How One Person Makes a Difference for Many

As told by Ellen Eastman Mast, Homeschool Week guest:

When I told my 92-year-old mom we were going to Harvey Cedars Bible Conference, she had a story for me.

Back in 1944-45, my mother, Betty Field, was a junior at Frankford High School in Philadelphia. She was assigned to a twelfth-grade English class that year. The teacher was an atheist, quite determined to give any Christian student in the class a hard time about their faith. Betty was from a non-Christian home, and her father struggled with alcoholism. She did not know the Lord, but she had an interest in spiritual things. She particularly noticed one young man in the class. Often he would respond to the teacher’s ridicule with respect and would speak articulately about his faith in God. He was not intimidated by the teacher’s attitude As the school year went on, Betty often wished that she had what this young man had. She really admired him for the way he stood up for what he believed, though she never got to know him personally.

That summer of ‘45, a friend of Betty’s invited her to attend a Christian camp called Pinebrook. Betty went and, for the first time, heard the way of salvation clearly presented and eagerly accepted Christ and was saved. She realized that what she was hearing and believing was exactly what the young man in her English class believed. Soon after this life-changing decision on her part, her mother came to Christ, and then her father was also saved. Their lives changed so much over time as they grew in their faith.

In later years, my mother married Robert Eastman, and they went into ministry with Wycliffe Bible Translators. They were Bible translators for the Iquito people of Peru for ten years, followed by many years serving as support missionaries with Wycliffe.

Betty never forgot the name of the young man who influenced her life back in 12th grade. His name was Albert Oldham, and he became the director of Harvey Cedars Bible Conference in New Jersey.

Our whole family so far has followed the Lord and is so thankful to have been rescued from the kingdom of darkness and brought into God’s kingdom through Jesus Christ our Lord. How awesome to realize that God used a courageous high school student to be part of the spiritual journey that brought that about.