(From
my column “Looking Forward and Glancing Back” in the SGT monthly newsletter, November,
1988.)
Thank You, Father! We praise You for
the Victory You have given us! May
all that we do there be to and for YOUR
Glory! Hallelujah!
Yes, friends, it is really true—we
signed the papers and handed over a cashier’s check for $60,000 at 4:00 p.m. on
October 31, 1988. It was indeed a glorious and memorable moment! We know, of
course, that it was the Lord our God who made it all possible. However, we also
know that the Lord used the generosity of so many of you, our faithful
supporters, to work this mighty miracle. We will never be able to thank you
enough! We could fill this newsletter and several more with stories of the
sacrificial giving which touched us hundreds of times over the last fifteen
months. (And I do hope to share some of those stories in the months ahead.)
Support came from near and far—Springfield, Bolivar, West Plains, Nixa,
Boonville, Columbia, and other towns in Missouri; and from Texas, Illinois, New
Mexico, Iowa, and California. Support came from those who could give hundreds,
and those who could give thousands; but it also came from those who could give
tens and twenties and fifties; and also from some precious boys and girls who
gave ones. We thank you all! May God
bless each and every one!
Those final days of “countdown” were
exciting times. I know that many of you were anxiously following the daily
totals. I know that hundreds of you were praying for and with us that God would
meet our needs and give us victory.
And I know that all of you are rejoicing with us now and praising God for all He has done.
Since the victory is as much yours,
our faithful and generous friends, as it is ours, let me share with you some of
the key moments and events that took us across the Jordan and into the Promised
Land. As I told you last month, on September the 20th we received an
unbelievable matching grant of $8,500 from the Musgrave Foundation. That gift
put us at $52,000 and was the beginning of the final march to the Jordan.
October 31 had been set for the signing of papers. We had one month to raise
the final $8,000 needed to put us over the top and to meet the deadline. We
were committed—there was no turning back now, no delaying or postponing the
date. We had to have the money. We began to spread the word through the
newsletter and at the performances of SOMEBODY PLEASE MAKE ME LAUGH. The
response was overwhelming. The checks, the cash, and the pledges began to come
in. Exciting words of encouragement were heard everywhere and every day. All
who had struggled, and hoped, and prayed with us for so long were now saying
this is the time, you’ll make it, victory is at hand. I, too, had a peace that
this was the time. It is true that many times over the last fifteen months I
had my periods of doubt and discouragement, but not in those last days. It was
going to happen. I knew it—God would not fail us.
We began the final week still needing
$1800. On Sunday and Monday of that week, I received $750 from friends in
Bolivar. I checked the mail on Tuesday morning—nothing. Then at four in the
afternoon on Tuesday the phone rang. It was Jonathan Perry calling from the
theatre. He was trying to be casual, but there was excitement in his voice. He
said, “I just picked up the mail, and we got three checks.” “Oh, how much?” I
asked. He then said, in an even greater effort to be casual, “One for $100, one
for $150, and one for (pause) $1000.” GLORY!
HALLELUJAH! THAT WAS IT—WE WERE OVER THE TOP! VICTORY! THANK YOU, LORD. PRAISE
YOU, FATHER!
I told Jonathan to tell Terry to
double check all the figures to be absolutely sure that we had it all. That
night Terry called and affirmed that indeed we had it all—in fact, we were over
by $65. I had been excited earlier when Jonathan had called, but now was the
time for those quiet moments of praise. Terry and I talked a few moments. It
had been a long year, and we had both felt the strain; and now it was time to
rejoice, only it was hard to find the words to express what we were feeling.
The words that finally brought the full emotion of that special time were
simple, but they were words I’ll never forget. After a moment of silence, I
said to Terry, “It’s done.” And he replied, “It’s done.” Like I said, simple
words, but for us, words filled with all the struggles, pains, joys, and
emotional highs and lows of fifteen months of trying to lead a little band of
struggling actors and technicians to their “Promised
Land.” And at that moment we had
the release to know—It was done! Thank
You, Father. Praise Your Holy Name. Jehovah!
COMING
NEXT: OPENING NIGHT IN OUR “PROMISED LAND”
Three faithful,
self-sacrificing pioneers of the SGT ministry came together again to perform in
a very special Christmas show.