Ordinary People with an Extraordinary God

Mark Naylor once suggested that I write a book called Funnies, Foibles and Follies, based on all the crazy things that have happened to Fellowship International staff over the years. Well, I did get a few of those included in Ordinary People with an Extraordinary God. Here’s one from Mark’s own personal diary.

“Did we mention that a sense of humour is an essential characteristic for a missionary? You can be sure that Mark Naylor didn’t laugh until much later about this incident, described in a 1990 prayer letter.

“Thank you for your prayers. We arrived safely with our luggage after an uneventful trip…well, almost uneventful. One slightly awkward situation occurred as we were about to board the plan in Karachi to fly to Murree.

“We were standing on the tarmac beside the plane when it came our turn to board. The boarding was progressing nicely until I bent down to pick up the computer we were bringing with us. Then disaster struck as, with a distinctly audible tearing sound, my pants ripped from stem to stern. The sudden cool breeze made me immediately aware of the rather compromising situation but when I looked for help from Karen (who had pledged to stand with me through thick and thin) I found her incapacitated with laughter. When she finally recovered her first words were, ‘I’m glad it wasn’t me!’

“However, she finally came through with a diaper pin with which she kindly hid the majority of the damage. As soon as the plane was underway I disappeared into the bathroom with a few other diaper pins to fix the pants in a less conspicuous manner. Even though I was sitting on pins and needles, the rest of the flight was uneventful and we arrived in Murree safely.”

Many are the stories that are not nearly so funny. Ordinary People with an Extraordinary God, written to celebrate Fellowship International’s anniversary, will carry you through some of the adventures and misadventures of our missionary family over the last fifty years. You can get your copy through the Fellowship office: rheaton@fellowship.ca for just $20.00 plus shipping.

—Lynda Schultz, Fellowship Author