The Rudolphs in Salisbury, Rhodesia (now Harare, Zimbabwe).

Our first child Terry turned out to be a wanderer such that we needed to move out of our small unit for safety reasons.

Consequently, when we were moving to the suburb of Marlborough where I was going to teach, we asked God to supply a rental with a list of features, one being secure fencing and gating, another a low rental price significantly below the going rental prices at that time for Marlborough. We were a one salary family and money was going to be tight. We also asked that it be near to the school, have a covered garage, at least 3 bedrooms – and so on.

Our requests of the Lord were practical and not excessive. However, with a new secondary school opening in the suburb, rentals were in demand and finding one to satisfy our needs and price range was going to be difficult. When we asked the rental agency to find us a suitable rental, we provided them a list of what we would like. This was all despite the staffing officer for schools having already decided I would not be appointed to Marlborough High School – but because of the Lord’s very definite leading we were certain the staffing officer would change his mind and asked the agency to keep our needs in mind if any suitable rental came on the market.

A few weeks later Neil Jardine, my prospective headmaster, pulled me aside. “Head Office has changed their mind, which is most unusual. They are releasing you to come to Marlborough High after all.”

Within a couple of hours, the phone rang. It was the real estate agent we had left our details with. There was a rental house in Waddington Road, Marlborough, which fulfilled all our criteria and in our price range. Remarkable! We went out and discovered it was ideal for us, and took it at once.

        Ivan and Brenda’s testimony shows:

1. God often provides exactly what we need – I have had that before and so have friends. It is kind of like his signature that He has heard us or at least knows what it is we need.
2. God also often provides at the last moment, perhaps to force us to proceed by faith rather than by having everything sewn up in advance. For example, the day I received a vital gift of money in the mailbox that I had prayed about, but had not told anyone about, was actually the precise day that we had run out of money.

Pastor Roland Pletts arriving in England from Zimbabwe, Africa

After a lifetime in Africa and through many upheavals and in the words of the great hymn Amazing Grace, “through many dangers, toils and snares” we at last came to the decision that we would have to leave our land of birth. We had lost our income and our residence and there was nothing left for us, so in trepidation we launched into the greatest move of our lives. Losing work is high on the “stress list” and losing an entire country is even higher as those people who have experienced it can testify.

After an extended period of prayer, we realised that we had only one viable option and that was to come to the UK.

We arrived with two suitcases and a few pounds. Fortunately, we were rich in friendships and some long-time friends took us in for an initial period during which we began to hunt around for the way forward.

We were directed by the Lord to make the town in which we currently reside our long-term place to settle in and we began to hunt around for accommodation. 

Anyone who has done this in UK will know that it is not a simple thing especially when one is out of funds and out of employment. We tried every avenue open to us without success and wondered what to do next when suddenly a lady phoned us up and offered to rent her home to us. Now for a complete stranger to do this is unheard of in UK and we believed it was from the Lord and agreed to meet her and view the house. 

It turned out that she was a Christian lady who had seen a notice on her church board saying that a couple from Africa were in need of a home and she had become convinced that the Lord wanted us to have her house in which she no longer resided. We had not put the notice on the board, had not attended the church, and we had never met her. She offered her house on very good terms and much less that the general market and its facilities were much more than we needed or could have expected. 

We immediately agreed to her offer even though we had no funds and no employment but we felt it was the Lord’s provision.  To this day we cannot explain how of from where we got the funds to pay the monthly rent but we did. When we moved in we had a strong sense that we would be there for three years and for three years we enjoyed a wonderful home, thanks to the faithfulness and kindness of our LORD.

There is a follow up on this testimony which is even more extraordinary of how good God is to his children. 

Roland’s testimony illustrates about God:

1. God is a good and caring Father, and faithful servants like Roland experience a special care arising from His Father’s heart.
2. God prompts and works through His children to meet the needs of His faithful servants without them needing to know one another in advance.
3. God often provides much more and better than we could have expected: He has a generous heart towards His children.
4. God also provides in mysterious ways that on reflection, even over long periods of time, we cannot specifically remember how He did provide! But we are simply delighted that He loves us so very personally.
5. God can let us know in advance how long we will be in a place or in a particular job – His facility to advise us, and to achieve these things, is extraordinary and indicates his control over time and circumstance.

Rudolphs’ home in Rhodesia “Love them Pictures”

God not only is involved in where we live, but likes to be involved in the details of our homes and gardens. Brenda and I love pretty plants and flowers, and friends and sometimes anonymous givers have contributed generously to our enjoyment of our home and garden. At times we can perceive God’s invisible involvement. Here is one example.

