Today was the 50th anniversary of the founding of Shiloh Youth Ranch. Each year, the pastor tells of events that show the grace and mercy God has and continues to extend to Shiloh. We've had the privilege to witness many of those miracles first hand. One of the things the pastor mentions is the need to develop our own memorials or pillars of faith. They're times when God worked miraculously on our behalf that we can remember when times are tough As he spoke today, I was reminded of a pillar of faith in my life that showed God's mercy and grace to Bob and me.
The company he worked for had not done well by him. Two days after we purchased a house in Tennessee, Bob accidentally saw a memo stating the company was closing the account. They deliberately tried to hide the fact he was out of a job. We were up the proverbial creek without the proverbial paddle. I doubt I have to say how I felt about the way the company treated him. How they ended up is another story that says don't mess with God's children, but that's not what this is about.
The company transferred him to Chicago, which in and of itself, was a great act of grace and mercy that went unrecognized at the time. The boys were both gone from the home. Our nest was empty. Bob began to encourage me to think about returning to school to complete my degree. Years before, I had been interviewed for a job at Ft. Leonard Wood, Mo. as Christian Education Director in the chapel system. However, I had been involved in a church plant that had just begun and had to turn the job down. Had they approached me the year before when I was a member of a Baptist church that had hundreds of members, I would never have been missed. But a church plant, especially this one, needed all the warm bodies it had managed to accumulate in a few short months. Since I was the one who contacted the denominational headquarters about planting a church, it would have been really nasty to abandon a work I requested be started.
The interview for the job included 17 chaplains-and me. Scary thought for an enlisted man's wife; alone in a room with 17 officers. By the way, there were no female chaplains in that day, at least not in that room. Worked hard to mind my P's and Q's. After the interview, one chaplain followed me to the car. His advice started with, "Mrs. Nettles, you were at the top of our list. Now, you go back to school and finish your degree." It wasn't a suggestion. It was a command.
There were more moves between that interesting day and the rest of the story. The opportunity to return to school presented itself when Bob was transferred to Chicago. I told him there were a couple of good schools in the area. Wheaton was one and Moody was the other. Wheaton turned me down. because I was too old. They don't take anyone over 26 for the undergraduate program. It wouldn't have worked anyway. Bob's job was still quite difficult and if Wheaton had accepted me, I'd have had to start over because my credits were 25 years old. He did good to put up with the punishing behavior he endured for the 2 1/2 years it took for me to graduate. Isn't it amazing how God works? He took Wheaton's illegal insult and turned it into a blessing for us.
We were out for a drive one Sunday afternoon shortly after we arrived in the area and accidentally happened on Moody. Bob laughed for blocks. Moody sits in the heart of one of the country's largest and busiest cities. Near Northside it's called, just a few blocks from the Loop and even closer to Miracle Mile. Driving in new places was overwhelming for me, especially coming from a country setting. In Tennessee, we were 10 miles from anything. "You watch my dust," I growled and immediately began the process to enroll at Moody Bible Institute.
In the meantime, the house in Tennessee that we had purchased 2 days before Bob's job ended just sat there. It sat empty for 18 long, agonizing months. The broker even suggested putting an ad in a Chicago paper to see if we'd get any interest. There was one response. That was from the other Chicago paper, saying we'd have gotten better results going with them instead of the paper we chose. Oh, goody.
Every year, Moody participates in World Day of Prayer. At that prayer meeting in General Epistles class, I requested prayer for the sale of the house. It was a horrible financial drain and almost as big an emotional burden.
I'll never forget the young man who prayed for the sale of the house. In those days, mortgages took a minimum of two months to be processed. As this young man prayed, he requested that the house sell within a month. I laughed to myself and thought, You Dear, Sweet Boy. It takes two months to get a mortgage. We didn't even have any prospects the day he prayed.
Oh, how weak my faith. Shortly thereafter, we got a call from the Realtor. We had a buyer. It was a retired Detroit police officer who was putting about 75% down on the house. No bank would turn that down. Long story short-we closed in less than a month!!
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