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Missionaries supported by the congregation
Hebron Church Manaus Rev Fred Orr Fred has been prayerfully supported by the Church for over 50 years.
AsiaLink http://www.asialink.org.uk/ Asialink is a Christian
mission agency connecting churches with ministry among the unreached peoples of
CMJ (The Church's Ministry among Jewish people) http://www.cmj.org.uk Kelvin Crombie
Messianic
Testimony http://www.messianictestimony.com/ Sharing Yeshua with Jewish people wordwide
Mission Michael Cook An interdenominational, evangelical,
Christian mission working in Nigeria, Burkina Faso and Chad, focusing on
theological education, church planting and evangelism, Hospitals and medical
work, HIV/AIDS ministries, and youth ministries especially with street-kids.
Rev Dr Bryson Arthur (President and Professor of Systematic and Contextual Theology) NETS is
an independent, inter-denominational evangelical seminary with links to and
historic roots in the Association of Baptist Churches in
New Tribes
Mission http://www.ntm.org/ Daniel & Elizabeth
Moore in
Madang region of
OMS International http://www.omsinternational.co.uk George and
Joan Owens ·
Partnering with local
churches where possible; ·
Evangelism at every
opportunity; ·
Training national believers
to take responsibility; ·
Enabling new churches to be
born. ·
Rehoboth
Children’s Homes, Mrs Connie Andrews, Rehoboth Children’s Home is in the
TearFund http://www.tearfund.org/ We’re passionate about our vision to work with and through
a worldwide network of local churches – forming one global church – to end
poverty.
The Raven Trust http://www.theraventrust.org/ John Challis The Raven
Trust provides practical, direct support to needy communities in
W.E.C in Reaching out to people who
have limited or no access to the good news of Jesus Christ...
Let Me Burn Out For Thee “Let me burn out for Thee,
dear Lord, Burn and wear out for Thee. Don’t let me rust, or my life be A failure, my God, to Thee. Use me and all I have, dear Lord, And get me so close to Thee, Till I feel the throb of the
great heart of God, And my
life burn out for Thee.” It is fitting that this concluding
chapter should mention something of the price that may be paid in carrying out
the Great Command to preach the Gospel to every creature. I was not long in In Shortly after their departure I received
from the British Consul a note requesting that I call and see him. He told me
that the launch in which they were travelling had foundered on a rapid of the
River Machada. (Some years after this I travelled over the
same rapid and saw the spot where this had happened.) As the water was
shallow, the missionaries were able to salvage the cargo and transfer it to
another launch. A further conversation with the Consul revealed that the
Indians had burned their home, destroying most of their food supplies and
clothing. Some time later, a final message informed us that they had all died
of malaria. This was a high price; yet we are confident that it was all in the
plan, and that Christ was magnified by their suffering and death. On the evening of the 14th March, 1954,
a special meeting was held in There was much enticing them to remain at
home. For Fred, business prospects were good, and the Lord was greatly using
them both in their many activities in His service. The call from We cannot fully understand why the Lord
accepted the offering: within weeks she was literally burning out with a
temperature of 102 degrees. Fred and Ina sailed from It was with great anticipation that they
started their long journey on the river steamer — a flat-bottom affair, driven
by a wheel at the stern. Their destination was the Mission Station at the Boca
do The grief of Fred Orr can be imagined, as
he laid to rest the remains of his beloved wife in the little cemetery at
Labrea. With a very limited knowledge of Portuguese, and no English-speaking
person present with whom he could share his deep sorrow, he resorted to the
never-failing friendship of the "Man of Sorrows" — the Lord Jesus.
Abundant grace was given, enabling him to take the funeral service. The Apostle Paul was ever conscious of
The first letter I received from Fred,
after Ina’s death, reveals something of the grace and glory given to him, under
the trying circumstances. The following is the letter, in full: "Loving greetings in the precious name of
Jesus! Just a few lines to let you
know that I am keeping well, and finding His grace sufficient for each day. "I am sure it was a terrible shock to you to receive the news of
Ina’s Home-call. It all seems such a wild dream, and I feel I shall waken from
it. At such a time as this one is inclined to ask — Why?
