The Greatest Lesson I Ever Learned - Robyn Claydon

As I entered full-time ministry in 1995 I read a book compiled by Dr Bill Bright entitled, "The Greatest Lesson I Ever Learned". It was a collection of stories from Christian leaders. It inspired me to ask various Christian leaders in Australia that I knew (or, mostly, knew of) for their story. These have been sitting in my computer for 10 years waiting for publication, but I didn't collect enough to warrant publishing them. So, I am now posting them as blogs so the stories can get out there. I trust you enjoy them as much as I do.

Geoff

Robyn Claydon

Robyn Claydon is an evangelist and Bible teacher whose ministry takes her throughout Australia and overseas. As the Lausanne Movement’s Honorary Senior Associate for women in world evangelization she has developed a international network of over 2,000 women who are committed to telling others about Jesus in a variety of ways and ministries. She has travelled to many countries leading seminars, preaching in churches, speaking at missionary conventions and generally encouraging, motivating and training Christians in evangelism.

Robyn's ministry in Australia includes chairing the Australian Lausanne Committee with its particular focus on training emerging Christian leaders; establishing a younger women's network for encouragement and sharing, leading a fortnightly women's Bible Study at St. Andrew's Cathedral in Sydney; preaching from time to time at the Cathedral and in other churches and speaking at conferences and conventions throughout the country.

Robyn is also a licenced lay reader/preacher with the Anglican Sydney Diocese and a member of the Council of Moore Theological College.

As an educator for over twenty five years, Robyn Claydon is a Member of the Australian College of Education, has been a contributing author to books and journals on education, was one of the pioneers of Personal Development as a subject in schools, has written a text book to encourage teenagers' self esteem and, until the end of 1990, was Deputy Headmistress of Abbotsleigh in Sydney.

BEAUTIFUL FEET

I will never forget my visit to a small church in Nepal one Saturday morning. Saturday is the only free day in the Hindu kingdom of Nepal and is the day when Christian believers meet for worship.

I had been invited to preach at the morning service in a small church many kilometres from the capital, Kathmandu. Some of the mountainsides in Nepal are carved out to form terraced rice fields and here people live and work. The view as one flies over these mountains at certain times of the year is breath-taking as one sees snow-capped peaks merging gently into the lush green of the rice fields.

There were about fifty people at the service that morning and some had walked quite a long distance to come to the small building that was their church. Their dirty, dusty feet indicated a difficult walk. As I approached the door I noticed piles of shoes outside, so I added mine to the collection. On entering the room I quickly discovered that there were no seats, so I joined the people on the floor.

The service was all in Nepali so, since I was not able to understand anything that was said, I found myself looking around at the people. They were mostly local villagers and the age-range was from tiny children who wandered in and out, to quite elderly people. There was one woman, however, who caught my attention for a special reason.

Whenever a hymn was announced and the people reached for their Nepali hymn-sheet, I noticed that she never picked hers up. I assumed that she knew the hymns by heart and therefore did not need the words. I found out later, that my assumption was only partly correct. Whenever she sang, her face was transformed by the most beautiful smile and, with her eyes closed, she lifted her hands above her head.

My attention was directed at her hands. Some fingers were completely missing and others had joints missing. I then looked at her toes and discovered that they too were disfigured. This woman was a leper!

Although she was now recovered from leprosy, the results of the disease were very apparent in her hands and feet, but on her face was a clear indication of radiance and joy.

The only words I understood in the whole service were my name, and when I heard it I assumed, correctly, that it was time for me to speak. As I stood and came out to the front, an interpreter did likewise and my sermon proceeded. I was speaking that day about the Good News which was announced to the shepherds and I drew attention to the fact that after 'the shepherds had seen Jesus for themselves, they "spread the word" (Luke 2).

After the service, I asked my translator if I could meet each of the people and speak to them for a moment. When we came to the woman whom I had been watching throughout the service, I discovered that she had so much she wanted to say to me. My translator was rather worried about the time she was taking to talk to me as we still had several people to greet, but I was fascinated by what she was telling me.

The woman said that she had never read the Bible; that she was illiterate, never having gone to school, but that she had been coming to the church for several years to "listen". I realized then that there was another reason why she had not picked up the hymn-book. She was not able to read the words. She said that she always listened carefully to the sermons and Bible readings and knew that God loved her and that she belonged to Him. She then said "I want so much to share the Good News with others, but it is against the law here to tell anyone about Jesus. But there is one thing I can do. Now that I am too old to work on the rice fields, I spend the week walking in the fields and talking to the people. I say to them "would you like to come to the church next Saturday at 10 o'clock and hear about God?" I ask as many people as I can.

If they come, then like me, they can hear for themselves about God's love and forgiveness and of the special place God has for each one of them in heaven. It's not against the law to invite people!"

I later asked my interpreter if people did come as a result of her invitation and she replied, "Yes, there's always someone new at the service and we don't know where she finds them all!"

Since that day, the words in Isaiah chapter 52 verse 7, have taken on a new significance for me:
How beautiful on the mountains
are the feet of those who bring good news
who proclaim peace,
who bring good tidings
who proclaim salvation.

That leper woman has such beautiful feet! They may be disfigured; they may be dusty and dirty; but they take her through the rice fields of the mountains of Nepal doing what she can for God: inviting others that they might come and hear for themselves that God loves them.

In the course of my ministry I have met many people who have beautiful feet! There is Hoda, a gynaecologist, who works amongst the garbage people of Cairo; Luisa who visits the prisoners in Lima jails; Maria who has planted a church in Mongolia; Elizabeth, who edits a Christian magazine in Germany; Ruth, who lives in Sydney and invites the mothers of her children's friends to coffee to hear about Jesus; Olga who helps with Bible distribution in Uzbekistan; and Sai and Mere in Fiji who meet every week to pray for their country.

I wonder where our feet are taking us and how deep is our desire to share the Good News of Jesus with those around us? We too, like the leper woman in Nepal can visit neighbours and friends and invite them to come to church or to someone's home so that they can hear for themselves about God's life-changing love.

What I learnt from that special encounter was that God can use each one of us, just where we are.

Our feet may not be much to look at, but if they take us anywhere for God, they are beautiful!
Robyn Claydon
Sydney 30.8.95