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But I thought I would like to share with you some of the experiences that led us to this program, Stephen Gore who's been with the ABC religious Department for 12 years had read the Elite biography, Master Ball that the International Biographical Center in London had composed

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and sent copies of it to different friends around the world. And in it, it gives an outline of my life and experiences. Start off with Jane Nicholas, Mary, Mariah Andrews A LP IB A Mary Mariah Andrews has spent most of her life being a foot fisherwoman

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of men, women and Children using the Christian faith of compassion, love, humility, hope, passion, and joy. By the time she arrived at Hornsby Girls high school, she was already committed to the motto Faith with birth fortitude and we called him Guide me. O thou great. Jehovah

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was also an inspiration in times of trouble. Miss ADM Brewster taught her to value trees and flowers and the geography teacher taught her to allow other countries. Mary became the leader of the school's chief student Christian Union demonstrating that strength, purpose and commitment that was to

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go with her throughout life. Mary's maternal grandparents were Scottish and Irish. They went to Australia during the gold rush and later bought a large property between Coomer and Adam in Abu. Her grandfather and his son George were involved in a plan to harness the waters of

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the snowy river. George later became the first chairman of the snowy hydroelectric fleet. Mary was born on Dry Plains Station near Coa on the 20th of March 1915. One of her first memories is of being awakened by a terrible noise. She remembers being bundled into your

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blanket and being taken out onto the plains where they watched the homestead blazing. All their material possessions were lost except the selfie so that her father drove them to the edge of the river and called until the neighbor further and came across in a boat. They

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were befriended and ours until other arrangements could be made. They moved into a larger community and Mary went to school for the first time when she was eight years old. Being put in first class with younger Children. She felt like a fish out of water. She

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had only ever had the company of her brother and was shy, self conscious. The first few days were not met 1926. The family moved to me and she attended the Sunday school and met a missionary for the first time. They then moved to a school where

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the challenge of mission work became paramount at the age of 14. As a Sunday school teacher and fellowship leader. She was convinced that she should prepare to serve God in China. Later, she found out that her mother had wanted to be a missionary and had been

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praying that someone in her family might answer the call after completing their leaving certificate and an Ame American correspondent trial course, she applied to train at grade two psychiatric hospital. Much to her mother's consternation is a question, had closed doors that normally would have been open

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to her. On Mary's 18th birthday, she began training in the admission ward. It was a shock to find her former French teacher there. The charged sisters took her to live in their quarters because of her looseness with constant changes and stuff. It was not long before

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she found herself in a factory ward where work had to be combined with a battle of wits in physical and emotional stress because of the attacks of patients. One day when she was supervising the scrubbing of the dining room clause, one of the patients suddenly became

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by, you can have a very big, he said to me Andrew your last out as the child was about to crash down on her marry lords, the chair fell beside me and the patient fell away and her strength dissipated and answered a prayer and her face

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with fortitude. She was saved from injury or possible death. The later part of the time at grateful was spent in the modern part of the hospital where they had many people suffering from physical as well as mental illness. There. She witnessed the birth of the baby

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and looking back on the days of graceful were good preparation for facing the hazards of missions life in China. There's a party political component to this as well. Michael White in London. And he tells me parliamentarians in Britain are not too pleased with the attention they're

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getting. It's all the fault of the press. That's it for the moral map. This week. Technical production by Neil Hobbs. I'm Margaret Coffey. Ok. Next on radio national for words to say it with this week, Stephen Godley is your host. Welcome to the Words Affairs. I'm

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Steven Goley and I'm thank for representing the program for these next two weeks today. It's my pleasure to introduce you to someone who in Anglican church circles really needs no introduction. Deaconess. Mary Andrews turned 80 this year and about 60 of those years have been in

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the service of the church. Mary has been a missionary in both China and India. She was principal of deaconess house and is presently the resident chaplain at Goodwin Village in Sydney. And it was there that I went to talk with her as we made our way

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to her apartment. She was greeted warmly by all the residents and knew each one by name. Mary Andrews sees her chaplaincy as yet another step in a life of faith that began in her early childhood, my mother was a very devout Christian. And from my earliest

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teens, she taught or not teen childhood. She taught me to pray into trusting God for. And I think also your time at the Haunted Me girls high school was a very influential time in your life. It was, it was during that time that I was challenged

