Participants:
Series Code: IIWC
Program Code: IIWC202101S
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00:42 >> Welcome to It Is Written
00:44 Canada. 00:45 Thank you for joining us here 00:46 in Little Gem, Alberta on the 00:48 Sankey farm where we are 00:50 visiting with Murray and 00:52 Elaine Sankey whose story 00:54 compels one to pause and ask 00:57 the question: 00:58 when did my story begin? 01:01 How did I get to where 01:03 I am today? 01:05 And what are the influences 01:07 that led me to where I am 01:09 today and who I am today? 01:12 >> God had His hand in Murray 01:14 and Elaine's life long before 01:15 they could see it and today we 01:17 will let them tell you 01:19 their story. 01:20 Murray and Elaine, welcome to 01:22 It Is Written Canada. 01:23 [ELAINE] Thank you for coming. 01:25 >> Thank you, too, for coming 01:27 and we just love to have you 01:29 here in Little Gem. 01:31 We invited you to visit us a 01:33 little over a year ago and we 01:35 have become friends since then 01:37 and we didn't realize we had a 01:39 story until you said we had a 01:42 story in you, that's why 01:44 you're here today to get our 01:45 story of Little Gem. 01:47 Where in the world are we? 01:48 Well, we're in east-central 01:50 Alberta in a dry part called-- 01:53 we call it the Alberta Outback 01:55 and we have a large ranch here 01:58 and we have a story. 02:01 We realized that everybody has 02:04 a story and so we're here to 02:06 share it. 02:08 >> Murray, you once told us 02:10 that your story didn't begin 02:12 with you, so take us back and 02:14 tell us when did your 02:15 story begin? 02:17 >> Well, of course when I was 02:19 younger, I thought the whole 02:20 world revolved around me, but 02:22 as I became older I realized, 02:24 man, there were so many 02:25 questions I wished I would 02:26 have asked my grandfather 02:28 because that's where our story 02:29 began, it began in the Ukraine 02:31 up on a shelf. 02:33 My grandfather talks about 02:35 when he was placed in a 02:36 basket and his mother was 02:38 giving birth to another child 02:41 so that places my grandfather 02:43 probably at two or three years 02:44 of age, I would say, and it 02:47 was burned into his memory how 02:49 the colour was disappearing 02:51 from his mother's face, back 02:53 then it was home births that 02:55 they were doing, and she died, 02:59 she died and so he was left 03:02 with his father who then, 03:04 we don't know how many years 03:05 later, he died. 03:07 And so then the story goes 03:10 that we don't think he had any 03:11 brothers or sisters, but his 03:16 uncle who is kinda hard on 03:18 him, was abusing him, and my 03:21 grandfather decided he was 03:22 gonna leave the country, he 03:23 was gonna get out. 03:24 He had heard about this 03:26 request of the Canadian 03:28 government to come to Canada 03:30 and settle Canada, have your 03:31 own land, and so at about 17, 03:34 18 years of age, he jumped on 03:37 a ship and came to Montreal. 03:41 And I know most people have 03:43 seen the film, Titanic, and 03:45 when I saw the film, Titanic, 03:47 I said, "That's my grandfather," 03:48 "Jack is my grandfather." 03:50 He jumped on this ship, no 03:53 family, left everything, well 03:55 family, he had an uncle, but 03:56 he didn't care about his 03:58 uncle, landed in Montreal when 03:59 they should have sent him 04:00 back, he instead got a job on 04:04 a dairy farm in Quebec and in 04:05 five or six months he learned 04:07 French, now he came from the 04:08 Ukraine, remember, he came 04:10 from the Ukraine. 04:11 So he learned French and then, 04:15 later in life, we realized 04:17 that Grandpa was very talented 04:18 because he could speak five 04:19 languages that he taught 04:21 himself and he worked his way 04:24 west and so he was born in 04:27 1885 so he was about, this 04:30 would have been about 1903 or 04:32 so that he came to Canada. 