Nothing Could Stop Her

 Claire Black: This is True Girl, podcast for girls and their moms. Together, we’ll explore God’s truth for us one drive at a time.

Dannah Gresh imagined this season of the podcast when she heard another podcast for tween girls that held up influencers who called girls to rebel against authority and biblical truth. She immediately knew she wanted to sound an alarm for you—mom+daughter—to learn about the incredible influencers in our Christian history.

If you think that matters, Revive Our Hearts has two booklets that introduce you and your daughter to great Christian women of influence. They’re (Un)remarkable and (Un)remarkable, Vol. 2. They contain stories of women who Impacted Their World for Christ. They made His name famous, not their own. Start your own mom+daughter read aloud time by getting a physical or digital copy of each at ReviveOurHearts.com. 

Today’s episode of the True Girl podcast reminds us of something we don’t always want to hear: following Jesus with our whole heart means we could experience something called “persecution.” That means that people who don’t love God will try to stop us from spreading His love and truth. 

Helen Roseveare was a doctor who served the Lord in a country that had cruel leaders who did not want her to help the people. Things got really bad for Helen, but you know what? That didn’t stop her from obeying God! You’re gonna be so inspired by this story!

Special thanks to The Good Book Company and their series Do Great Things for God. Today’s episode is based on one of those biographies of great Christian women. Check it out at TheGoodBook.com.

It’s time for episode 5. This one’s called “Nothing Could Stop Her.”

Here’s Staci.

Staci Rudolph: Hey, Dannah, CATCH! 

Dannah Gresh: What? Ooooh, whoa . . . got it!

 Staci: Great catch! And you even did it with a book in your hand. Impressive!

Dannah: Ha ha ha. I haven’t played frisbee in a really long time! 

Staci: When you said we were meeting here on the front lawn of this college, it seemed like a frisbee was a great thing to bring along. Look, those guys are throwing one around, too. We fit right in!

Dannah: We sure do. But they look a little more athletic than I think I did. Hey, let’s go over and sit on those steps to read this book, and then we can play more frisbee afterwards, if you really want. Sound like a plan?

Staci: You bet.

Dannah: Okay, so, the reason I had you meet me here is because the woman we’re reading about today from the Do Great Things for God series by The Good Book Company is Helen Roseveare, and she found God’s peace in a university, kind of like this one.

Staci: Cool! Who wrote this book? 

Dannah: Laura Caputo-Wickham, and it was illustrated by Cecilia Messina. The title of this book is Helen Roseveare: The Doctor Who Kept Going No Matter What. And just so you know, Helen was born in 1925. 

Staci: That’s a great title! Get reading, Dannah, I’m all ears!

Dannah: Ha ha. Okay, here we go.

On the day of her eighth birthday, Helen sat in Sunday school cutting and sticking pictures of far-away countries, and in her heart, made a decision:

“When I grow up, I will travel the world and tell other boys and girls about Jesus.”

And, being the determined girl that she was, Helen’s mind was made up once and for all.

Staci, have you noticed that several of these heroes we’re reading about decided when they were just young girls that they were going to serve God?

Staci: I did notice that, Dannah. I love it. I mean, little Helen Roseveare must have been pretty courageous!

Dannah: You have no idea, my friend, just you wait.

When she started university to become a doctor, Helen worried. 

She worried she wouldn’t make any friends.

She worried she wouldn’t do well with her exams.

She worried she didn’t really know God after all. 

Then, one evening, Helen looked up and found a Bible verse written on a wall:

“Be still, and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10). 

At once, Helen knew that God was with her, and a big sense of peace and stillness filled her worried heart.

Staci: I get worried sometimes, too. God’s Word always helps me to have peace.

Dannah: Me too. I agree, Staci. It’s so powerful to read the Word of God!

After finishing university, Helen went to missionary-training school, where she spent her time studying the Bible and wondering where in the world God would send her.

Then, one day the missionary school received a call for help from Congo, a big country in the center of Africa.

“We need more doctors!”

Thankfully, they had the perfect person for the job!

Staci: So, she went to the same country Maria Fearing went to? Wow! I’m guessing it wasn’t very easy for Helen, either, was it?

