Stories of Faith - Episode 22

Tiffany Thompson's Story

“I was raised in church, however, I had a dysfunctional view of who God is. I viewed Him as a taskmaster – meaning that if I did good, I was rewarded and if I did bad I was punished severely. And I had that view from childhood up until my teenage years. We were raised in a church, I’m the baby of 8 children, from Detroit, Michigan, I need to preface by saying that I honor my Father and mother, they did the best that they could. And even though I grew up in a dysfunctional home. I must say that I can’t imagine doing what they tried to do, they did their best. However, there was always some sort of upheaval, some kind of disorganization, some kind of chaos in my home, and as the baby of the house, I was always in the middle of it. I couldn’t understand, I thought ‘I’m the little one, somebody come and save me.’ So I witnessed a lot, a lot of things that I’m not proud of to say that I witnessed, but for whatever reason, I did witness it. My father died when he was 48 years old. And that had a devastating effect on me because I was 8 at the time. I was just getting to know him and I didn’t really understand the concept of death and no one explained it to me, all I knew was that he was never coming back and I couldn’t understand it. 

Shortly thereafter, my mother remarried and I would like to say that it got better for us, but it actually went worse. It went from bad to worse. And that’s when I began to develop a very deep depression, a very deep insecurity, I didn’t know who I was, I didn’t know who God made me to be, so I began to question my existence, I didn’t understand why God made me, so I didn’t want to live anymore. In my teenage years, I began to…. I actually stand here today as a miracle because I attempted suicide twice, and it failed for whatever reason, I couldn’t understand, all I can say is by God’s grace I’m still here. During that time, I met a young lady, she was my grade school best friend. Her name was Shanda. And we clicked immediately, and now I understand why we clicked, because she also was very suicidal, and she was also very depressed. And we just had something so in common, and I thought nobody could have a darker life than me and this young lady could. And we just bonded immediately, we made it all the way to our senior year and I remember on a Friday night I called my friend Shanda because I hadn’t heard from her in two weeks and I said, ‘hey Shanda its good to hear from you’ and she said, ‘Hey’. We had a very short conversation. I said, ‘hey maybe after we graduate next week, we can get together and spend two weeks. She said sure, never once did she hint that something was wrong. That was Friday. On Monday, her mother called me and said she was dead. She had shot herself in the head. I never did deal with the pain of losing my best friend and I just needed to escape, so believe it or not, I escaped through church, I escaped through façade. I wasn’t living an immoral life. However, it still was a façade, it was a cover up for me because I didn’t know how to deal with my friend’s death. Two years into serving in the ministry, we began to see some things in the leadership that was very very disheartening and as a result, I hardened my heart even more. I said okay, if I can’t find solace in church, then I just quit, I began to put up walls. But one thing that I noticed was that when I put up those walls, not only did I keep people out but I kept God out. From that moment, I said I’m just gonna pursue my studies. I got accepted into a conservatory. During that time, I met my college sweetheart, and we were both Christians, and after I graduated I began to work professionally as an actress. Filmed TV Broadway for about four, five years. I came back from doing a job on the west coast, and I ran into my college sweetheart. There was something very dysfunctional about our relationship and we couldn’t see it, even though we were both Christians. Well, I ended up conceiving out of wedlock. And again I found myself in a situation that I thought I would never be in. First of all I couldn’t believe I put myself in that situation, but here I was, pregnant. I began to take matters in my own hand and I decided that I would abort my child. I gathered money together, went to the clinic, gave the money to the doctor examining me. She said, “Tiffany, you need to sit up, I cannot operate on you.” I said, “why?”, she said because you are too early. She said, come back in two weeks. She said we’ll keep the deposit, you just come back in two weeks. 

