A woman who returned to her childhood faith was reading the Bible, seeking Jesus – when he appeared in her kitchen.
Marion Estelle Brown, pictured above, was raised as a Christian, but rebelled in her early adult years against “conservative, legalistic teaching”.
She threw away her Bible and followed “14 years of scorn and unbelief”, telling Eternity News it ruined her relationships, causing sadness and confusion and prompting “a complete mental breakdown”.
She recalled: “It was terrible. I was so perplexed and despairing of life. Everything seemed faceless and empty.”
For 14 years, her father had been praying for her to refind faith.
“In my mid-30s, I reached out to God – the God I did not know. I decided to go back to church.
“My independent defiance utterly broke.
“The mercy of God in Christ staggered me. I just wept. Salvation was not up to me. Jesus died on my behalf and welcomed me into his beloved family.
“A hunger for more of God’s Word quickened in me. I got up early each morning to read my Bible and talk to God.”
Three years later, she was reading the book of Romans in her kitchen.
“I sensed someone in the room. I immediately sensed it was Jesus. I threw myself at his feet! He said, ‘Get up.’
“I looked into his face, and his eyes spoke love. A fire seemed to radiate from his forehead. His left arm was outstretched to me, and I saw the deep, furrowed scars in his hands.
“It seemed he was composed of love. I knew then that Jesus was alive!”
Now, 30 years on, Marion has served Jesus by helping Afghan refugee women in Pakistan and Australia, including during the devastating 2010 flood in Pakistan.
She said: “Finally, at age 71, I went into Afghanistan and taught English to young women in a college.
“The following year, I took a young Afghan refugee into my home in Sydney. This led to me being invited to live with his Muslim family in Pakistan in a refugee town.
“Truly, I have seen that God cares for the widows and the fatherless. He has compassion for those in the valley of grief. He is always present. Sometimes, he chooses the weak and the foolish to show his glory. He says, ‘Go and tell them I’m alive!’”
Marion’s book Tell Them I’m Alive is available online.