04:34 He worked his way west, in 04:36 Manitoba he met who-- his 04:39 wife-to-be, and then he kept 04:40 coming into Alberta and he 04:43 ended up just north of here, 04:45 about 40 miles, 45 miles, 04:46 working for an American 04:48 rancher that had about 500 04:51 horses and he was a hard guy, 04:52 he was a hard guy, but-- 04:55 and very, very, how do you say 04:58 it, he wanted to-- he had 05:00 ideas for my grandfather and 05:02 my grandfather had other ideas 05:04 and my grandfather became 05:06 aware of a Ukrainian settlement 05:08 down here by Hemaruka. 05:11 Now that cemetery and the 05:15 church are still there in that 05:17 little community thing where 05:20 our parents are buried now. 05:22 But my grandfather began to 05:24 travel down by walking 45 05:26 miles, he'd come down on 05:27 weekends because he loved 05:29 music and he loved his whisky 05:31 and so he would play this 05:34 "squeeze box," we call it, it 05:35 wasn't an accordion, but it 05:37 was some type of Ukrainian 05:38 squeeze box that made music, 05:40 so he'd walk down on weekends 05:42 and play for them, and he 05:44 discovered some land that he 05:45 could stake a claim on. 05:47 And George Allen, the guy he 05:49 worked for was his name, he 05:51 said, "Sankey, you forget" 05:53 "that homesteading idea." 05:55 "You work for me for a year" 05:56 "and you'll go and buy any of" 05:57 "them guys out." 05:58 No, no, grandpa had his 06:00 own idea. 06:01 Now in his walking, he 06:03 educated himself as to where 06:06 he was by reading the survey 06:07 markers at the northeast 06:09 corner of every section and 06:11 that was of course in Roman 06:12 numerals that the surveyor 06:14 people had installed and he 06:16 knew exactly where he was in 06:18 the country when he was 06:19 walking. 06:20 So later on as the settlers 06:22 came in around 1908, '09, '10, 06:25 '12, in there, he would hire 06:27 on to show them where their 06:28 claims were because they'd 06:30 arrive in town off the train 06:31 and they hadn't a clue where 06:33 to go and so Grandpa would 06:34 hire on and lead them. 06:36 And so that is a memory of my 06:38 grandfather. 06:39 >> So he came from the 06:41 Ukraine, he was kind of like 06:43 that character from in the 06:45 movie, the Titanic, but his 06:47 Titanic didn't go down, it was 06:48 a ship that came over here... 06:49 >> Thank God. 06:50 >> ...yeah, and he was a very 06:52 big part of your life, coming 06:53 from the Ukraine. 06:55 Now, Elaine, you have a very 06:57 similar-- it didn't start with 06:59 you, your story, but it also 07:00 started with your 07:01 grandparents. 07:02 >> That's right, my 07:03 grandparents also immigrated 07:06 from the Ukraine, except they 07:08 came to eastern Saskatchewan 07:11 and that's where they 07:12 homesteaded and raised their 07:14 family and that was my 07:15 beginning. 07:17 >> Was that easy for them? 07:19 [ELAINE] Of course it was 07:20 never easy, you know, they 07:22 were very poor just like most 07:24 everybody in that era, in that 07:26 community was, and-- but, you 07:29 know, they always had family 07:31 values and raised their family 07:33 and did the best they could. 07:36 >> And with those 07:37 difficulties, how did they 07:39 make ends meet? 07:41 >> Well, I remember after my 07:42 grandfather retired even, he 07:47 would take the tin cans that 07:49 they would buy at the grocery 07:50 store and once they were 07:52 empty, he would cut them apart 07:53 and use them as siding on 07:54 his shed. 07:57 You know, growing up in the-- 07:58 going through the Great 08:01 Depression, you learned to use 08:02 everything that you had, even 08:04 the string that the groceries 08:05 were tied with from the 08:07 grocery store, you know, on 08:08 the boxes and yeah so, 08:12 it wasn't easy. 08:14 >> Nothing went to waste. 08:15 [ELAINE] No. 08:16 >> You saved everything 08:17 because you didn't have. 08:19 >> That's right, but most 08:20 people were in the same 08:21 situation. 