Rapid Response Team ministry continues in Fredericktown, MO

Elderly couple gets a new start

May 20, 2009 - Rapid Response Team Chaplains visited a Fredericktown, MO couple who were in their 90's and had been married for 76 years.

As a crew of Samaritan's Purse volunteers worked on cleaning up a large fallen tree in their yard, the couple invited the two Chaplains into their home. During the conversation, the wife shared that she had accepted Christ 50 years ago when she was in her early 40's. When asked if she thought she would go to heaven, however, she wasn't sure she would be there at the end of her life.

The husband shared that he had a spiritual experience back in 1971 when he prayed and asked God to heal him of colon cancer. However, he had never prayed and invited Christ into his heart as his Lord and Savior. He listened with interest as the chaplains talked about God's promise of eternal life.

The chaplains shared Scripture from the Bible with the couple as well as the pamphlet Steps to Peace with God. Afterward, the husband prayed to receive Christ as his Lord and Savior, and the wife wanted to pray to receive the assurance of God's gift of eternal life.

The next day, the Chaplains visited their daughter at her home, which had been badly damaged in the storm when a large tree fell on a portion of the residence. The daughter, who is a born again Christian, was very thankful for the chaplains visiting her and her parents.

They told her about her father committing his life to Christ the day before, as well as her mother praying for assurance of her own salvation. Even with the backdrop of her own home being badly damaged, with tears of joy in her eyes she responded, "Thank God for the storm!"

Read more about the Rapid Response Team deployment in Fredericktown.