But we must trust in Him who never makes a mistake, to glorify His name in it.
I am sure you realise something of the burden upon my heart, and I would ask
that you will pray and influence others to pray also at this time. "How many things seem to add up in these days and throw light
upon mysteries of the past! I do not just say this as
Ina’s husband, but truly, God used her mightily, right from "On board the ship she won the hearts of all, and I have seen big
men stand at the rail and cry as she testified for Jesus, and then sang His
praises. Then the places we called at, and the witness she bore there,
especially in "The Believers just loved her, and I have seen the church packed
and also the road outside, as she sang for Jesus. "Many people told me that she sang beautifully in Portuguese.
Grace Stull suggested that she should record some hymns, as there are so few
hymns on records in that language. "Praise God! we saw souls come right to the front and accept Jesus even
while she stood there in the pulpit. The last night the people crowded round
her, and some cried as they bade farewell. "The night we left "I had letters from Grace and Willard (American missionaries)
again today, and they say that in the church, if her name is mentioned there is
hardly a dry eye. The other evening the evangelist in Willard’s church asked
the people to rise and observe a moment’s silence in honour of Ina, and
afterwards sang ‘Whiter than the snow,’ which was one of the last pieces Ina
sang there. They have held many such services since the news reached them,
including a Memorial Service for her. "On the boat she again won many hearts, including that of the
captain, who was a real father to us both. We spent hours on the bridge with
him, and we lacked for nothing. "Never once did Ina complain, but she was actually running over
with joy. She would say to me: ‘Freddie, why are you afraid? don’t
you trust the Lord?’ She was an inspiration to me, and she even made me kneel
at her bed and confess my sin of doubting, and ask for faith to trust in Him.
This was the morning of the very day she went Home. "Right from the start she had no pain, and as far as I know she
had none right until the end. She became delirious on Friday afternoon, and
then went unconscious about 6 p.m. and passed away about 8 p.m. "God alone knows what a week I spent, as Ina slept very little,
and I sat with her right until the end. The Lord seemed to be preparing me for
what lay ahead, for I could not get the thought out of my mind right from the
start. Ina’s condition did not do this of itself, for as I have already said,
she never seemed to be seriously ill. Her temperature was very high, although
one day it was almost normal again. She actually sat on deck for a few hours on
two occasions, though on the second she had to go back to bed as she felt a
little queer. "The doctor said that it was typhoid, though I question that very
much. I have read all the books here, including the ones you advised me to get,
and Ina had little or none of the symptoms of typhoid. However, she did not
respond to treatment; but the whole thing is a mystery. The doctor took a anti-malarial blood slide, and said that there was no sign
of malaria. She went so quickly that it is hard to believe, especially as she
was in the best of health previously. Even the doctor said that she was very
strong, and yet in six days she was gone. "Thank God, He is still my trust. To Him be
all the glory. "The way before looks dark, but I feel that He who called us to
serve Him has all the answers. Ina never doubted her call, and was emphatic
that she was where He would have her, even during her sickness." On receiving news of Ina’s death I
immediately contacted Fred, offering passage money to bring him home. This he
did not feel led to accept, resolving by the grace of God, to plough the lone
furrow. After the burial he proceeded to the Boca
do A large home, part of which was suitable
for meetings, was constructed, and soon numbers were attending, and finding the
answer to their souls’ hunger. One of the outstanding conversions was that of
the grave digger who opened Ina’s grave. He was an alcoholic. Extracts from letters sent to me from
Fred Orr will best tell the story of the "Corn of wheat dying and bringing
forth much fruit." To get a foothold in Labrea was costly, as seen from the following
extract: "As you know, I became acquainted with a Syrian trader in Labrea,
and he allowed me to stay in a house which he used as a store. "This house was completely overrun with rats, and had no toilet
facility whatever. Then, being a store, it was full of nuts and farinha. "I had one room in which to live and sleep. However, it was a
foothold. Many of you are aware of the opposition we received right from the
start. The R.C. bishop and priests started risings to take from me the ground
which was given by the prefect, but, thanks be to God,
they have all come to nought. "God has supplied all our material need for the building of a
home. When the Lord laid the challenge of Labrea upon my heart I knew
immediately that the task would be great. Most of the materials came almost
1,000 miles by river, and today they are on the site. "We have now the roof finished and are busy sheeting the
walls." "We have been building a church at the "There have been some remarkable cases of conversion of late. One
such is that of Senhor Celio who was radio officer on the
ship on which Ina and I travelled in 1954. After preaching
the Gospel, one Sunday night, I closed in prayer. Celio, who was in the
meeting, stood to his feet, saying: ‘Excuse me, Mr.
