Many, many years ago Maryele went to Uruguay from England with her husband. As a bride,non-working and simply accompanying her spouse, she had nothing to do. Bored, she sat at the yacht club and read a book that had been given to her as a good-bye present. Now, a life-time later and giving her testimony back in a small town in England, she unwrapped an out of print and worn out book entitled, "The Great Adventure," which told of the great adventure life could be with Christ. "This was the book," she said.
Maryele said she thought she was a Christian until she read the book she held before us. "When I read this," she said, she made a decision to REALLY give her life to Jesus-and the adventure began! She started Bible studies in her Uruguayan home, and was able to be a support to newly arriving missionaries. But her Bible study work was short lived. Her non-Christian husband complained and she had to ask her home group to leave. This group was run by a local missionary, and worried as she was that they might have difficulty in finding a new place to meet it turned out to be the best thing for the group. That Bible study grew into a ministry in over nine new locations!
The reason I am telling you all this is that last Wednesday the Farnham Baptist Women's group that I enjoy here in England, sat mesermised by Maryele's tales of her life and travels. This was life in Latin America well over fify years ago! She spoke of the patience God gave her and that her husband finally became a Christian when he was 90 years old. For seven years they conducted Bible studies together.
Maryele knows the importance of an inspiring book. For the past twenty - or more- years she has sent books to people in a number of countries.Maryele is always recommending books to people. Recently she got us to donate books to a women's prison in Malaysia. Destiny Image Publishers talk about "changing the world, one book at a time." Maryele is living proof.
