God is Always Faithful

In the challenges and turns in my life God has always been there for me, even when I thought He had forgotten me. He has been with me to comfort, to often teach (again) a lesson I should have gotten right in the beginning, but always I had the conviction He was with me.

My journey began in a small town in western New York State where I attended the Baptist Church and worked in my father's general store. At a Youth for Christ rally in high school I went forward and accepted Jesus as my Savior. I marked the date and time in my bible.

After high school I was off to the University of Michigan. This brought me from my comfort zone in small town Bliss, New York to Ann Arbor, Michigan. What a challenge. I soon found Christian friends at dorm bible studies, programs at Inter-Varsity Christian Fellowship and participation at Grace Bible Church. These associations challenged and helped affirmed my faith. After two years "Lit" school and three years in nursing school I received a BSN in 1954.

After a year working at the University Hospital in Ann Arbor I went to Columbia Bible College in Columbia, SC for a year. Most of my life I thought I would become a foreign missionary. While there, I applied to a couple of mission boards, but found the Lord was not leading me there. I returned to Ann Arbor and commuted to Wayne County General Hospital in Eloise, Michigan and worked there for a couple of years. During that time I met Peter Thoms, a senior in Medical School at the University of Michigan. He was the son of missionaries.

Several years later I was married to Peter. We had four children and he had a thriving General Practice in the Beecher area, north of Flint. We were active in Bethany Reformed Church. Peter was a member of the Consistory and led a bible class, and I was active in women's groups and teaching Sunday school. Some of my friends and I used to meet for bible study with children in tow and armed with distractions for our pre-school children. As mothers we learned from each other what the Lord was doing and could do in our lives through fellowship, prayer and the study of His Word. Peter and I had come to realize that the Lord's work is here as well as there. Peter's parents were serving in Arabia. They would retire in 1970 after 50 years of mission service with the Reformed Church in America. Through a series of Lord-directed circumstances we began making plans to serve with Peter's parents at Knox Memorial Hospital in Muttrah for one year. In the summer of 1969 we began our adventure in Arabia. Our children were in school in India and we were in Arabia. By August of 1970 we were reunited as a family in Bahrain and traveled to many places on our way back to Michigan.

It was so good to be back in the U.S.A. We each had experienced the Lord's blessings and He kept us connected during the year overseas. Indeed, the Lord had been with me from the beginning of this adventure. He helped me in so many ways providing me with wisdom and guidance. The whole experience was a good one.

We arrived back to Beecher and Peter was off to work at the office and hospitals and the children were back in school. How to return to "normal"? I found myself at some what of a loss. What to do now? What is my next goal? Peter and I spent a few minutes each morning in prayer and reading a portion of scripture. The fellowship time with Peter over the word and the renewal of friendships and responsibilities at Bethany Reformed Church helped my transition back to life in the United States.

In 1973, we sold our house in the Beecher area and moved to a big house in Clio complete with an in-ground swimming pool. We took advantage of the space we now had and entertained youth and adults on a regular basis. However, several challenging situations were happening in my life. My son Norm had stuttered from an early age and often got into mischief. Sometime in his early teens he found that smoking marijuana helped him relieve his stuttering. I prayed and even fasted for a time in hopes of turning him around from his mischievous ways and to turn his life over to the Lord.

At the same time I become increasingly aware that my marriage was not right. I covenanted with several close Christian friends to pray with me about our marriage. In 1981 Peter and I were divorced and Peter remarried. I was really mad at God and felt he had not answered my prayers. With the help of friends and much prayer the Lord finally broke through.

Norm continued to be a challenge. He stayed in a house I had received as part of my divorce settlement. He did not keep up the house. Young people were coming and going at all times of day or night and he did not find work. The neighbors and I suspected he was selling drugs - whether or not he was taking them I may never know.

In 1982, I finally had to proceed with eviction. He left for Alaska in the spring before appearing in court. He did not say goodbye to me. He found four friends, or they found him, and these four were really into dealing drugs. Later that year, the police in Fairbanks
indicated that he was missing and presumed dead - his body has never been found. Another time of testing and the Lord helped me deal with this through the prayers, time and support of my friends.

Bear sits on my bedside table:
his shiny black unseeing eyes;
his worn spots showing fifty-five years of age.
He doesn't remember my missing son,
but, I remember Norm.
Pain and uncertainty remain in my heart -
but not as great now. Twenty-six years
have passed.

Within the past few years I hit "bottom" because of severe pain as well as some upsetting personal issues. At one point when the neck pain had subsided somewhat, the fear of returning pain plagued me. The Healing Prayer Ministry at church with Jerry Pitman and others helped me commit my fears to the Lord. When the back pain hit, I was so depressed that the little I ate tasted like cardboard. My daughter-in-law invited me to stay with them during this time. I am forever grateful to Mark and Jane for their support and help during this time. Others in my family were concerned and helped, but distance and job responsibilities did not permit them to be more present.

Through all my years, the Lord has provided help and comfort through the study of the Word and the Christian friends He has given me.

Wilma Thoms