Category: Guest-Writers

Written By: Pastor Cathy Prout

Psalm 40:1-5 Passion Translation

“I waited and waited and waited some more; patiently, knowing God would come through for me. Then, at last, He bent down and listened to my cry. He stooped down to lift me out of danger from the desolate pit I was in, out of the muddy mess I had fallen into. Now He has lifted me up onto a firm, secure place and steadied me while I walk along His ascending path.  A new song for a new day rises up in me every time I think about how He breaks through for me! Ecstatic praise pours out of my mouth until everyone hears how God has set me free. Many will see His miracles; they’ll stand in awe of God and fall in love with Him!  Blessing after blessing comes to those who love and trust the Lord. They will not fall away, for they refuse to listen to the lies of the proud.  O Lord, our God, no one can compare with You. Such wonderful works and miracles are all found with You!”

Wow!! This is an accurate account of the miracle-working power of God in my life! I was raised in a Christian home, yet had no idea of my identity in Christ and therefore I strove to be accepted by “whomever” and tried to become “whatever”. At 18 years, I left home like the prodigal son and found myself in a desolate pit and a muddy mess.

Problems greater then I could solve came, one after another. Yet, all the while running from the Lord, desperately trying to find myself, He never gave up on me or the destiny and purpose He had for my life! When I called, He answered. He lifted me up onto His firm secure place and for the last 33 years He has steadied me while I walk on His path for my life. Miracle after miracle of inner healing, deliverance, and freedom from destructive behaviours have changed me radically from the inside out!

It is the miracle-working power of His unconditional love and acceptance that changes people. I couldn’t run from me, change me, or love me. But His love did. And that same miracle love continues to heal, restore, set free, and change anyone who will simply call out to Him. You haven’t run too far away, the pit isn’t too deep, the muddy mess doesn’t offend Him, and there isn’t a problem He cannot solve.

I stand in awe of what He has done in my life and what He continues to do in and through me today! Seeing God change a life… what a miracle!!!

**We are so happy to have Pastor Cathy Prout as a part of our Prayer Team here at UYM. We look forward to continue walking in ministry with this precious lady.**

About Pastor Cathy Prout:

Pastor Cathy Prout has been the Senior Pastor of Centralia Faith Tabernacle since 2000. Her passion is to see individuals fully restored and built up in order to be wholly dedicated to Jesus Christ. She believes that by returning to the fundamentals of our identity in Christ there is a new level of freedom to live out God’s purpose for our lives. She has been married to her husband Doug, for 34 years and they have 4 grown sons, 2 daughter-in-laws and 1 granddaughter. She loves to read and shop!

Written By: Rejean Brochu

Today, I want to give all glory and honour to my Lord,  and to His precious Word, The Bible, that was given, at school, to my younger brother by a Gideon.

I was born in North Quebec.  As the oldest of 10 children, I had to leave school at age 13 to help my Dad in the family business. In spring of 1966, my parents decided to move our family to Ontario, to work the harvest in this county.
In 1967, my father founded a construction company, where all his children would work in roofing and building material. I was my Dad’s right arm. We all worked very hard but, in order to succeed my Dad was very demanding.  In June 1971, I met my wife and we were married that following December.

One day, I asked my Dad “What is your goal in life?” and he told me it was to make one million dollars. He wanted to buy a White Cadillac. I told him, “We will do it.”, and we did do it, that same year. I started following in my father’s footsteps, with heavy drinking.  By now our construction company had 50 employees and several departments. I was under a lot of stress, and my health and marriage suffered. I began slipping into a deep depression, and could not handle the pressure anymore.

In 1979, we added a new division to the company in trucking and I could no longer deal with the alcohol and anti-depressants. I never told anyone about this, until I got saved….I decided to end my life by driving my truck off of a cliff. But, before I did, I said  “God forgive me, for what I am about to do.” Then I turned the wheel very sharp to the right but, it did not turn at all. God had another plan for my life.

