Later Childhood

We began this series with my previous post on the Early Childhood of Dr. Andrew Stenhouse. In this post, you can listen to the podcast of my interview with him about his later childhood. If you prefer to read the chapter in biography format, you can do so below.

Audio

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Wartime brought immense misery and constant disruption to Andrew Stenhouse's early years, yet it also became a backdrop for remarkable displays of faith and divine protection. As the conflict escalated, the family was evacuated north to Scotland to stay near his grandmothers. The journey itself was fraught with danger; the train carrying them came under enemy bombing. Even as a young boy, Andrew possessed a profound, unshakeable trust, attempting to reassure his mother and sister that Jesus would take care of them. Sure enough, neither the engine nor the passenger carriages were hit, and Andrew courageously walked up and down the long corridor of the train, telling fellow passengers, "It's going to be all right. Jesus is with us. He’ll take care of us," right up until they arrived safely in Glasgow.

Upon settling in Scotland, the realities of war remained ever-present. Directly across from where they stayed was the Holy Loch, a key location for British submarine production that made it a frequent target for German bombing raids. Walking to school daily, Andrew and other children witnessed aerial dogfights overhead, with British and German planes clashing and occasionally crashing into the waters of the west coast.

Despite the trauma and destruction unfolding around him, Andrew maintained a close, comforting walk with the Lord. His desire to serve and please God manifested even in small, everyday challenges. Eager to earn a Bible offered by a wonderful visiting Jewish gentleman to any child who could memorize Psalm 1 and Psalm 145, young Andrew took matters into his own hands. Retreating to the Sunday school bathroom to work in peace, he quickly mastered Psalm 1. Psalm 145 proved more demanding, taking him several weeks of diligent effort, but he succeeded. With his earned Bible, he gifted it to his mother, who treasured it as her favorite for the rest of her life.

Faith during these formative years was deeply personal rather than institutional. Andrew’s love for the Lord ran deeper than natural explanations could account for, leading him later in life to take the step of public baptism. Immersed fully in water inside the church, he emerged feeling profoundly changed, recognizing baptism not as a prerequisite for salvation, but as an essential act of obedience that keeps a believer's relationship with the Heavenly Father unhindered.

Sundays also cemented his love for the worship of Christ. During a Sunday school class, a visiting preacher asked the children if any of them had a favorite hymn. Young Andrew eagerly raised his hand and recited the opening lines of William Cowper's classic: "There is a fountain filled with blood drawn from Emanuel's veins, and sinners plunged beneath that flood lose all their guilty stains." Singing those words filled him with an enduring warmth regarding the sacrifice of Jesus.

Looking back on those years, Andrew often reflected on how much the world's spiritual climate shifted in the decades that followed, drifting away from its Creator. His ultimate hope and message remained centered on that very same relationship—urging others to bypass rigid religion and embrace a personal, living connection with the Heavenly Father, His Son Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit, resting in the simple desire to please Him through all of life's trials.

Author's Note: The next post in this series is Teen Years. You may find the other posts in this series on the Home page. You can find my most popular blogs at Writing for the Master.

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe. 

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"

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Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.