For: Patricia Una Richards Sellars

Here is what you asked for – it is the account of my wonderful experience with your brother Geoffrey in 1963 – 4. I was a constant visitor at your home in Narromine. Your mum (Pam) was so very kind to me. I hope that you, family & friends like it.

Geoffrey 1963 – 4

I arrived in Narromine in late 1963 or early 1964. I had hitchhiked all away from Mittagong, through the Blue Mountains and along the great Western Highway to Dubbo. I then hitchhiked down the Narromine Road that leads into western New South Wales. At every ride that I got I witnessed about the power the Lord Jesus to save, I remember that I was received very well and at least two of the drivers gave me money to help me on my way. The last lift dropped me in the main street in Narromine which was exceptionally wide with trees growing up the centre of it. The driver was a cowboy pulling horse float he wanted me to go all the way to Broken Hill because he said that the gospel was very much needed out there. I didn’t continue with him but I will always remember his invitation. I did not know where to go but I did know that Bruce Kerr was in the town. I eventually found him. His landlady didn’t believe that I was in the will of God in coming to Narromine. Somebody else had actually been asked to go but I said I was going. Bruce’s landlady as determined to remove herself from me and also Bruce. Bruce lost his lodgings so that left it to us to go down the stock route in his combi van and camp down by the river. We slept outside on the ground and in the morning we woke up surrounded by sheep as far as we could see. We both felt that this was a prophetic sign that there were many souls to be saved in the town. I have a photograph of us at that camp on the first day.

I eventually got to meet the Richards family. I can remember the street that they lived in, it was parallel to the main street on the Trangie side of town and nearly at the end of the street. Mrs Richards was very warm and welcoming. I spent some time living with Bruce in a caravan parked near the Sollaces’ place. I had a great time with Bruce. On one journey we wrote “I’m just a branch.” Bruce played a Ukulele & I think that I had playing a slide guitar. We sang, prayed and preached. It was soon Easter and we travelled down to Bowral for an Easter convention. At this convention Bruce decided not to return to Narromine and indeed the oversight of the church decided that it wasn’t the right time to go to Narromine. I believed that it was the right time to be in Narromine so I returned on my own without any backing from any church leadership at all. I rented a very old house, the rent must have been zero, and the Richards house of became like a second home. I was living next door to young Betty Sollace who is now Betty Camac. The one thing, about the Richards home, that I really do remember was their wood stove and how when you open firebox door you can cook the most delicious toast imaginable. Needless say I had many a slice of toast at the Richard household. I got to know the kids very well. They were a young and happy family. Geoffrey was their little boy, not yet at school and he and I became great mates. I loved him and, I believe, that he loved me.

I held meetings in the CWA Hall. We broke bread every Sunday morning and I collected to children for a Sunday school in the work Ute, and if I couldn’t get that, I hired a taxi to go and get them. It was a great time, people were saved & I baptised them in the river. I was told that you could not run a church without a car, but i did. As far as I was concerned was God was moving. The Richard kids got saved and filled with the Holy Spirit. We all used talk in tongues together as we toasted bread at the stove in the kitchen.

This is a story about Geoffrey and a certain dream that he had regularly. In this dream he would see a large black hand. The palm of a black hand was facing towards him sort of like a stop sign when you put your hand out fingers in the air palm towards someone to indicate that you wanted them to stop. I always used to ask Geoffrey what the dream meant. Geoffrey always said that the dream meant that the Black Hand stood for the sins of the whole world. Every time he had the dream he would come and tell me about it and I would ask him what the dream meant and he would tell me that the Black Hand stood for the sins of the whole world.

One day, and I’m almost certain it was at the Richards’ house; Geoffrey came to tell me that he had had the dream again. He said “I saw a big black hand in front of me.” I asked him, “Geoffrey what does the Black Hand stand for?” he said, “it’s the sins of the whole world.” In my mind’s eye I see myself sitting down and Geoffrey standing in front of me. His little head is hung down and his shoulders are slumped. This time I felt that the answer will is different somehow. So I asked again “Geoffrey what does the big black hand stand for?” There was a long silence as Geoffrey, his head hung down. Gradually he lifts up his head to look at me. His little lips are trembling and huge fat tears leaking from his round eyes and roll down his little cheeks. He starts to speak through the sobs “it’s my sin, It’s all my sins” he mumbles. I can see them even today. To tell the truth the memory still gives me goose bumps. I, either knelt down with him or scooped him in my arms on my lap. “Yes, Geoffrey” I said, “it is your sin but the Lord Jesus gave you this dream so that he could show you how to understand it because he wants you to ask him to forgive you and to come to live in your heart. Would you like that?” He said that he would like that to happen and so we prayed and he asked the Lord Jesus to come into his heart. The tears turned to smiles and do you know that he never had that dream again.

Later, after I had left Narromine, the Father gave permission to his son the Lord Jesus to call Geoffrey home to heaven. It must have been so sad for all his family and years after, when I heard about this I was stricken but heartened that this little boy knew who Jesus is and what he has done and what the Father expected him to do about this. Geoffrey is one of the crowd of witnesses that have been cheering me on to live for my LORD JESUS CHRIST with all my heart, mind & strength. I can see him standing on the ramparts of heaven. On that great day when the Father sends back His son to collect us, Geoffrey will be among that number riding a very different cloud & I shall rise to meet them in the air.

I hope that you are ready to meet Geoffrey on that day. You have to do what Geoffrey did. He knew that he had sinned and he knew that there was forgiveness for him but he had to ask the Lord Jesus into his heart. He had to have a bad conscience about his sins and want peace with God. Be like Geoffrey and let the Son of God come to you and restore you to the Father’s side.

Daniel Wooldridge recalling events from 1963/64

[KJV] Hebrews 12:1 Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,

[KJV] Job 22:13 And thou sayest, How doth God know? can he judge through the dark cloud?

[KJV] Acts 1:11 Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.

[KJV] Jude 1:14 And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints,

[KJV] Matthew 25:30 And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

~The Incomparable Christ

[KJV] Colossians 1:13 Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son:

[KJV] 2 Samuel 22:29 For thou art my lamp, O LORD: and the LORD will lighten my darkness.

[KJV] Isaiah 42:7 To open the blind eyes, to bring out the prisoners from the prison, and them that sit in darkness out of the prison house.

~Jesus Is the Light of the World

[KJV] John 8:12 Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.

Postscript:

I really enjoyed my time serving my LORD JESUS CHRIST in Narromine. I have a few other stories of that time of Jesus & me. Sometime after this Bruce married Rosie and he was asked to start the Full Gospel Church in Narromine. He had a new house built. Bruce felt that he could not be really effective if I was in town. I was asked to move on, which I did. I moved to Orange for a while were the adventure in the Lord Jesus continued.

All these many years later, 2010, I start crosslife virtual church and find Trish Richards (well not Richards now) at 54 and a grandmother, still living for her Lord Jesus. Who tell the way and adventure of the LORD JESUS CHRIST?

Dan Wooldridge

danw@crosslifechurches.org

20/12/2010