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Violet Rawlinson
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Roller Bandages
There are so
many unsung heroes of the faith, the ones in the background holding others up,
like Aaron and Hur in Exodus 17:2:
“But Moses' hands were heavy; and they took a stone, and put it under him, and he sat thereon; and
Aaron and Hur stayed
up his hands, the one on the one side, and the other on the other side; and his hands were steady until the going down of the sun.”
I remember a couple in Colorado who have supported us financially ever since we went on the mission field … $20 a month. We are in our 26th year of service.I think of
those who write and encourage us, and especially those who lift us to the Lord
in prayer every single day. The unsung
heroes.
As I have
traveled across the US visiting churches and ABW groups to thank them for their
partnership, I have had the privilege to meet so many who support the work that
God is doing around the world. So many quiet servants living out their days
serving others in the name of Christ. They don’t seek recognition in this
fleeting life… and are content to wait until they meet Jesus face to face and
hear those words, “Well done”. That’s enough!
One quiet
servant is Violet Rawlinson at Grand Prairie Baptist Church in Marion, Ohio.
She and her husband, Allen, always arrived early to open the church, sweep the
walk, shovel the snow. But Violet’s special passion has always been mission. In
1962 she started a Christian Service Circle, which remains active today, making
lap quilts, pillows, and other items. Violet has been called the ‘queen of
roller bandages’. Having served in DR Congo at the Vanga Evangelical Hospital,
Bill and I know full well the value of roller bandages in mission hospital
settings.
Last year, for
Violet’s 98th birthday, the church gifted her with an abundant supply of old
sheets. Violet rolls bandages every day, tearing the sheets into strips and
then winding them up using a pencil. It wasn’t long before she was asking for
more sheets. As Violet’s 99th birthday arrives in June, we want to
celebrate her heart and her gift of service to others in the name of the Lord
over her long life.
by Ann Clemmer and Charlene Smyth