So two weeks, I had a chance to choose life or choose death. Within those two weeks, all I can tell you is that there was a war going on in my mind that you will not even believe. I’m not a person who says I hear from God, because I’m just humble to serve him, but I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that I heard God’s voice and He said Tiffany choose life. And I did not know at the time that my child was going to be a girl. But He told me, choose the name Zoey. I just kept hearing Zoey, Zoey. And at the end of the two weeks, I said yes Lord. I said okay. I won’t even go back and get the money. And I remember, beign on the train and I remember I never ever really looked up, but one day I looked up on my way from the abortion clinic, and I saw in big black bold letters, PRAY. And right then and there, I knew God was trying to get my attention. God was trying to knock down all the walls that I had put up. I thought it was rightfully so, but God was trying to get me from a place where the enemy was trying to destroy me. So I decided to keep my child, nine months later, I had my child, it’s a girl. I had no idea she is gonna be a girl. I named her Zoe. Lost every friend that you can imagine, lost every connection that you can imagine, lost my agents, lost my integrity, was humiliated but yet I chose life. And I said Thank you Jesus for giving me the grace to choose life. Believe it or not, I was working still as a single mum, and as an actress and I was working professionally but I was unsettled. And God said okay Tiffany, you chose life, you obeyed me, but I need you to give it all to me. I need you to lay it down. And I said God it’s so hard because I built my whole life around this. What am I supposed to do. I was supposed to be a doctor. I’m an actress, I don’t even have a plan B. What am I supposed to do? Trust me Tiffany, just do it. Trust me. And I said okay God, whatever you want I’ll do it. Whatever you want. That was in Feb 2010. I stopped going out on auditions, I just began to pray, and got a call from Mr Greg Thomas here in the Music ministry (at Times Square Church) and he asked me to come in and long story short, he asked me have I ever considered working full time in the ministry. And I just laughed, I said okay God, you have a sense of humor, are you serious? And he said, we are going through a few resumes and we put yours and we may consider you one if the Lord will have it, I walked out those doors. And I said Lord Jesus if this is what you have for me, if you want me, you know how I feel about church. You know two or 3 weeks later I got a phone call and Greg said we will like to have you. Would you consider coming on board? And at that moment I said yes. I’ve been serving in the ministry here since June 2010. My daughter’s name is Zoe. She is the most adorable young lady that I have ever laid my eyes on. She has taught me how to love, she had taught me how to break down the walls. I’ve still got so much work to do, but all I could tell you, if I could encourage anybody or any person who has to deal with maybe abortion may not be it, maybe suicide may not be it. But if I can encourage anybody today, I would tell you of God chose you to do something, obey because you never know, what God has in store. I don’t know what my choice did, I may have lost a lot, but I gained life, and I gained eternity and my daughter is alive. “And the enemy comes to steal, kill and destroy but I have come that they may have life and that they may have it more abundantly.” The enemy tried to steal me through suicide, he could not do it, he tried to steal me by making me to abort my child, thus destroying me, he could not do it, so I wanna encourage everybody here obedience is better than sacrifice. God bless you!

Stories of Faith - Episode 21

Mary Slessor (1848-1915)

Before Mary Slessor was born, as early as 1846, the United Presbyterian Church had sent missionaries to Calabar, West Africa. Thirty years later, Mary Slessor, one of the most heroic women in the history of missions, came to Calabar. It is because of her distinguished work there of almost forty years, not just the place nor the time, that her missionary endeavor is classified as pioneering for Christ. 

Dr. Robert H. Glover, missionary statesman, teacher, and author, in his book, The Progress of World-Wide Missions, describes the life and work of Mary Slessor in the following brief words: "Her life rivals in many particulars that of David Livingstone. She served in Africa under the United Free Church of Scotland from 1876 to 1915. From an unlettered factory girl in the homeland, she advanced into the foremost rank of missionary pathfinders. Her work was that of a pioneer among the most savage tribes of the Calabar hinterland. Practically singlehanded she tamed and transformed three pagan communities in succession. It is a question if the career of any other woman missionary has been marked by so many strange adventures, daring feats, signal providences, and wonderful achievements." 

Mary Slessor was born at Aberdeen, Scotland, December 2, 1848. Her father was a shoemaker, but his earnings were usually spent in the taverns. Small domestic possessions were pawned or sold to provide the necessary food and clothing. Mary was the second of seven children. She found her comfort, joy, and strength in God's Word. Bible reading and missionary stories, especially from Africa, captured the interest of both mother and children. They attended Sunday school faithfully and were always present when a missionary was speaking in the church. 

Leaving the Loom 

At eleven years of age Mary began to work in the spinning and weaving mills, toiling from six to six. When, in the year 1873, the news came from Africa that "Livingstone is dead," Mary was about twenty-five years old. She asked her mother if she might go to Africa as a missionary. 