Fred, but I want to accept Jesus as my Saviour.’ From the beginning he has
boldly testified for Christ. He has been instrumental in leading four souls to
the Lord — and that in two months. "The whole town is waiting for him to return to his old ways, but
one night, at the open-air meeting, he said: ‘I know that you are all waiting
for me to return to my old life. I only wish I had a hand like Goliath so that
I could wave it all over "This week, the anniversary of Ina’s home-going, has been one of
the most blessed times in the work here. On Sunday we had the joy of pointing
to the Lord the gravedigger who opened Ina’s grave, six years ago. His name is
Senhor Jose Cariry, an alcoholic, who was seldom sober." Later Mr. Orr writes: "On Sunday we had great meetings. In the evening the house was
full, with a real sense of the Lord’s presence. The greatest thrill was when
Jose Cariry stood up to give his first testimony. My, what power accompanied
the word! He told how that he had helped at Ina’s funeral. Then how he — a
social outcast and confirmed drunkard — had found the Saviour. There was a hush
over the gathering as we beheld the evidence of God’s grace and power. "The Lord continues to save souls. We have been full of praise
for the salvation of Dr. Omena, a dentist who lives opposite us. His wife and a
son are members of the church, and for a long time
have been praying for him. Recently I had the joy of leading him to the
Saviour. His testimony is bright and clear. "God is working in a mighty way in Labrea. Just this week I had
the joy of pointing six souls to the Lord. One family has rocked, or shaken,
the town! A 'Visitadora' of the Roman Catholic church
has been gloriously saved, and is as transformed as was Saul of Tarsus. Both
she and her husband are on fire for the Lord, and even the priest is
speechless. "On Sunday we had our largest Sunday School, to date. There were
140 present. It was a great thrill to hear some of the pupils from our Day
School taking part and answering questions publicly about the second
commandment, etc. We now have 200 pupils at the Day School, with four fine
Christian teachers. It is marvellous to think that in a Roman Catholic town so
many are studying the Word of God, one hour daily. "The work in Labrea has deepened recently and nearly fifty
members of the church have vowed Jacob’s vow — to give a tenth of all that the
Lord has given them. The weekly offering is more than what came in two months.
We have roofed the pastor’s house, and are now getting the floors, etc., ready.
I have learned many lessons from these dear souls." We were always hoping that the Lord would
provide another helpmate for Mr. Orr. It was not until 1969 that I received
word of this taking place. His choice was a lady from the Fred wrote the following: "Zeni and I were married on the 1st of February, and the Lord gave us a wonderful day, with glorious sunshine and His presence all the way. The church was crowded, and many friends gave us beautiful presents, and prayed with us for His blessing upon our lives. ‘The world and his wife were there’— as they say, and we do praise God for the many friends He has given us, here in Amazonas."
Fred and Zeni now have two fine children,
and are enjoying much of the Lord’s blessing upon their labours in Labrea. A fitting verse for closing this
Missionary
Story is
one that I wrote in my Bible, while a youth, before going to the "When I am dying how glad I shall be That the lamp of my life has been burned
out for Thee. I shall not mind if the way has been rough, That Thy dear feet led the way is enough. When I am dying how glad I shall be That the lamp of my life has been burned out for Thee." | |||