By this time, my wife was saved and she was going to the weekly Bible Study. The group was praying for my salvation. I said to her, I would let her go to the meetings, if she would let me go to the bar with the boys but, she never did tell me that she had been praying for my salvation. At this time, my younger brother had received a New Testament from the Gideon.  It was at my parents’ house and no one was reading it, so I took it and read the inside cover several times. It read: “As you read this book, may you receive help in the time of need.”

Finally in 1981, I quit my job in the family business, and decided to move my family back up to North Quebec, to my late father-in-law’s house. I had 2 brothers-in-law still living there and they welcomed us with open arms. That was late November 1981 and my life was still a mess. I was very depressed. No Job. No Money. A wife and 3 children that I was responsible for. We spent that Christmas with very little. After the holidays, I decided again to take my life.

In January of 1982, I took my brother-in-law’s 303 riffle. I still remember the look on my wife’s face as I was heading out. She said, “Where are you going??” I told her I was going hunting. She was scared and very concerned. She began praying for me, just as soon as I left. I walked into the bush, away from the house. I always had in mind, the truth about God’s love and how Jesus had died on Calvary for me. I said out loud, “Jesus, if You are real, I need to know this today…that You forgive me of my sins, and that You would come into my heart.” He did forgive me.  And He did come into my heart.

I wept bitterly for a long time but, the hurts from the past and the depression left me. I saw a rabbit pretty far off, and I shot at him and missed. My wife heard the shot from the house, and sent her brother to come and check on me. He came running and screaming, “Reg! Are you okay?!?” My response was, “I am fine.  Never felt better in my life.” I came out of the bush that day with a hope that everything was going to be okay.

I read Psalms 116:1-4:

“I love the Lord, for he heard my voice; he heard my cry for mercy. Because he turned his ear to me, I will call on him as long as I live. The cords of death entangled me, the anguish of the grave came over me; I was overcome by distress and sorrow.  Then I called on the name of the Lord: “Lord, save me!”

Now I understand God’s grace,  and I now work with the Gideon’s. I will always be thankful for the South-Essex Camp that took time to give my younger brother that little New Testament Bible.  That one day forever changed the course of my life. My late Dad got saved 2 years before he past away. My late Mom loved the Lord her whole life. Several of my brothers and sisters now serve the Lord and follow Him. The miracle here is that I am alive and writing this. I am here by God’s amazing grace and His unfailing love.  

About Rejean Brochu:

Rejean Brochu is married to his Wife and Best-Friend Evelyne for 43 years, walking through many seasons of ‘For better or For worse’ they have together grown and their love and commitment has endured the test of time. Loving Father of 3 Grown-Children, who have collectively blessed Him with 9 Grand-Children, who in turn have continued to bless Him, with 5 Great-Grand-Children.

Written By: Katie Wilson

Ruby Irene Short was born December 16th 1920, and packed inside this little woman, who was just 4’11, was one of the strongest women I’ve known.  She was a loving wife, mother, grandmother, and the inspiration for my music, and I am so incredibly blessed to call this God- fearing woman my grandmother.

My grandma was married to a non-Christian man, and while she was pregnant with her first child, the man faced a tragic accident and died. As she grieved for an entire year, her parent’s dragged my grandma and her infant daughter, Marlene, to church.  There was an alter call on that day, and she ran up to the front, and was saved from that day on, and that is where her life truly began.

She went on to marry my grandpa Mac Wilson, and had 4 other children; Paul, David, Merrie, and my father Charles. Mac was a preacher, and during this time pastors in Timmins were highly persecuted.  Both my grandmother and my grandfather went through many hardships but still they pushed through as devoted Christians. Time went on and her children had grown,  and both my uncles had fallen away from the church, and still my grandma prayed. She is what we all called a hard-core prayer warrior.  She prayed day after day, year after year for her children, and her grandchildren that they would all serve the Lord with all their hearts.  As more time went on, before I was even born, my grandpa Mac unfortunately passed away. But my grandma still stayed faithful, and continued to pray for her miracle.

When my grandmother was in her 60’s, she married my grandpa Bob, who later passed away after only a decade of them being married. She outlived three husbands, went through so many trials, and still was not discouraged or disheartened. She still continued to pray for her miracle- that her sons would be saved. During the last 4 years of her life, my grandmother had grown so tired, weak, frail, sickly and so ready to go up to heaven to be with God, but still continued to faithfully pray for her miracle.