In 1875 she sent her application to the United Presbyterian Church of Scotland, offering herself as a missionary for Calabar. She was accepted on the condition that she take a few brief studies at a normal school in Edinburgh. On the fifth of August, 1876, she sailed for Calabar, Africa. 

The first duty of Mary Slessor was to study and learn the trade language called Efik. From her very first contact with the natives her heart was deeply touched because of the cruel treatment they received from their chief. They were whipped, sold, and killed. 

Although Mary was not highly trained academically, she had the capacity of an ardent student and a ready learner. She realized that the principal reason for her coming to Africa was to lead people to Christ and train them to continue the work after she was gone. The boys and girls had to be taught to read and write. The abused and mistreated people had to be defended. And Mary had to win the confidence of both the heathen chief and the foreign authority. She knew that she had to live a Christian life as well as preach the truth concerning God and redemption through Christ before the natives would accept her teaching and her Saviour. 

Saving the Little Ones 

Witchcraft and heathen customs among the people were most difficult to overcome. For instance, the birth of twins meant a triple death—unless Mary Slessor arrived in time to prevent the murder. The mother of the twins was considered to be possessed of an evil spirit and she, together with the twins, would be killed. Mary would plead for the mother and often take the twins to her own humble home. It was her joy to influence the old chief to declare unlawful the murder of twins. 

Mary Slessor's great desire in her missionary work was to go to "the regions beyond" to preach and live the gospel of Christ where messengers of the Cross had not been, and to render a service for Christ which up to that time had not been attempted. On her long trips through the jungles and in canoes on the rivers among the cannibals, she was often found barefoot, carrying in her arms twin babies whom she "had rescued from being murdered. 

Because of her excellent judgment, her love for the people, and the confidence the High Commissioner of the government had in her opinion, she was asked to sit in their courts. In the district Ibibio she was requested to be in charge of the affairs of the courts, a position she held until November, 1909, when her health did not permit her to continue. 

She supervised the construction of humble schoolhouses and churches. On her three brief furlough trips home she not only recuperated physically but was also able to represent effectively the need of the mission field, the claims of Christ, and her need of prayer. She would often repeat, "It is not Mary Slessor, but God and our united prayers that have brought the blessings to Calabar. Christ shall have all the honor and glory for the multitudes saved." 

Everybody's Mother 

Critically ill with a fever in the early part of January, 1915, she became unconscious. A doctor from the Slessor hospital came to minister to the physical needs of Mary Slessor, but the day for her departure was drawing near. In her dying hour, surrounded by the native Christian girls and women, she was praying in Efik, the language of the people she had served. In the early morning of January 13, 1915, she went to be with the Lord. The natives cried bitterly, "Our mother is dead. Everybody's mother has left us." The coffin was draped with the British flag and brought to Duke Town for burial. 

Many Christians have been challenged to follow and serve Christ by Mary Slessor, who began her missionary work under such unfavorable circumstances, but finished it after bringing multitudes to Christ. God still specializes in doing the impossible through human instruments who will say: "Not my plans, not my glory, but God's plan, and His glory." 

"God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty...things which are despised, hath God chosen" (I Cor. 1:27-28). 

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Mary Slessor wrote to a friend who had long prayed for her: "I have always said that I have no idea how or why God has carried me over so many funny and hard places, and made these hordes of people submit to me, or why the Government should have given me the privilege of a Magistrate among them, except in answer to prayer made at home for me. It is all beyond my comprehension. The only way I can explain it is on the ground that I have been prayed for more than most. Pray on, dear one—the power lies that way." 

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On another occasion she wrote: "Prayer is the greatest power God has put into our hands for service—praying is harder than doing, at least I find it so, but the dynamic lies that way to advance the Kingdom." 

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Concerned about the purposeless lives of some women in the homeland, she advised them, in words which may well be the secret of her own life of blessing: "Gird yourself for the battle outside somewhere, and keep your heart young. Give up your whole being to create music somewhere, in the light places and in the dark places, and your life will make melody." 

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"Don't talk about the cold hand of death," she said. "It is the hand of Christ." 

As for her rewards, she had but one question: "What would I do with starry crowns except to cast them at His feet?"

Culled from www.wholesomewords.org