GNANAMANI AMMAL, a blessed woman of God

Testimony of Betsy Samuel

Let us intercede before the throne of God for the missionaries of God working in different mission fields throughout the world.

Hazards in the life of a missionary

Betsy Samuel (1-1-1947 to 29-1-1999) was the wife of Rev.Devasahayam Samuel, the last and the only son of Gnanamani Ammal. She was born in Nazareth, Thiruneveli District, Tamil Nadu, India in a devout Christian family. She was the first daughter in the family with three younger sisters. She stood first in her studies. After undergoing the teachers training course, she worked as a schoolteacher. She was married to Samuel who was also working as a teacher on 26-5-1972. She was saved during a revival meeting held in a town called Megnapuram in 1973. Since then, both of them dedicated themselves to a full-time Gods ministry.

After the birth of a daughter on 27-3-1973, both of them joined an outstanding evangelical organization in India, Friends Missionary Prayer Band (FMPB). They were sent to a mission field, called Periamalai, situated in a hill station, at an altitude of 2500 feet above sea level, which was not accessible to transport and communication. This place was inhabited by some tribal people. On this hill lived dacoits and wild elements like elephants. The villages in this mission field are so scattered that one has to cover a distance of 4 KMs to 15 KMs on foot. For buying provisions and vegetables, one has to walk over a distance of 9 KMs to a nearby market. There were no hospital facilities.

Both of them reached the mission field with their 3-month-old daughter. The FMPB paid a monthly allowance of Rs.260/- (say $5) during 1973. They lived a very simple life with this meager allowance. Betsy paid one-tenth as tithe to God i.e. Rs.30/-. She gave Rs.50/- to her mother-in-law G.Ammal for her maintenance, and kept apart a sum of Rs.50/- towards the marriage expense of her sister-in-law. The missionary couple lived on the remaining amount of Rs.130/- only. Both of them ate the food, which was normally consumed by the tribal. She never murmured. Nor did she let her parents know about her needs. She was content with God gave her.

Samuel used to go out for ministry amongst the surrounding villages and remained on such long tours ranging from 10 to 20 days, leaving behind his wife with the young child at home. On one occasion, he returned from his 22 days tour. To his shock, he saw his wife immobilized and confined to her bed and the child was playing near her. Had he returned after 2 days, he would not have found both the mother and the child alive. Since there was no medical facility, she was to be rushed to a far off place for medical treatment. Samuel hired some laborers for carrying her from the hilltop to the plain country. As soon as they reached the plain country, she was transported in a bullock cart to a hospital in Krishnagariri. She remained in the hospital for 40 days and regained her health.

After their mission work in Periamalai mission field, they were sent to Gujarat, a North Indian state which was known for its hostile attitude towards Christian missionaries. Two more children, boys, were born to them after their transfer to the new mission field i.e. Vyara, Surat District, Gujarat. Betsy brought up all the children in His ways and helped her husband in the ministry.

For taking medical treatment for the deteriorating eyesight of Samuel, the family had gone to Aligarh, and stayed there for some days. On return to their home, to their shock, they found the entire house ransacked by some thieves. The valuable earthly possessions were stolen. Their neighbors gathered there and wailed on seeing their pitiable condition. They thought the missionary couple would also wail. To their great surprise, the missionary couple prayed to God, 'Lord, You have distributed our goods amongst the needy. We praise You for this'.

In 1980, Samuel went to a Bible College in Karnataka State for theological studies. During the period of his study, they were not getting the monthly allowance from the evangelical organization. A dear servant of God, Emil Jebasingh, came forward to help them. He gave them Rs.450/- ever month. Though this meager amount was not sufficient for the missionary couple to make both the ends meet, they survived even after paying tithes to God. God strengthened their faith and comforted them through the following Bible verses:

'We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair;

Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed;

Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body'

Betsy was not only a good wife to Samuel but also advised him in spiritual matters and strengthened him in his spiritual life. She worked hard with her own hands.

On 8-5-1995, she was operated upon her abdomen for suspected infection. However, it was diagnosed as cancer. The doctors predicted that she would live only for a month. But the Lord prolonged her life. In 1997, she underwent another surgery and regained her health to some extent. Again, in Dec.1998, her health further deteriorated. Knowing her imminent home-call, she wanted the marriage of her daughter to be held. The marriage was subsequently held. On her deathbed, she gave her golden bangles to her husband and requested him to gift the same to the daughter of a servant of God. However, her husband insisted on bestowing the bangles upon their daughter. However, he acceded to the request of Betsy. On 29-1-1999, Besy passed into glory.

