Book Description

This book is an account of the compelling story of missionaries James and Mary Nell Giles, who spent thirty-four years as missionaries at the International Baptist Theological Seminary in Cali, Colombia, South America. In addition to their teaching responsibilities, they invested much time developing new churches in that area and ministering to people in times of disasters, such as earthquakes, floods, and a volcano eruption. They and their four children coped with language and cultural barriers and limited communication with family and friends in the United States, but they had a sense of Gods call which kept them on the field in spite of difficulties. The book reveals the emotional struggles as James and Mary Nell said goodbye to their children when they finished high school and went to the United States for college. Even though they were not close geographically, they were able to keep in contact through short wave radio. These four children finished college, are now married and launched in their chosen careers, and have given their parents a total of nine grandchildren. James and Mary Nell spent a great deal of time in their last years in Colombia ministering to the survivors of a volcano eruption which created a mudslide which destroyed the city of Armero, Colombia, where 22, 000 people perished the night of November 13, 1985. They took medicines and clothing to survivors in the hospitals and shelters of 8,000 people who survived the tragedy. They helped get many of these people reorganized in adjacent towns of Lrida and Ibagu. These pages are filled with emotion as the people coped with the loss of loved ones, houses, and personal possessions. After retirement, the couple settled in Dallas, Texas, where James is still active as part-time hospital chaplain in a medical center. Mary Nell stays busy organizing pictures and mementos of their years in Colombia, and in keeping in touch with family. She also finds many people who speak Spanish in the shopping centers, and enjoys keeping her Spanish up to date.