Smith, Dorle

When I stepped into that big old cathedral in Cologne I knew that God was my last hope. I was desperate and lonely. Everything I had built my life upon had crumbled. I was 20 and only the fear of suffering kept me from taking my life. I slipped into one of those dark corners and just cried. Hours went by till I finally walked to one of the side exits and there, written over the door, a verse caught my attention: "Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by name; thou art mine“ I read it again and again. Could it be? Did God really care, did He mean me? Remarkable, unbelievable things happened in the next few days. Being a nominal protestant, I had never heard of such a thing as the new birth, but this experience was radical: really coming from utter darkness to light, from death to life. That was in 1963. In the following years, the Lord led me clearly to Emmaus Bible School in Switzerland and after that to Operation Mobilisation, working with them in many different European and Asian countries until in 1986 – by then as a family of four - we were commended and settled in Germany, working with a small local Assembly. Until this day - by the grace of God - I have been involved in a lot of different ministries, but the most exciting calling to me has been to reach out to international students, inviting them to my home together with young people from church, thus giving them the opportunity to form friendships and experience what life with Jesus Christ is all about. The Lord knew my desire to reach the nations and here, living in one of the most international cities in Germany, He literally is bringing “the nations” to us from all over the world.