08:24 >> Murray, your grandfather 08:25 moved west to Alberta, where 08:27 did his seeds of faith 08:29 start growing? 08:31 >> Well, it's quite an 08:32 interesting story that we love 08:34 as a family because as my 08:37 grandfather was walking those 08:39 45 miles on weekends to play 08:42 for their dances and drink 08:43 their whisky, he couldn't do 08:46 it all in one day, he left 08:47 work on Fridays and he'd walk 08:50 and it would get dark and back 08:51 in them days, when it got dark 08:54 what do you do? 08:55 There's no hotels or motels 08:57 and you'd look around for a 08:58 light and if there was no 09:00 light you just curled up in a 09:02 hollow somewhere 'cause there 09:04 was very few trees and go to 09:07 sleep, but he noticed this 09:08 light somewhere south of 09:10 Loyalist, Alberta which was 09:13 almost halfway on his trip, 09:16 and so he went and knocked on 09:17 the door, this was early 09:19 evening, and here was a 09:22 family, and we found out later 09:24 from a North Dakota family 09:26 that were studying the Bible, 09:28 they were having a Bible 09:29 study, and they invited 09:31 him in. 09:32 And that was sort of customary 09:34 in them days, you just went 09:35 and knocked on somebody's 09:37 house that had a light to stay 09:38 overnight and so he was well 09:40 accepted, he went in and 09:42 if it had've been me, 09:43 this is the amazing thing, if 09:44 had've been me or Elaine, we 09:46 would have said, "Are you" 09:47 "hungry? Would you like" 09:48 "something to eat?" 09:49 And they possibly did, but 09:51 they invited him to join in 09:52 their Bible study and so he 09:56 did and he listened to what 09:59 they were reading and what 10:01 they were studying and for the 10:02 first time in his life, he 10:04 discovered from God's Word 10:06 that you didn't need to go to 10:08 the priest to have your sins 10:10 forgiven, you could talk to 10:12 God yourself, it said in his 10:15 Bible that you could do this. 10:17 And they also, because he was 10:20 musical and they obviously 10:21 were, too, they taught him the 10:23 song, Whiter Than Snow. 10:25 The next morning when he was 10:27 left, rested and fed, he says 10:32 he was walking on air, singing 10:35 the song, Whiter Than Snow. 10:39 ♪Lord Jesus I long to be 10:43 ♪perfectly whole 10:46 ♪I want Thee forever to 10:50 ♪live in my soul 10:53 ♪Break down every idol 10:57 ♪cast out every foe 11:01 ♪Now wash me and I shall be 11:06 ♪whiter than snow 11:10 ♪Whiter than snow 11:13 ♪yes, whiter than snow 11:17 ♪Now wash me and I shall be 11:22 ♪whiter than snow 11:28 ♪♪ 11:41 ♪Lord Jesus look down from 11:46 ♪Thy throne in the skies 11:50 ♪and help me to make 11:53 ♪a complete sacrifice 11:57 ♪I give up myself 12:01 ♪and whatever I know 12:05 ♪Now wash me and I shall be 12:10 ♪whiter than snow 12:19 >> So, Murray, your 12:20 grandfather, he's walking 12:22 across the prairies and he's-- 12:25 it's getting too dark so he 12:27 sees the light in the 12:28 distance, he goes, he knocks 12:29 on the door, it's a North 12:31 Dakota family, they're having 12:32 an amazing Bible study, he 12:33 learns so much, he's walking 12:35 on air and he's singing Whiter 12:37 Than Snow. 12:39 >> Yeah, so, Mike, can you 12:40 imagine, that Saturday morning 12:42 he wakes up, he's fed, both 12:44 spiritually and physically, and 12:46 he's walking out of there, he 12:48 told us he was walkin' on air, 12:50 singing the song, Whiter Than 12:51 Snow, and headin' to play for 12:53 their dance and drink their 12:54 whisky, get that picture. 12:56 [MIKE] (laughs) That's pretty 12:57 funny. 12:58 >> So, Murray, there was the 13:00 planting of the first seed of 13:02 the gospel truth in his heart. 13:04 How did that seed 13:05 get nourished? 13:06 >> Not quite sure because he 13:08 did not become a Christian 13:10 'til a few years later. 