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Jehovah-Yireh The-Lord-Will-Provide

In obedience to the call of God, Abraham took his only son Isaac and went to the land of Moriah. Abraham took his son to the place where God wanted his son to be sacrificed for a burnt offering. Then he laid the wood of the burnt offering on Isaac and took the fire in his hand and a knife, and the two of them went together. Seeing only the fire and the wood, Isaac looked for the lamb for the burnt offering. Abraham replied to his son, My son, God will provide for Himself the lamb for a burnt offering. When Abraham offered his son at the altar, the Angel of the Lord prevented him from sacrificing Isaac, and said, Now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me (Gen.22:1-14).

Then Abraham saw a ram caught in a thicket by its horns. He offered it up for a burnt offering instead of his son. And Abraham called the name of the place The-Lord-Will-Provide. This means, In the Mount of the Lord it shall be provided. The Lord revealed to Abraham as Jehovah-Yireh.

When you want to sacrifice for God the best of your worldly possessions, God Himself would provide a ram for you. Our God wants to test your love for Him. As you build the altar and go to sacrifice what He wants you to, He also would provide a ram for you.

Are you about to sacrifice for the One Who had already sacrificed His only Son for you on the Cross? Are you sacrificially giving to the body of Christ, the Church? The Lord will Himself meet all your personal needs.

Do you remain unemployed or unmarried for a long time, in spite of the fact you sacrificially make intercessory prayers for others? The Lord will Himself provide you the best job or the best spouse, as the case may be. Are you still bearing a financial burden, despite your sacrificial prayers of intercession at the altar of God? The Lord will Himself provide you the necessary finances. Today, He reveals Himself to you as Jehovah-Yireh.

Dear Minister, you have sought funds or helpers for running your ministry but in vain, despite your many sacrifices for His body. After spending many years in His service, you have now reached the Mount of the Lord. In the Mount of the Lord, it is the Lord Who provides all your needs.

Of late, in my ministry to the body of Christ, when I faced a particular need, I realized my inability to meet that need. I shared the burden on my heart with my dear friends. While writing to them, I was led by the Holy Spirit to tell them, The Lord will Himself provide me

You should now rest in the Lord after getting such a wonderful revelation of His Name Jehovah-Yireh or The-Lord-Will-Provide. My God shall provide all your needs through Christ Jesus.

PRAYER FOR REVIVAL IN A CHURCH

(As a minister, you may lead the congregation members in praying the following prayer in your church)

Oh Lord, the great and dreadful God, keeping the covenant and mercy to them that love Him, and to them that keep His commandments. We are unworthy to approach Thy Throne of Grace by our own righteousness, except by the Blood of Thy Son Jesus Christ, our Lord. We are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousness are as filthy rags and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities like the wind have taken us away.

We have sinned, and have committed iniquity, and have done wickedly, and have rebelled against Thee, by departing from Thy commandments. O Lord, our sins and iniquities testify against us. Our iniquities have separated us from Thee, and our sins have hidden Thy face from us.

Neither have we obeyed the voice of the Lord our God to walk in His ways and to follow His commandment of loving and serving God with our whole heart and with all our soul. Nor have we loved our neighbours as ourselves as we have failed to minister to the strangers, the poor, the orphans and widows. Nor have we loved our brethren in Christ thereby abiding in darkness in that we have failed to minister to the poor saints and to the missionaries in various mission fields. We have gloried in the spiritual gifts given to us by Thee, and have not gloried in the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. We have become arrogant with our eyes being blinded by our self-righteousness.

Because of our backslidings, all the evil has come upon us, Thou hast sent a drought in the place of rain. Our churches have become desolate, and our adversary has trodden down many vineyards. The children of God have gone into captivity before the enemy. O God, we weep, our eyes runneth down with water; we spread forth our hands and there is none to comfort us. We are in distress. The joy of our heart has ceased; our dance is turned into mourning. The crown is fallen from our head; woe unto us, that we have sinned! Remember, O Lord, what is come upon us, consider and behold our reproach. Thou hast afflicted us for the multitude of our transgressions, and Thy judgments are righteous.

O Lord, we have a name that we live but are dead. We have become wretched, and miserable and poor and blind and naked.

Wilt Thou not revive us again that Thy people may rejoice in Thee! O Lord, revive the dry bones and breathe Thy life into us so that we may live again for Thy glory ? Restore Thy Church to its original glory and power. Unless Thou sendest us the latter rain, we will perish in the wilderness; our churches will become extinct; our nation will be lost.

O Lord, we beseech Thee to make bright clouds and send us showers of rain so that our wilderness will turn into a pool of water.

O Lord, we are desperately in need of showers of rain upon our land. Thousands of souls whom we have failed to reach with Thy glorious gospel are descending into the bottomless pit. Unless Thou sendest a revival to our nation, it will go the way of prediction by violence and civil wars as many nations have already plunged into this snare.