I remember standing with Rogan Taylor by the fireplace in our newly rented house in Marlborough, Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe), and praying for paintings for our empty walls. The backstory is that Rogan’s family home was large and tastefully furnished, while our small rented one was not. In particular, he noted that we had no paintings on our walls.

“We have lots of pictures on our walls. I’ll ask my folks if you can borrow some for yours. I’m sure they’ll be happy to lend you some.”

I gulped. “Thanks, Rogan. But paintings and suchlike have not been high on our priority list.” I did not mention that Brenda and I had decided she should not take paid work while we had a young family, and that trying to come out on a government teacher’s salary was a monthly battle.

“I want you to meet my Mum and Dad. I’ll ask them for some paintings before you come around.”

I thought fast. “Tell you what, why don’t you and I simply pray together that if the Lord wants Brenda and I to have some paintings, that He will provide them in His way. That would be better than asking anyone for some.”

And so Rogan and I stood in front of our fireplace and prayed for pictures, if it were God’s will, we added. Being a fan of oil painting, especially landscapes, I rather hoped that He might provide some originals.

Soon after, Patrick Doherty, an old friend from university days, asked whether we could make use of some sheets of hardboard that he was throwing away, on which he had practised art techniques. He was emigrating to New Zealand and they were superfluous to his needs. We thanked him, thinking to pass them on to an art teacher who was also creative and artistic.

I arrived home from school to find a pile of hardboard sheets dumped near our carport. On examining them, I found they had rather nice oil paintings on their reverse sides. Patrick had not considered these good enough to keep. We did!

We hammered up some cheap homemade frames, painted them appropriately, and hung up the pictures. It did look much homelier to have them up!

Later a young Harvester, David Marson, who is a gifted artist, gave us a painting he had done and there have been other gifts of originals and prints over the years. Our walls now display many pictures, including landscapes, and almost all of them have been gifts that reflect God’s interest and generosity in the background.

On a deeper level, many artists create art as something to be seen, experienced and praised by others. But there are times when some artists lovingly create something to be seen by no one but Him – a poem perhaps, a prayer, a simple carving – all done as an act of worship.

It reminds me of the alabaster jar that was broken and poured out as an anointing of Jesus in Matthew 26. Those who were present saw this as a terrible waste and missed seeing it for what it truly was, a creative act of worship, and Jesus affirmed that “she has done a beautiful thing to me”.

A lavish outpouring of what little you have to give is never wasted; it’s true worship.

      Ivan’s testimony shows that:

1. God is involved in the ‘big picture’ of our lives, but also in the significant ‘lesser pictures’ of our lives that can be overlooked if we are not alert to His generosity and personal caring for us.
2. God has numerous ways to bless us, often using the love and generosity of people.
3. God is generous even if our prayers are rather self-centred at times.
4. God loves our small creative acts dedicated to Him, similar to what we feel as children or grandchildren write, paint or carve a gift for us.

 

Ken and Esther Herschell in Queensland, Australia 

Ivan Comments: This short account is taken from Ken’s book ‘Adventures with God in Outback Africa’. It is a good read and eye-opening about the challenges facing missionaries and how God helps meet needs. This short quote is taken from while Ken was training to become a pilot, an expensive business, while also needing accommodation while in training – but not having the money to rent something really suitable for his family. Ken comments that regardless, “There is always enough finance when you are walking with the Lord and He is paying. This was His project”.

Ken writes: An extra encouragement for us happened in a wonderful way. We always tried to spend equal time with both our families. We had been in Coolum for some months and it was time to move nearer to my parents, but I also wanted to spend some time near my sister Elizabeth.

I asked Elizabeth to see if there were any houses nearby we could rent. She spoke to a Baptist friend, Renee Perrett, and told her of our need. Renee asked us to come and see her.

Renee explained to us that when Libby spoke to her the Lord also spoke and said, “Open your home to this family.”

She had a lovely home and we had three young children, so when we arrived at her place she warmly welcomed us but we were a little apprehensive.

The next morning, she said to us, “I am moving to my sister’s place and I want you to consider this place your home for as long as you need it. When you are ready to move again, let me know, and I will return. I do not want any rent. I want to bless you!!”

Talk about being overwhelmed! That was so unexpected and for the next 4 and a half months we lived opposite my sister, within easy reach of my parents, and Esther was able to spend the day with her family while I was flying! What a God we serve!

Ken’s testimony illustrates that: 

1. God can provide for His servants in unexpected ways.
2. God is aware of our accommodation needs and will even speak to someone about them.
3. God provides in accordance with Ken’s statement: “There is always enough finance when you are walking with the Lord and He is paying.” This is providing you are on His project.
4. God is pleased when we value the families He has put us in and wish to spend time with them.