13:12 But right about that time, he 13:14 did marry my grandmother in 13:15 1908 and in 1910 they staked 13:18 their claim on the homestead 13:20 here at Hemaruka and they 13:24 began their life together. 13:26 And it wasn't until about 1915 13:29 when a travelling preacher, a 13:31 Ukrainian travelling preacher, 13:33 by the name of T. T. Babienko, 13:35 came through the area and I'm 13:38 just amazed, they don't make 13:39 preachers like that these 13:41 days, he carried a hammer and 13:43 he helped the settlers build 13:44 their houses and their barns 13:46 during the day time and my 13:48 grandfather says that in the 13:49 evenings he held meetings and 13:51 taught them the word of God. 13:52 And my grandfather and 13:54 grandmother said, "This is" 13:56 "truth, this is what we want" 13:59 "to do," and so in 1915 they 14:01 were baptized by Babienko and 14:04 he raised up a church, one of 14:05 the largest in the province at 14:07 that time, of 75 members in 14:10 this area. 14:12 >> So, Elaine, tell us about 14:14 the conversion of your 14:15 grandparents. 14:17 [ELAINE] Well, it's interesting, 14:18 the parallels when you go back 14:20 in history, of our two families 14:23 because this same preacher, 14:24 Babienko, worked his way 14:26 across the prairies from the 14:29 west to the east and in the 14:31 late 30's he was in eastern 14:33 Saskatchewan where my 14:35 grandparents were, where they 14:37 had homesteaded and were 14:39 raising their family. 14:40 And he did the same thing, he, 14:42 you know, helped them build 14:43 their houses and barns and 14:45 taught them God's word. 14:47 And my grandparents on my 14:49 father's side, my mother and 14:52 father, who were pretty 14:53 newly married at the time, 14:55 my father's brother and his 14:57 sister and several other 14:58 families in that area were 15:00 baptized by the same preacher. 15:03 So, you know, it's amazing 15:04 how, when you look back, how a 15:09 seed planted by a North 15:11 Dakota family on the prairie 15:13 of Alberta was nurtured by 15:16 this preacher that influenced 15:18 both our families, and not 15:21 only our grandparents, but how 15:23 it has come down through the 15:25 generations into, you know, my 15:28 in-laws, my parents, and into 15:32 our family and our children. 15:33 [MIKE] That is amazing. 15:34 So if we think about all the 15:36 interactions that we have 15:37 every day, they may be little 15:38 interactions, but it can 15:41 influence future generations. 15:43 >> You never know what a word 15:46 in due season or a kindness 15:48 or, you know, just a testimony 15:51 for the Lord, what it can do. 15:53 >> So, Murray, your 15:55 grandfather was converted, 15:56 your grandparents were 15:58 converted as well, Elaine, 16:00 and sometimes when we look at 16:02 conversions we just think, 16:04 "Oh, exciting!" 16:06 But there's something you have 16:08 to kind of give up and that's 16:09 what you used to be living 16:11 like and so your grandfather 16:12 used to be very social. 16:14 You wanna tell us about that? 16:16 >> Well, he was, we've come to 16:18 discover, quite a party 16:20 animal, he loved socializing, 16:23 he loved partying. 16:26 And, you know, six, seven 16:30 years later when he became a 16:33 Christian, he decided to 16:36 change his lifestyle 16:38 and so he did. 16:41 And so he tells us-- told us 16:42 that his friends and his 16:44 neighbours thought he lost 16:45 his mind. 16:47 He would go to town and they'd 16:49 stand across the street and 16:50 they'd go like this, they'd 16:51 point at Sankey, you know, 16:53 they couldn't understand 16:55 why a man would do this. 16:57 And they forsook him and he 16:59 said that was the hardest 17:01 thing in his life. 17:03 He went through the influenza 17:04 in '18 and he lost his hair 17:07 and lost their firstborn son, 17:10 he experienced hardship on the 17:12 homestead. 