"God Stories"


September 2012 - A Damaged Letter

 

Lt Col Dell McDonald, USAF, (Ret.) was one of the first staff members of the Association for Christian Conferences, Teaching and Service (ACCTS), and served as Executive Director from 1981 - 1994. He continues to serve on the ACCTS staff today, and relates this God Story from the 1970s.

 

In the early summer of 1977, Cleo Buxton, the Executive Director of ACCTS, asked my wife and me to visit South America, link up with military Christians, and encourage them to form Military Christian Fellowships (MCFs).  We had just found a thriving MCF in Chile, and finally reached Brazil, the last country on our itinerary.

 

We had the name and address of a Brazilian Sergeant in Rio de Janeiro whom we had met at a conference the previous year. I had written him a letter about our trip and asked to meet with him, but had not received a response. My letter, written on the lightweight airmail stationery of the day with a felt tip pen, had somehow been damaged by water, either rain or a spill of some sort. In any case, the right half of the page was indecipherable, and the dates of our visit had been obliterated.

 

After contacting several churches, we were about to give up the search when someone lead us to where our friend was holding Sunday evening services at a start up church.  The next day we toured Rio with him and his wife, ending up at the gigantic statue of Christ the Redeemer that overlooks the city from a mountain peak 2300 feet above sea level.

 

As we stood at the feet of this 100-foot tall statue of Jesus, our friend suggested that we pray. The four of us held hands and asked God to raise up an MCF in the uniformed forces of Brazil.

 

From that humble beginning, our gracious Lord has forged one of the largest and most vibrant MCFs in the world, some 200,000 Catholic and Protestant Christians from all of Brazil's uniformed security services, including military, police, firemen, and prison security guards. 

 

I must confess my unbelief as we stood at the feet of the Lord and prayed, but God was able to produce amazing results from man's feeble efforts.

Prayers for September

                                    www.accts.org 

 

- Lord of the Universe,  we marvel at your ability to use our feeble efforts to accomplish your wondrous works, and we give you the praise and glory for these marvels.

- Heavenly Father, as the statue of Christ the Redeemer watches over the city of Rio de Janeiro, we ask your continued attention to countries without a Military Christian Fellowship, and we pray that you will encourage  two or three Christians in those nations to gather together in your name, and seek your guidance as to how they might form a fellowship.

- Lord of all Provision, we thank you for those you have called to perform your works around the world, and we ask your continued blessings upon these faithful servants as they toil in your many vineyards.

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