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about missionary service. And um so that now that God was going to find out to be a missionary. But I was terrified because I was such a sharp person and afraid to talk to people en masse. During that time, there was a mission. Co Bradley conducted

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a ro and uh I went along to it and I found such young people for men and Children very excited about their Christian life. And I thought I'm not getting old. You an excitement out of life about what's the matter with me? And the thoughts during

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that hour came was you're willing to do whatever God wants you to do, but you're not willing to go to China because my mother is very concerned about China and she belonged to the Chinese migration committees and so on and very interested in helping to work

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forward to China and talked to C and drive the agency to room about China. And I said, oh, I couldn't go to China because of the bounded because the commission is that they, they often do too. And so I said to the Lord it does not.

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That night when I joined to that diment. So I'll go anywhere. They close not to China. But before that, that night was over, I came to the point. So I was going to be really obedient to the Lord. I hope which I used, I go anywhere

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even to China. And from that doubt, it will be something else. I sure of anything from the fact that God wanted me to do a mission in China. It's a very desolate plan for your life that you discovered the mission to China. What was it about

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missionary work? And the whole idea of mission that drew you? Well, I've been brought up and taught that God so loved the world or go under because he thank, but whoever believes in Him should not be that hardly a lasting life. And I thought the whole

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world needed to be told that message of God's last. And so I feel, oh, I had to try and share them with whoever and whenever I could, what is it about prayer? What happens when you pray? What what you do, communicating with God and asking God

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for guidance and help to bring all my thoughts, my world and deep into captivity to his mind and will. And then I go on asking him for whatever comes He pushed into my mind and we pray for that person or that thing and say to me,

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well, I used to IP or by force from the location to play without prison. But it's no longer a puzzle because I find that God keeps on challenging me to play at all times in all places for all sorts of things by listening to the radio

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or reading newspapers while watching TV. And it's more than just after the period as a very good start sharing, speaking to share what God wants to share with me about those people and situations and two way communication. So there's a real sense of the presence of

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God there. And I remember once being interviewed by brain as well as brain dead. And after sharing with him, having I experience in China, he said to me, take it, you speak to say God is real to me. And I said to him, yes, he is

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more real than you are fell and the poor man turn off the shoes and went out. He came back afterwards and we went on with Johnny because he mentioned I started and go back. So that's been my experience. How do you know when God has answered

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your prayers? Particularly when you ask for guidance is I guess the certainty within you? Is it some other way that you're sure of God's answer? Yes, that con that it might, might be answering the prayer in the way I ask it, but God is going to

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answer it in his way. And in this time, if we commit our ways under the law he will go with our powers. And sometimes it's been in quite a different direction to what I was expecting him to the will that I will be done. And I've

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been able to rejoice in God and I, I can see the right without prayer. And that's what puzzles me when I met people who don't find joy and satisfaction. And, um, a real peace from continually communicating with the Lord didn't grow up before you actually went

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to China. Though there were other things that you did. You were big nursing and psychiatric nursing. Yes. The only place that I heard of where I did need nurses who prescribed from South at the hospital. So I tried and when I was before I turn 18,

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they asked me to come and I out for me and my 18 birthday and that was one of the most um challenging of schools as far as girls and drink because time and time do not seem to be threatened. One day, one woman picked up a

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girl head dining room chair while she was scrubbing the dining room and said, Andrews your last hour of time, she went to crush this chair down on my head and I was afraid Lord save me and the chair dropped beside me and she shrunk up this

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woman when she became violent or demon possessed. As I thought of it, she was in a state where it took six nurses to put her into a skate jacket. She was so strong. And I think that experience and grace will taught me many lessons about how

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to cope with people in practice problems and difficulties and how God owns his parents. We really can't see how to cope with things. Emergencies were always arising of nursing. Mary Andrews went to bible college and went to deaconess house

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in Sydney for training so that she could follow what she strongly believed was God's calling to be a missionary in a troubled and war torn China. How did you overcome? I think it's too strong a word to call it fear that your apprehension about going to

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a strange country. Did you speak the language at that stage? No, I didn't know a word of gar I got to g so there was a language uh barrier, a war torn country. What kept you going to to go there? What, what overcame those things for