17:13 Some of these stories, when I 17:14 heard them, I just thought, 17:16 "Oh, well, that's a good" 17:17 "story of Grandpa," and I had 17:18 that affirmed here just this 17:20 spring where I was levelling 17:23 off some ground on the 17:24 homestead with my machine and 17:28 this shiny thing appeared and 17:30 I said, "What's that?" you 17:32 know, "just one shiny thing," 17:34 it was not some junk pile or 17:35 anything, but it was on the 17:36 fence line on the far end of 17:38 the quarter. 17:39 So I got down and picked it up 17:42 and here was this whisky 17:44 bottle that says, "Gooderhams 17:47 Whisky, established 1832." 17:50 I thought, "Well, this is" 17:51 "special," you know, so I took 17:52 it home that night and we 17:53 looked up, now if it hadn't 17:55 been chipped, it was worth $25 17:57 online and so I was gonna 18:00 throw it away and then I 18:01 thought, "There's a story 18:03 here, there's a story here." 18:05 This has got to be my 18:07 grandfather's whisky bottle, 18:08 you know? 18:10 It's at the far end of the 18:11 quarters, so picture this now, 18:12 guys, he's out there plowing 18:14 with his oxen, he's got this 18:16 whisky bottle somehow around 18:18 his neck and he gets to the 18:20 far end where grandma's at the 18:21 other end puttin' the house 18:22 together and he has this 18:24 little whisky, eventually it 18:26 empties out, so he chucks it 18:27 under the fence, OK, and here 18:30 now 110 years later I uncover 18:34 the evidence, OK, and I would 18:37 just love when we all get to 18:39 heaven to ask my grandpa, 18:40 "Is this yours?" 18:42 "Do you remember this?" you 18:44 know, so coupled with this 18:46 story though, it affirms that 18:49 he was right. 18:50 Now, I look at this and I say, 18:52 "By God's grace I'm not going" 18:55 "to AA today," you know? 18:58 Now, his friends forsook him. 19:00 He told us it took many years 19:03 later for his friends to come 19:06 back and it happened because 19:07 they lived on a corner two 19:09 miles from town and my 19:11 grandmother was the best cook 19:12 in the community and so people 19:14 would plan on their trip to 19:16 town, to stop at Sankey's 19:18 for lunch, K. 19:19 And so while Grandma was 19:21 making the lunch, grandpa was 19:23 visiting with them and he said 19:25 after several years, his 19:27 friends discovered that Sankey 19:29 didn't go crazy, Sankey didn't 19:31 go crazy, but he said it took 19:33 quite a few years. 19:34 >> That would have taken some 19:35 time to win their confidence 19:37 and win their friendship back. 19:38 [MURRAY] Yes. 19:39 >> So, Elaine, you also grew 19:41 up on a farm so there's a lot 19:43 of similarities between the 19:44 two of you. 19:46 >> Yes, my parents were 19:49 married and lived in 19:51 Saskatchewan on a farm and had 19:53 my brother and sister there 19:54 and then it was difficult 19:56 'cause we didn't have 19:57 water on our farm and 19:59 they couldn't find a well, 20:01 water in a well, so they 20:04 decided to move just a little 20:05 further east across the border 20:07 into Manitoba, and that's 20:09 where I was born. 20:10 We had two quarters of land 20:13 which wasn't a lot and so to 20:14 supplement income, my father 20:15 would work for the railroad in 20:17 the summertime and when I was 20:20 born, I had a hemorrhage 20:23 on my brain. 20:26 You know, back then it 20:28 really wasn't diagnosed other 20:30 than it was very serious. 