O Lord, there are many mountains in our land which we could not reach out with Thy glorious gospel. O Lord, send a revival to the valleys of dry bones in these mountains. Oh that Thou wouldest rend the heavens, that Thou wouldest come down, that these mountains might flow down at the Thy presence.

O Lord, revive Thy work in the midst of the years; restore us the years that we lost due to laziness or slumber in evangelism, by way of a Heaven-sent revival. Let our heart be turned to follow the footsteps of our fathers on whose blood the Church was founded.

In Jesus Holy Name, we pray. Amen.

Prayer for prophetic anointing

Our loving Heavenly Father, I thank and praise Thee for Thy great salvation granted to me through thy Son Jesus Christ, and for the gift of the Holy Spirit granted to me. I thank Thee for the vision of the present day churches given to me, and for the burden on my heart for reviving these churches to their original glory and power. I believe that in these last days Thou art raising a group of Thy people, with the prophetic anointing of Thy prophet Elijah for bringing about revivals in our churches. I pray that the anointing of Thy spirit, which was upon the Prophet Elijah and the early apostles, our forefathers, may be upon me also so that I can minister to Thy people in Thy power and wisdom but with all humility. I pray that the hearts of Thy people may be turned to our forefathers. I pray that Thou may send fire from the Heaven to destroy the work of the Devil through his false prophets and anti-christs, I also humbly beseech Thee to open my spiritual eyes so that I may understand Thy mysteries in the Word.   I humbly pray in Jesus Name. Amen.

A SNIPPET FROM THE BIOGRAPHY OF SADHU SUNDAR SINGH

By the end of May 1914, he was on the border of Nepal.   It was not easy to enter that Hindu kingdom without a passport and for a Christian it was impossible to obtain one. Border guards twice turned Sundar away before he managed to get in. Once inside he was encouraged by the reception he received at the villages he passed through. He confined himself mainly to reading aloud from the Nepali New Testament, for although he understood the language he could not speak it fluently, and found conversation difficult. But the villages were in very mountainous territory.

Sundar said, O praised is the Lord! Though I fell from such a height, I did not get hurt at allthen the different stages of the crucifixion of Jesus came before me in a vision.

First, he was awake in the garden of Gethsemane all night. Secondly, he was hungry and thirsty. Thirdly, due to the lashes and the crown of thorns he was bleeding. Fourthly, beside all these troubles, He had to lift up the cross Himself. For these reasons He fell down when He was climbing Golgotha. O dear Lord, my cross is nothing before Thine

But his own sufferings were not yet over in Nepal. The next day he reached Ilam, a garrison town, and found the bazaar full of people. He took up his stand in front of the post office and started to preach, the New Testament in his hand. Quite a large crowd gathered, and when he offered Gospel to any who could read there were those who came forward to receive them. At this point, there was an interruption. An official arrived and angrily demanded to know who had given him permission to enter Nepal and preach a foreign religion.

Sundar replied that he had come at the command of the Officer of all officers, the King of all kings the Creator. Why? snapped the official. Christ has called all nations to receive eternal life, and Nepal must hear this good news, too. The official did not want to discuss the matter. He was all for putting Sundar in jail for six months, the prescribed penalty for illegal entry, immediately. However, another official pointed out that if this preacher were put in jail, he might persuade some of the other prisoners to become Christians. Therefore, it was decided that different form of punishment should be inflicted.

They seized me and threw me into prison. They took off my clothes and fastened my hands and feet in a block of wood, and bringing many leeches, left them near me. For two or three hours I felt my sufferings very much indeed, but afterwards my Lord by His holy presence turned my prison into a paradise.

When I was singing, full of joy, many people came to the door to listen, and I began to preach. Then they released me

They probably thought he was mad.

To such an extent had the leeches sucked my blood that on the following day I suffered dizziness as I walked. Then, he added, Glory be to God that He honored me by letting me suffer for His Name.

He was a strong man. He walked the thirty miles back to Darjeeling within two days, and wrote to the Rev.Redman in Simla telling of the conversation with the Nepali officer, but not mentioning his brief imprisonment. He did not want to inform his friends about this. Nor did he want the incident to reach the ears of those in the Government who might start enquiries as to why a British subject had received such treatment.

Perhaps there was another reason of which he himself was only dimly aware the instinctive shutting of the door of memory on a particularly traumatic experience until over-strung emotions had been silenced. At any rate, when he arrived at the home of his friend Tharachin, who saw the leech marks on his back and applied iodine to them, Sundar gave no explanation of how he got them, and a few days later, the two of them set out for the little country of Sikkim.

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