My uncle Paul, my grandmother’s oldest son, was diagnosed with cancer nearly a year ago from now.   For a 93 year old mother to hear that her son has cancer was absolutely heart breaking, but still she continued to pray that her son would come to find Jesus before his time on this world run out. During the last few months of my Uncle Paul’s life, my dad, who is a pastor, had a few talks with him. After having a very troubled past, and 50 years of running from his faith, my uncle Paul finally returned home to the God who had been waiting for him for too long. My uncle passed away December 12th, 2014, and although this was a heartbreak to our entire family, we all know that my uncle gave his heart to the Lord and that we are all going to see him again one day.

My grandma had spent 50 years of her life consistently praying for her son.  50 years! And after losing three of her husbands, her faith in our God did not shake, it didn’t crumble, and she could not be moved. 50 years of praying for her miracle and she lived to see that God holds tight to His promises, and that He is faithful and good. My grandmother went to heaven to be with her husbands and son 19 days after my uncle Paul’s death on December 31st, 2014. We all like to say that my grandma had 94 years on this earth so she could continue to pray for my uncle and so she could see that God would come through on her miracle.

Sometimes you can’t expect your miracles to happen overnight.  God’s timing is perfect in every way, so don’t be discouraged if your miracle doesn’t happen right away.  It could take days, months, or even 50 years.  God is faithful and has His own timing, but being willing to trust and wait for your miracles is what matters. If there was one thing I want to pass on to my own future children about their great grandmother, it is that her life is a testimony of God’s miracles.  Our God is greater and stronger than all

other circumstances.  It may take 50 years for your miracle to happen, but don’t be discouraged.  Trust His timing and His goodness in all life’s circumstances.

About Katie:

Katie is a proud “PK”, a and a God- loving lady who is a worship and youth leader at bethel church in Wallaceburg, Ontario.

Savoring Sisterhood.

Written by: Sharon Parish, with collective thought and discussion with all of the sisters (Amy McMillan, Steph Watts, and Jackie Prinsen).

Psalm 90:12 “So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom.”

Before my husband and I ever had kids, I told him that if we ever had one daughter, then we would have to have a second daughter. I grew up surrounded by my four sisters in a house with one washroom. I would have told you that I’ve experienced the good, the bad, and the ugly of sisterhood for years – up until the last few years. My view on sisterhood is so different now than I ever thought that it would be.

From left to right: Sharon, Jackie, Caroline, Steph, Amy

We had a great childhood – all five of us, spread over 8 years. Sure, we had our differences, ranging from hair color, beliefs, hobbies and everything in between, but we had a lot of the same, too. We all loved family and had family as a priority – most of the time. The four oldest were always busy with work, life, love and everything that comes between. The youngest, our little Caroline (always seeming tiny, meek, and quiet to those who didn’t know her well) was consumed with desires to travel and see the world. She didn’t waste her time. She went through college for travel and tourism. She surrounded herself with great friends, never wasting her time on a boyfriend, knowing that she’d know the right one when she met him. Even though her calendar was always full, she mysteriously would find ways to individually single out us girls and spend time with us – one on one, as often as possible, but also in the fun group dynamic that the five of us together would present. With the five of us together, the laughs would bellow out, as the sisterly love was being shared – along with opinions on each others’ choices in clothes, hair styles, vacation destinations and everything else that girls chat about. Often described as an old soul, we would joke about how she was the youngest and smartest for always having fun, yet maintaining high standards for herself. She was, in essence, a girl who was wise beyond her years, teaching us girls lessons over and over – oh, and how to dance.

Life changed in the year of 2013. Caroline was 23 at the time, and she was diagnosed with breast cancer. A fluke, that’s what the doctor’s kept calling it. They threw everything and the kitchen sink at her. The good news, after her double mastectomy, chemo and radiation, was that SHE BEAT IT! While she was ill, she determined to keep her spirits up and plan for her future. She smiled almost constantly and amazed everyone who knew her. She researched everything possible to continue living well. She took the lead in our sisterhood. She didn’t let it become all about her. She turned her focus to her life and to us – her older sisters.