20:32 The doctor had said if it got 20:34 any bigger, it, you know, I 20:35 could possibly die. 20:38 And there was a preacher, a 20:41 Seventh-day Adventist preacher, 20:43 who was friends with my 20:45 parents and they prayed for me 20:47 and miraculously it resolved 20:51 and so I'm very, very grateful 20:53 for that. 20:55 Now growing up on the farm we 20:57 had chickens, we had cows, we, 21:01 you know, had a lot of chores, 21:03 we had a big garden, but it 21:05 was a little different country 21:07 than it was here, it was very 21:09 green and hilly, it rained 21:10 there a lot more than 21:11 it does here. 21:13 >> So, Murray, you told us 21:14 about your grandparents, 21:16 tell us about your parents and 21:18 how they affected your journey 21:20 in life. 21:22 >> OK, well, the Sankeys, 21:24 of course, survived the 21:25 depression, they learned all 21:27 about resilience and 21:28 sticking to it. 21:30 When my mother graduated from 21:31 the University of Calgary with 21:33 her teaching degree there was 21:34 a list of towns to go to and 21:36 Hemaruka was on this list and 21:38 they had never heard of 21:39 Hemaruka and so her classmates 21:41 dared her to go there. 21:43 So Mother showed up in 21:45 Hemaruka and Dad noticed her 21:46 and, of course, the rest is 21:48 history, they got married two 21:49 or three years later, but in 21:51 '49 and in 1950 they bought 21:54 Little Gem. 21:55 Now Little Gem was owned by a 21:58 couple that wanted to retire, 21:59 they owned the store, the post 22:01 office, the gas business, 22:02 Imperial Oil gas business, 22:04 seven quarters of land and my 22:07 dad scraped together enough 22:09 money to buy the place for, I 22:11 think he said $3500 and there 22:13 was like $1500 worth of stock 22:15 in the store, he said. 22:18 So anyway, Mother was raising 22:21 us, running the store, hired 22:23 men were farming, Dad was 22:25 trucking cattle and grain and 22:28 he was going broke. 22:30 He wasn't getting crops, he 22:31 was getting some crops, but 22:33 they'd either get hailed or 22:34 frozen or snowed under or one 22:36 year a prairie fire went 22:38 through and burned his 22:39 grain bins. 22:40 It took twelve years before my 22:42 dad actually marketed a good 22:45 crop, it was in the 60's. 22:46 So my mother and dad were 22:48 working hard and not getting 22:50 anywhere, they were out of 22:51 money, I didn't realize it, 22:53 but they were bankrupt, they 22:54 had no money. 22:55 So Mother went back teaching, 22:58 us kids were helping 22:59 on the farm. 23:01 And so as I got older and 23:04 that, I decided to go away to 23:06 boarding school for part of my 23:08 high school and some college. 23:10 Now Elaine can tell the rest 23:12 of that. 23:13 >> So, Elaine, is that-- did 23:16 you meet at the boarding 23:18 school that Murray went to? 23:20 >> Yes, actually, we did. 23:22 It's a christian boarding 23:23 school put on by our church in 23:26 Lacombe, Alberta and I was in 23:28 grade 12 when I met Murray and 23:30 he was first year college. 23:32 And I first noticed him, he 23:34 was with a friend of mine and 23:37 he was wearing this crazy hat 23:39 and I thought, "Who's that" 23:41 "guy with the crazy hat?" 23:43 You know, he's not 23:44 crazy-crazy, but, you know, 23:46 he's different, he's unusual 23:47 and that's when I first 23:48 noticed him. 23:50 So then my girlfriend set up a 23:51 time when there was a group of 23:54 us going to Red Deer to shop 23:56 and Murray and his sister and 23:58 my friend and her boyfriend 24:00 and I went on this shopping 24:02 trip and we weren't together 24:04 while we shopped, but when we 24:07 got back together to go back 24:09 to the school, we discovered 24:11 that he and I both bought the 24:13 same thing and that was the 24:15 Anne Murray 45 of "Snowbird." 24:17 So that, you know, was-- 24:19 [MURRAY] It was a sign! 24:20 >> Yes, it was kind of the 24:22 sign that we did have 24:24 something in common and we did 24:26 have some chemistry, too. 24:27 And so at that time, as far as 24:31 Murray knew, I was a city girl 24:33 because when I was 14 24:35 my father had sold the farm 24:37 and we had moved to Saskatoon, 24:38 Saskatchewan. 24:40 So as Murray and I were 24:42 getting to know each other and 24:44 there was a certain evening 24:46 that we were sitting in fall 24:47 outside and I said to him, 24:50 "Oh, I like the sound of" 24:51 "those combines, it reminds" 24:53 "me of home," and he's like, 24:54 "What? You know the sound" 24:56 "of combines?" 