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you? Ask him to start over? Oh God, grace and wisdom and strength and encouragement. I've called you. And I think the text that often came to me through um Jeremiah chapter one, Jeremiah was told they're not afraid of their faces while I am with this to

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deliver, this says the law and they shall go to him where I shall send this and whatsoever I shall say to them that shall pass through. And those words came to me while I was at Bible college. And I, I was starting to see the C

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MS secretary and thought at that time, well, maybe I was too young and I was not experienced enough to perform. And why was I going to waste his time? And as I was ready at a red killer box in bed and red, according to turn around

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and go back, I thought those words come to me in no uncertain way that I should not be afraid. And from that time, I think of that anxieties and fears, the most debate will be good and God will get me to deliver me no matter what

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state I find myself in. And you found yourself in some sort of rather difficult state when you were working in China. One of them, for instance was the day that the Japanese invaded our city of Li High. They were going around in troops smashing doors in

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and chasing things because most of the people have evacuated. But I hadn't gone because there was about 100 Children from the southern part of our area and very much didn't have time to evacuate them. So I decided to stay and look after them for my colleagues

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arrived home before the, the Japanese army arrived. And so this day when he saw that they were really in taking place possession of the city. So it's no use going here until they come and smashing our doors. We had a prayer moving holes, remember under the

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stairs? And I asked God to show us what to do. He said, look, we go out and try and find the command and asked him for protection and whether or not show that we were afraid. And so got to teach you to write on a slip

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of paper. Where is your commander? We've got two of the teachers to come with us. And off, we went and not far from us, there was a dugout and there was a troop of Japanese soldiers with their guns and bones. And when they saw us coming,

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they stick themselves up and looked dazzles at us. And when we showed them the slip of paper, smiled at them and showed them the slip of paper. They just taken us on further and then the next group of round he did the same thing. So eventually

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we got to service with the commander was supposed to do and we asked, you know, for help and some fellow who heard that, did you mean that the dog was, would have been t it up from the shop on the street who, um, asked us to

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show them what, um, we wanted and he said, pointed the word protection and he smiled and went inside the place and later came out with six strips of paper and we didn't know what the entire sleep, but we doubt they were book for protection that showed

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enormous courage to sort of walk out and confront these men who were just as likely to kill you. Where did the carriage come from? Some guy justice to living our lives to him and knowing that uh he was in charge and that now by the kids

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grown up with his Philip is 121 which is for living to me means Christ and to dire means to gain more of him. And so I knew no matter what happened that I, my life was in God's hands and I should not be afraid. How do

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you find the Chinese people reacted to the Christian message to go with a doubtful, was it difficult for you to spread the message of Christianity? It's not anything anywhere but um I think it's, it's mainly through the Christian character. It's demonstrated to people living and loving

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and caring for people with the China who help most to put their faith and trust in God. So you came back from China and you were asked to become the principal of business health. And even back in high school, you were

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a leader of Christian Students Union in high school, all these positions of leadership. How did you feel about that? Well, I was a night because I don't have to share because I don't know, I mentioned in my early but this is a nice thing I called

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shaman. When we hand our lives out to him, we've just got the best, take us and order and do with us whatever he wanted to do. And that seems to be what he's done with me just taking me and inside of my lack of confidence, my

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lack of booth is used. But ok, I think some would argue about that lack of gift. Yes, I think you brought a great measure of gifts to your work. And from de house, you came here to Goodwin Village to be the chaplain. Yes. Again, another area

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of service. And I think all the way along it struck me that you've never really done anything for yourself. Uh It's been service, service, service for other people. And for God, you would say, do you feel that you've missed out on anything? I mean, you didn't

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marry, you didn't have a family of your own. He's all the time been given to others. Do you feel that you care for anything in order to our time? Everything? Because I discovered that if we live for ourselves, we will be in time. But if we

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do for the Lord Jesus Christ, we will do the time and the Lord is crown to He is with his goodness as the years go by. I mean, especially in this past year, I've just been utterly amazed at the way God has shown me that it's

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not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit says, the Lord and the way he's crowned you with many honors and many tons of the appreciation and trouble that I never dreamt. I couldn't have dreamt about spring with one of the ranks last year. They

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made an honorable last member of the National Council of Women and they only have four last members. And I couldn't believe that. I felt stunned when they made this announcement. And then of course we going to the National National Council of Women and good women. She

