Maryruth
Bright excitement shines from the eyes of Maryruth, a young woman of courage and determination in spite of her shy smile and quiet demeanor. Most of us at GRACE MB, especially the seniors, have only known her as the young lady who helps with our Youth Group. When Jeremy Konrad was our Intern Pastor, in 2000, she assisted in the planning and leadership of the group. All the young people love her – and I’m sure the rest of us will feel the same as we get to know her better.
Maryruth Margaret was born in northern British Columbia. She is an only daughter of Allan & Joan B.; big sister to two brothers. She grew up in Houston, BC, where she received her Elementary and part of her Secondary education. Her family having moved, in 1987, to the coastal town of Stewart, BC (situated just below the Alaskan Panhandle), she graduated from Stewart Secondary School. Until then her life had been that of a regular Canadian young person. Her parents were easy-going, and had raised her with respect and a sense responsibility. “We had a very relaxed childhood,” said Maryruth. “When I turned 15 my Mom said, ‘We consider you an adult now,’ and that’s the way they treated me. I came and went as I saw fit, though I’d tell them where I was.”
Maryruth volunteered to help at a church camp one summer. It was fun, as camps are meant to be; but she came home with a desire to know the truth about God. One woman at camp had made a real impression on her. “There was something different about her. The only thing I could figure out was, it must be because of the church she went to. I asked Mom if we could go to church...” They decided to attend the new Christian church that met in the Masonic Hall. It was a decision that would reap eternal blessings . . . .
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Stewart was all a-buzz about the new preacher in town. Paul and Judy Piquette, North American Baptist ministers, had come there to do a “church plant.” With their easy-going friendly ways, they’d had no trouble finding an audience to hear the Good News message of Salvation. Within weeks several had committed their lives to Jesus Christ and soon a small church was formed. Focused on evangelism, the church grew by leaps and bounds.
“At first I was just looking,” said Maryruth; “watching, trying to evaluate it. I was not sure this was TRUE. Then one night, alone in my bedroom, I accepted the Lord. I was 17. I didn’t tell anyone – nobody knew; but people started noticing a change in me. A lot! They said there was a dramatic change. Like, ‘You’ve CHANGED!’ Then my Dad started going. He got dressed up one Sunday morning and said he was going to church. My Mom and I said, ‘You are?!!’ Shock!! Shortly after that my 14 year old brother came, too. My youngest brother came 5 years later.”
Maryruth confirmed her decision to follow Christ by being baptized in nearby Glacier Lake. “I became a Christian in September, 1988,” she said. “We really enjoyed our church – it was very casual – nobody dressed up. Our pastor was a real practical joker, and there were a lot of other people in the church like that.” Soon the Youth Group had mushroomed from 3 (Maryruth, a girl friend, and the pastor’s son) to over 20.
“They just shared the Gospel one to one,” said Maryruth. “The church took in anybody and everybody. We had many interesting things happen.” For instance, they gave refuge to an abused woman from another town ....
“We were hiding her, basically. It was a bad situation. The church helped her get a job, and found a place for her to stay, and paid her rent until she could get on her feet.
“We supported people coming off Cocaine. A guy – Rob – hooked on Cocaine (he had started trafficking in it) became a Christian. The church helped him in everything – sent him to drug treatment, made sure he had a place to stay, made sure he had a friend.
“And there was a guy in town who had started a church of Satan. Our church started praying and he became a Christian.”
“We had a lot of good-natured fellowship and fun; but Bible study was the main thing in our Youth Group. We would study the Bible for hours. We didn’t follow a study book, but used mostly the Bible itself.” Those were memorable days for Maryruth, times of singing with guitars, fun-filled fellowship, and studying the Bible with friends. Often the whole youth group would head to the pastor’s home (the Piquettes lived in a trailer) “... and there was no place to sit – the floor was covered with young people all the way down the hall. Our favorite song (we were new Christians) was For Those Tears I Died; and we sang a lot of fun songs, too.”
It was easy for the kids from the Youth Group to share their new found faith with friends at school. Several kids got saved in the school library – a favorite hang out during breaks, or at lunch time. The Youth Group made such an impact on the High School that officials from Victoria, there to evaluate the school, took notice of what was happening. Maryruth was one of three students they interviewed.
Leaving Stewart after High School, Maryruth attended and graduated from Peace River Bible School. No sooner had she graduated, than she was asked by her family to fly to South Africa to help an aunt in distress. When she had finished helping her aunt, Maryruth took the marvelous opportunity to “back-pack” through several African countries – South Africa, Zimbabwe, Namibia, and Botswana. What an exciting, unforgettable experience. She especially enjoyed an oasis park in Namibia, where she watched wild animals come to drink and play at the water. She will always remember the orphaned baby Rhino that cried when she left.
Maryruth has served a one year internship at a little North American Baptist church in Osoyoos. The past few years we at GRACE MB have been blessed to have her among us. “I enjoy working with youth,” she says, “and will help along wherever I can. Actually, I thought I was going to be a youth pastor, but . . .” At this time she has a night shift job, caring for the needs of a “pentaplegic” young man (completely paralyzed except for his lips and eyes). This and several other experiences have given her the long range goal of becoming a physician. May God guide and bless her in this compassionate desire. And may she never lose that sparkle in her eyes.
Maryruth quoted the words of 1 Thessalonians 5:16 - 18: BE JOYFUL ALWAYS; PRAY CONTINUALLY; GIVE THANKS IN ALL CIRCUMSTANCES, FOR THIS IS GOD’S WILL FOR YOU IN CHRIST JESUS.
“I haven’t attained this yet,” she said, “but that’s the way I want to be.”
April 2002