24:57 'Cause he thought I was a city 24:58 girl. (laughs) 25:00 So that's kind of, um... 25:02 >> Yeah, her stock price 25:03 went up. (laughs) 25:04 >> That's where our journey 25:05 began and how we got to know 25:07 each other. 25:07 [MURRAY] Yes. 25:09 >> And so you took it further? 25:11 >> We did, you know, after I 25:14 graduated we were engaged, we 25:17 each worked for a year before 25:18 we got married and then I 25:21 followed him or came out here 25:23 to Little Gem, to the farm and 25:26 of course I had stars in my 25:27 eyes and all I could see was 25:29 this handsome young man I was 25:31 marrying, not thinking much 25:33 about the countryside I was 25:34 coming to. 25:35 And I can remember looking out 25:37 one evening and I couldn't see 25:40 any lights on the horizon and 25:43 I didn't know hardly anybody 25:45 in the community and I thought 25:48 to myself, "Am I the only one" 25:50 "on this planet? What on" 25:52 "earth have I done?" (laughs) 25:55 >> And we have run out of 25:56 time, so... 25:59 So we're going to-- I hate to 26:00 cut it off here, this is a 26:02 really important part of your 26:03 story, but I'm gonna ask you 26:05 to continue your story next 26:06 week, would that be OK? 26:07 [ELAINE] Sure. 26:08 [MURRAY] That's fine. 26:09 [MIKE] Good, so we're gonna 26:10 close with a word of prayer, 26:11 I wonder, Murray, if you could 26:13 pray for us as we close. 26:15 >> OK. 26:17 Father in heaven, we just 26:20 are reminded as we reflect 26:23 on our family history of Your 26:25 leading in our lives and the 26:27 interest You take in us little 26:31 earthlings, that You love us 26:34 so much and that You have a 26:36 plan for each of us. 26:38 And in our particular family 26:40 there was a plan, as we look 26:41 back now, that is still being 26:43 fulfilled as we go on from day 26:46 to day and we just thank You 26:48 for loving us and for caring 26:50 for us, for leading us by way 26:52 of Your Holy Spirit, for 26:53 leading my grandfather to 26:55 accept You as his personal 26:56 saviour. 26:58 We thank You for this and 27:00 praise Your holy name, 27:01 in Jesus' name, amen. 27:03 [MIKE] Amen, amen. 27:04 Thank you so much, Murray and 27:06 Elaine, and we look forward to 27:07 meeting with you again next 27:08 week to continue sharing 27:10 your story. 27:14 Listening to Murray and 27:15 Elaine's story has taught us 27:17 practical life lessons such as 27:20 how to live with optimism and 27:23 with resilience. 27:25 So our free offer for you 27:27 today is Words of Hope. 27:29 >> Words of Hope will help you 27:30 see other life lessons that 27:32 guide us all in our Christian 27:34 walk such as the blessing of 27:35 generosity, the power of 27:37 humility, how to set 27:39 priorities, and the way to 27:41 persevere when life is tough. 27:44 [MIKE] Words of Hope aims to 27:46 bring you closer to Christ, 27:48 the true source of life and 27:50 light from above. 27:56 We want you to experience the 27:58 truth that is found in the 28:00 words of Jesus when He said, 28:02 "It is written, man shall not" 28:05 "live by bread alone, but by" 28:06 "every word that proceeds out" 28:08 "of the mouth of God." 28:13 >> So at a very young age, I 28:15 fell in love with the green 28:17 John Deere tractors and that 28:19 was at about 8 years of age, I 28:21 learned to drive this one when 28:23 I was about 12 years old it 28:24 was time for a new tractor. 28:26 And my dad ordered it, it came 28:31 in, a new John Deere tractor. 28:34 And when I was in school, 28:35 I knew that he had gone 28:37 to town to get it. 28:39 When I came home from 28:40 school, I looked around the 28:42 yard, Dad was not around, but 28:44 I found the tractor in a 28:46 shed and I sat on that tractor 28:48 and smelled the new paint 'til 28:50 it got to be dark outside and 28:53 I had decided at that point 28:55 that I was gonna be a farmer. |
Revised 2021-09-28