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said, oh, I want you to say something. I said, I can't. And so God said the child and now the wise that has it and sh that you haven't got a ST first stage, you haven't got a stake on it. God just keep pouring it on

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you as you look down, let him take control of your life. And this is what I just long and proud. All right students who have had the privilege to participate in their client, that they might discover that we don't have to struggle and strive to get

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anywhere in the right. We've got to let go and let God take charge and then day by day and moment by moment as we kept them with power in love, he will use us to the praise of His glory. And that's the one and only object

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of my life and that I might glorify God and enjoy him further. He exercised a very influential ministry in your missionary works uh at the house here at the chaplain. Do you ever feel that it could have been more extensive and more influential if you had

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been an ordained minister of the church. I know that in my case. So I, um, senior aware, probably occasion since I could have been a celebrant of a whole community service in a country where, where I hadn't had a celebration for a long time, it might

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have been helpful, but I have found that I've been able to exercise all the gifts in the ministry that I would wish to. And one of the things that concerns me is that some people feel that, um, the church was best to the US blooming down.

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But I've never found that way. I've always been encouraged and helped and tried to encourage and help, um, my fellow working men or women in the church. And, uh, I never find myself ever regretting any of the steps that I've taken or ever felt that we

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might never have the opportunities that I should have had to do this, that or the other thing because just as I've seen, moved and whole hearted dream, I've seen God fall through that and that's always been very satisfying step for you carefully. Do you think the

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church would beneficiary if women were ordained fully? At least this is the church group of comedians? Oh, no way. Ok. I think, um, that God called us to, uh, the way who was ministered the whole body of Christ. And one of the books that was given

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to me when I was in bible college was, um, the magna carta of Christian women. It was written by Doctor Catherine Bush. No. Our way back at the turn of the century, she was a Greek and o scholar and she talked about women being called to

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minister and sign, raise men in the church that is to celebrate and to preach and to teach and so on. And I, so, yes, that's true. And it was fun to go to hospital with that spoon, my spoons too. And that's how God has led and

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guided me. And I feel that maybe would talk one day when I get hold of the power message of the magna carta of Christian women was to see that um God has a plan and purpose for person and he calls people, Children through the sora in

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the word of God. And we shouldn't stop people from if that's what God's called them to do. I think if the church moves now, we hope to become more sensitive to the role that each person has to play in the body of God, who they, male

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or male mary. This is your 80th year. And from what I've gathered, it's a very full year for you and it's been a very full life for you. Do you have at this stage, any welfare reflections on 80 years of service and in these thoughts for

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the future, I just, I've been very grateful as I look back to the way God has led me step by step the way he's fulfilled my dreams. But I wherever I've gone, he's given me a vision to see something done through school, to China, to fill

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on women, trained as Bible women who became the back of the church. And a great deal of my minister, very right Chinese women. But I also became involved teaching in school. And I thank God for the writing, helping to um teach two students so that they

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might come to put their thousands up to me to you have been and blue on the break. And for that, I was thinking now you ask me about the future. For the last thing I had spoke about the, you know, to be much more concerned. And

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I was told when this woman after match about passed a motion that they set up a committee to become more concerned in finding out what can be done along the canal lines to bring the churches together. Uh I believe that we are all called to be

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one in Christ. And how can the world know God and her right through, who have manifested through his Children? Well, God has fulfilled a lot of your hopes and dreams and I think you'd say blessed you very richly. What does that tell you? What does that

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tell you about God about life? God has said Crown rules business goodness and that He's a God of love whose love is inexpressible with length and breadth and height. Of it. I cannot fathom or understand all I know I being the recipient of that life. And

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also that somehow or other that as everyone lived in Christ and Christ lives in us, that we can just look forward to the chip as one in which God is going to complete the work that He has began. And one David, that completion will be found

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when we meet our. So we're face to face when we shall see in how to win. And that will be the crow road for me. And I'm sure for all of those, the people they can trust in God our guest this week. And the words to

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say it was deaconess Mary Andrews chaplain at Goodwin Village in Sydney and formerly a missionary in China and principal of Deaconess House. I'm Stephen Godly and I hope you'll join me again next week. Stay with us now on radio National for a letter from America, followed

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by books and writing.