The Dear Old Man

“God setteth the solitary in families.” — from Psalm 68

In 1889 Amy and her mother moved to Manchester, in England, to help in a mission to the mill workers there. Amy chose to live in a poor, dirty part of the city, so that she could be near the people she wanted to help. But the hard work and the bad air made her ill. Within months she was worn out and had to stop.

Then a kind old friend stepped in. His name was Robert Wilson. He was a Quaker, and he had helped to start a great yearly Christian gathering called the Keswick Convention. He was a widower, which means his wife had died, and he lived in a country house called Broughton Grange. He invited Amy to come and stay.

Amy went in 1890, and she stayed. Robert Wilson treated her like a daughter, and she loved him like a father. She gave him a nickname: “the Dear Old Man.” Her own mother let her go to him, which was a generous gift.

Many missionaries came to visit Broughton Grange, and Amy heard their stories. Then, on a winter evening, 13 January 1892, Amy was alone in her room. Jesus’ command, “Go ye into all the world,” came to her as if it were spoken to her alone. She was sure that God was calling her to go far away and tell people about Jesus.

The next day she wrote to her mother. Her mother wrote back and gave her daughter to God, freely and gladly. Amy kept that letter all her life. It was much harder for the Dear Old Man. He needed Amy, and some friends said she should stay with him. But in the end he said yes too.

God gave Amy a new family when she was tired and ill. God cares about lonely people. You might be part of his answer, by being a friend to someone who is alone.

Dear God, thank you for my family and my friends. Please look after people who are lonely, and help me to listen when you call me. Amen.