“Gyda chariad anwylaf Alice i blant bach ymhob man.” I’m sure you are wondering what language this is and what it means in English! It is a 130-year-old Welsh message from a girl who lived in Wales. Even though it is an old message, it is still a good one and has the same meaning as when it was written. It says, “Alice sends her dear love to all children everywhere.” We’ll let Alice tell her own story.
“My father was very kind to me, but until six years ago he spent lots of money at the tavern and often came home drunk. My mother and I had come to love the Lord Jesus when the gospel of God’s grace to sinners came to the country of Wales. People all up and down the country got worried about their sins, and Christians read to them out of the Bible about how Jesus Christ died to save sinners, and if they would believe in Him, God promised to erase their sins and not ever remember them. Mother and I believed this and thought about Father and asked God to make him think about his sins and send him to hear the gospel preaching.
“One night when mother and I came home from the preaching, Father wasn’t home. Mother was afraid he was at the tavern again and wished he had been at the preaching instead. We prayed for him and were singing a hymn when all of a sudden Father came in. He went over to mother and said, ‘Catherine, I’ve not been to the tavern, though the devil tempted me. I’ve been to the preaching tonight!’ And then Father kissed Mother and me, and we all cried together. It was funny that we should cry when we were all so glad, but we cried for joy! That preaching brought my dear father to the feet of Jesus Christ, and we thanked Him for that answer to prayer and my father’s salvation.
“Ever since that night Father has asked God for strength to keep close to Jesus Christ. He does not go to the tavern anymore and makes a better living for us. He is sorry he spent so many years serving the devil.”
Not long after Alice’s father came to know the Lord Jesus as his Saviour, Alice got sick and couldn’t see or walk anymore. She had lots of pain but she said she would rather be sick and have her father saved and serving God, than be well and have her father unsaved and going to the tavern. Her only wish was that she could get well so she could get all the children together to read the Bible and pray with them and beg them to turn to Jesus with all their hearts!
Alice sent you a loving message 130 years ago. Almost 2000 years ago God sent you this loving message: “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:1616For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. (John 3:16)).
A message came from heaven to cheer my heart one day;
It set the joy-bells ringing, and chased my gloom away.
’Twas in the holy Bible, John’s Gospel, chapter three,
Verse sixteen I discovered was written there for me.
I read the wondrous story how God in heaven high
So loved a world of sinners, He sent His Son to die.
And that word “Whosoever,” believing I could see,
Though meant for everybody, was mostly meant for me.
That means me; that means me;
“Whosoever will believe,” and that means me;
I am so very glad because the Saviour said,
“Whosoever will believe,” and that means me.
ML-08/23/1998