Dannah: Actually, you’re right. It got pretty bad for Helen Roseveare.

Helen set off on a long journey that took her to the heart of Africa. Once there, she worked non-stop.

She helped build the hospital, looked after the patients, trained new doctors and nurses . . . and read the Bible with many people, telling them how they could trust Jesus as their King.

Staci: How cool! She helped heal people’s bodies and introduced them to Jesus who healed their hearts!

Dannah: That’s an awesome way of looking at it, Staci. 

Just like the mountains that surrounded her, Helen’s life had many ups and many downs. 

Good times when she joined her friends, singing and dancing for Jesus, and bad times when she was the one needing a doctor!

One night, Helen helped a woman give birth to a baby.

“The baby needs to stay warm,” she told the nurses, “or else he might die!”

But there were no hot-water bottles, so it was difficult to keep the baby warm.

Helen was worried. The nurses were worried. The baby’s big sister was worried too.

Staci: Oh no, that sounds so scary. But I’m guessing God’s gonna show up for this baby . . . I hope, right?

Dannah: You guessed right!

When Helen asked some of the children she cared for to pray for the baby, a girl named Ruth closed her eyes. 

“Please, God,” she prayed, “send us a water bottle. It’ll be no good tomorrow, so please send it this afternoon.” She then added, “Send a doll, too, for the baby’s big sister, so she’ll know that you love her.”

That very afternoon, Helen received a big box from England. Helen had never received a parcel before. Inside, she found a hot-water bottle . . . and a doll. 

Staci: That’s amazing! Especially since this was long before the internet or same day shipping.

Dannah: It was truly a miracle! 

As Congo went through big changes, the country became dangerous. Armies of men with big guns circled through the streets, frightening everyone they met. One night, Helen, together with other women and children, was taken prisoner.

For five dreadful months Helen went through a lot of suffering. But through it all, she remembered that God had said, “Be still, and know that I am God.” 

And that same sense of peace which she had felt many times before returned stronger than ever.

Staci: Oh no, it’s so hard to hear that Helen and other people suffered like that just because they were following Jesus! 

Dannah: I know. That’s called “persecution” when others do or say things against you because of your faith. But let’s see what happens next. It’s pretty amazing, actually.

Then, one day, a loud noise made Helen peep outside her prison window. She saw jeeps, trucks, and many soldiers.

“Help is here!” she breathed. 

The terrible nightmare was finally over.

Safe and sound, Helen traveled back to England, but only for a little while, because, as soon as it was safe to do so, she returned to Congo . . . picking up right from where she had left off. 

Staci: Wait . . . what? She went back to the Congo, where she had been put in jail and hurt so badly? 

Dannah: She sure did! Can you believe that? Staci, I don’t know many people who would do that. 

Staci: I don’t even know what to think. I mean her faith in God and obedience to Him was crazy big!

You know what? I need to get up and do something. I can’t contain myself just sitting her as I think about this!

Dannah: Alright, alright, let’s throw that frisbee for a bit, and then we can get fro-yo. My treat. Also, next week you’re reading the last book I have. It’s about Corrie ten Boom.

Staci: Oh, cool. Here, throw the frisbee to me, Dannah. I’m going deeeeeep!

Claire: That story sure had a twist, didn’t it? I was so surprised when I heard that Helen went back to the Congo after she experienced so much suffering there! I want to have that kind of faith and obedience in God. Like Helen, I don’t want anything to come between me and God’s purposes for my life. I bet you feel the same way, don’t you, True Girl?

If you get a chance this week, maybe you and your mom could check out the True Girl Subscription program at MyTrueGirl.com. Lots and lots of other girls just like you are using it to help them build the kind of faith that helped Helen Roseveare follow God with her whole heart.

And then, join us next week for our final episode in the “Incredible Influencers” series. Dannah and Staci will introduce you to a girl named Corrie ten Boom. Like Helen Roseveare, people made Corrie suffer because of her obedience to God. And yet, she still held onto her faith and trust in Him.

The True Girl podcast is produced by Revive Our Hearts, calling women of all ages to freedom, fullness, and fruitfulness in Christ!

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