She spoke to us about love. She spoke to us about decisions we had made and were yet to make. She encouraged us to be vigilant about our health. She encouraged us to eat clean. She called our behaviors into check. She made us think twice about ever complaining. She made us laugh and look to the future, instead of worrying and dwelling on her struggles. She planned her return to school, as she was determined never to feel like she wasn’t making the most of her second chance. She danced as often as possible, especially at our sister Steph’s New Years’ Eve wedding on December 31, 2013. We had survived the worst year of our lives. How emotional it was to share Steph’s wedding with all of us girls together, closing off the nightmare and boldly looking to the future. The roller coaster was over.

Almost one year later in November of 2014, about a month after her return from a European trip with a cousin, Caroline thought she had pulled a muscle. She went to the doctor’s and received devastating news. Later that evening, on the heels of telling us that she had been given about 3 months to live, she put a smile on and encouraged me to tell my parents the secret news that I had told her two weeks previous. We were expecting again! She was ecstatic! She was determined to meet this baby. She assured us that she would be doing everything in her power to be there. As time went on, Caroline was in immense pain, yet she put a smile on and hid it from us. Christmas came and went, and she soaked it all in. It hurt so much to watch her as she lovingly sat on the couch sipping ‘tea’ from a tea party my daughter had prepared for her. She would quickly hide the pain of knowing that she wouldn’t be there to watch the kids grow up. She would pop up on my doorstep to visit with me and the kids, while popping pain meds to make sure that she ‘stayed on top of things.’ She pushed her pain aside to make sure that WE were ok.

Her spirit was strong, but her flesh was weak. When I was 19 weeks pregnant with this little baby, she quickly and peacefully passed away. A couple days before she died, she left us an amazing blessing. She made it known that she would not change anything about her life – not even getting cancer and all that she had been through. She had no regrets. At the age of 25, she was able to die and know that she had made good decisions and she was satisfied. She knew that the afterlife had much more for her than Earth, which is still extremely painful for us to accept. Of course, it’s our own selfishness to want her here with us forever. She was, after all, a really awesome sister.

The blessings that she has given us in the last few years will never be forgotten. This new daughter has a name chosen specifically for her by Caroline, which is funny, because we didn’t even know the gender when Caroline chose it. I will be forever grateful for the lesson from her about living as full and rich of a life as possible. Her love and wisdom will live on in so many. She left us such a legacy and changed our perspective on sisterhood completely.

A sister is so much more than someone who shares a bloodline and a home growing up. It goes down to the core. It can be so much more if you embrace it. A sister KNOWS. I can call any of my sisters and not need to say a word. They KNOW. I’m not saying that you need to have something tragic happen. I am saying that I wish I’d have known that this bond could be so deep years ago. Learn who your sisters are. What makes them tick? What encourages them? Connect with them. Make memories with them. Remember that life is unpredictable and everyone’s days are numbered. Make wise decisions. Pray about what direction to take in life. Pray for your sisters. Keep in mind that what you do now does matter. People are watching, and we are constantly teaching someone with our actions. What do you want your life to teach others? What do you want people to remember about you? How do you want your sisters to remember you when you are gone one day?

As I sit here with the clock nearing midnight, with a two and half WEEK old baby on my lap, I look at the relationship that my daughters already have. Of course, at this age, the baby is just along for the ride, but my heart is greatly warmed when my older daughter, Norah, asks to hold Evelyn. While Norah holds her, I often overhear her telling Evelyn about her family. Without skipping a beat, she goes through all of my sisters’ names. She lovingly tells her where everyone lives…. and, then, she gets to Caroline…. “she died. I know it’s sad, but I’m going to tell you all about her.” It makes me sit back and truly savor the sisterhood that I have.

We hope that through our experience you can come to value your sisters a bit more while you still have them here. Thanks for reading!

It’s interesting that as I am beginning to write this little entry about the anomaly that is sisterhood, my sister and I find ourselves in the middle of a disagreement.