueller himself remarried on November 30, 1871, to a Susannah Grace Sangar, whom he had known for 25 years as a consistent Christian. He was 66 and she in her late forties, a perfect companion for him in his ministries still ahead.

Mueller decided to fulfill the many requests for his appearance around the world. Turning the work over to Wright, from 1875 to 1892, Mueller made 16 preaching trips to various sectors of the world. For the sake of historians and others interested in statistical data, they were as follows:

March 26 - July 6, 1875: England (Brighton, London, Sunderland, Newcastle). Preached 70 times, such places as Spurgeon's Metropolitan Tabernacle, etc.

August 14, 1875 - July 5, 1876: England, Scotland and Ireland. His five week stay in Liverpool had Sunday Crowds of 5,000.

August 16, 1876 - June 25, 1877: Switzerland, Germany and Holland. Preached 302 times in 68 places in three languages.

August 18, 1877 - July 8, 1878: Canada and the United States. Preached 299 times, conference with President Rutherford Hayes.

September 5, 1878 - July 18, 1879: Switzerland, France, Spain, Italy. Fellowship with Spurgeon in France, saw schools he supported in Spain.

August 27, 1879 - June 17, 1880: United States and Canada. Spoke again 299 times - in 42 places.

September 15, 1880 - May 31, 1881: Canada and the United States. Accepted many invitations he had to turn down the previous tour.

August 23, 1881 - May 30, 1882: Egypt, Palestine, Syria, Asia Minor, Turkey, Greece. Many physical difficulties were encountered, traveling was primitive.

August 8, 1882 - June 1, 1883: Germany, Austria, Hungary, Bohemia, Russia, Poland. Suppressed in Russia, could only preach to 20 at one time.

September 26, 1883 - June 5, 1884: India. 78 years old, preached 206 times and traveled 21,000 miles.

August 18 - October 2, 1884: England and South Wales. Tour cut short because of illness of Mrs. Mueller.

May 16 - July 1, 1885: England Tour cut short because of illness of George Mueller.

September 1 - Oct. 3, 1885: England and Scotland, Primary ministry was in Liverpool, England, and Dundee, Scotland.

November 4, 1885 - June 13, 1887: Australia, China, Japan, Straits of Malacca. Ages 81 to 83 - traveled 37,280 miles around the world.

August 10, 1887 - March 11, 1890: Australia, Tasmania, New Zealand, Ceylon, India. Intense heat of Calcutta almost killed him. Telegram that daughter Lydia had died January 10, 1890 in Bristol cut short the tour.

August 8, 1890 - May, 1892: Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Italy. At 86 preaching to large crowds.

George and his wife traveled 200,000 miles in 17 years of world-wide evangelism efforts, in 42 countries, preaching to 3 million people.

It was on January 13, 1894 that his second wife passed away after 23 years of marriage. He was now 89 years old, and was living out his days in Orphan House #3. He preached his last sermon on Isaiah's Vision, March 6, 1898 at Alma Road Chapel in Clifton. On March 10, 1898 the maid went to his room, and found him dead on the floor by the side of his bed. The funeral in Bristol on March 14th has never been surpassed there as tens of thousands lined the streets. The grief of the orphans was evident. He was buried by the side of his two wives.

Mueller was non-sectarian in his general outlook, and was one of the founders of the Brethren movement. His influence touched the lives of thousands -- perhaps most notable, that of J. Hudson Taylor. His most moving reunion with an orphan was on October 19, 1878 when a 71 year old widow met him...she had been his first orphan over 57 years previously. 10,023 other orphans were to follow her there and have Daddy Mueller rear them. Mueller read the Bible through over 200 times, half of these times on his knees. He said he knew of some 50,000 specific answers to prayer...requests to God alone!

Over 3,000 of his orphans were won to Christ through his ministry by the Holy Spirit.

~ Christian Hall of Fame Series by Ed Reese