Let's begin this first post with Dr. Stenhouse's early childhood. You can listen to the podcast and read the transcript below.
Audio
Len: This is Len Lacroix, and I'm here tonight with Dr. Andrew Stenhouse. And we're going to begin our first segment of his autobiography, talking about his early childhood.
So, Andrew, I want to welcome you, and it's a pleasure to get this started tonight with you; so, welcome.
Dr. Stenhouse: Len, thank you so much! I do appreciate the opportunity to be with you on your program.
Len: Yeah!
Dr. Stenhouse: And you know any time you have the opportunity to introduce anybody to the Lord Jesus is such a joy and such a pleasure.
Len: I know. Amen.
Dr. Stenhouse: And I think what I'll do is, because my early childhood was a little con--unusual, I’d like to just outline it for everybody so that they'll understand where I'm sort of coming from, as the Lord works through me and on me.
Len: Yeah! Yeah, that would be great! And I thought it would be really interesting to begin with the time when you were seven years old, and then we can go back to, you know, the beginning.
But just to start with that story about what happened during the war when they were bombing London. Could you tell that to me again, please?
Dr. Stenhouse: Yes. When I was a boy, about seven years old, we were in the middle of the bombing from Germany. And, one evening, I woke up after I had been asleep, and there I was--I was being carried under the wings of an angel into the bombing zone. And the angel was talking to a partner angel on his left-hand side. And they were laughing and having such a good time dodging the bombs and staying out of the searchlights.
And I was able to take this for about ten, fifteen minutes, and then it got too much for a seven year old, and I started to cry.
The next thing I knew, I was back in my bed. And my father came in to me and asked me what was wrong, and I told him what had happened and he gave me a weird look. But, other than that, everything went back—I went back to sleep, and he didn't say much more after that.
Len: Yeah. That would be pretty neat.
Dr. Stenhouse: All that happened--the same—same situation happened again, where I was--found myself under the soft wings of an angel. It was really cozy and nice, and I was being carried under his right wings.
Len: Wow!
Dr. Stenhouse: And they—it was the same alternative angel, as far as I could tell. And they were taking me in another ride through London and through the lights and through the--just missing the bombs and so on.
Again, after about ten minutes, I cried, and they took me back, and I then woke up in my bed. And Dad came in again and asked if I was all right.
But most of the nights, we wouldn't be in our beds. We would be under the stairs to rest and in case the house was hit and shrapnel and stuff was coming round. So anyway that's the story of when I was about seven years old.
Len: Now we started off with you at age seven, but take us back to where you were born, and a little bit about your parents’ nationality and—yeah. So back the—back to that place. The year and the…
Dr. Stenhouse: Ok. Well I was born in Detroit, Michigan. And my mother and father had known each other in Scotland and came over to the United States.
My mother worked in a store as a buyer and always told me, “In case you want to be a buyer in a clothing store the entra--the way you make money is by buying correctly and not selling.” So it sells itself. And that’s all I remember from my mother.
My dad worked for General Motors and was a spring designer and a quality of steel for the war effort. He was in charge of all of the steel for the war effort and occasionally would take me on a ride up in his car--he didn't have a car, but they had a driver drive it, because we didn't have any extra gasoline to do that.
So I remember going several times up to the Midlands of England enjoying the time with my father. So that was kind of--
Len: But this was back in Detroit still, right? You were growing up at the beginning in Detroit, right?
Dr. Stenhouse: Yes. And then—oh, I'm sorry!
Len: Yeah.
Dr. Stenhouse: We came back at the beginning of the war--just before the beginning of the war. And my father was working for General Motors, that’s right.
Len: Yeah, when you were back in Detroit, he was with General Motors.
Dr. Stenhouse: Yes.
Len: Now what’s your parents’ nationality?
Dr. Stenhouse: My parents’ nationality was Scottish…Great Britain.
Len: Ok. And what was their faith? In other words, what denomination or branch of the faith did they come from?
Dr. Stenhouse: They came from Scotland to Detroit.
Len: Right, I mean--I'm talking about their faith in the Lord.
Dr. Stenhouse: Oh! I'm sorry, Len!
Len: That’s ok.
Dr. Stenhouse: Well, both of them were believers--strong believers and were members of a Plymouth Brethren collection of believers or church.
Len: Yeah. Ok. And you were born in what year?
Dr. Stenhouse: 1934.
Len: Ok. So tell me a little bit about your—so, you said that you went back to north of London. How did you get over there from the US to England?
Dr. Stenhouse: We went by boat. And the only thing much I remember about the boat is that it was really quite comfortable, and a whale ran into the side of the boat. But that’s—other than that, I remember very little about the boat trip up there. And I remember--
Len: During that era, weren't there German u-boats that were known to attack even civilian liners like that?
Dr. Stenhouse: Yes that's right. And my parents took the risk, because they had to get back to Britain--my father for his work, and my mother to help take care of us two--my sister and I.
Len: And, you know, one of the things that you had talked to me about was our Heavenly Father’s desire for us to have a willing heart. I think that was something that you had said was important.
Dr. Stenhouse: Oh, yes! I think as we go through the very things that happened in my life, that the important thing is to realize that we're not in a religion, really, we're in a relationship with our Heavenly Father.
Len: Absolutely!
Dr. Stenhouse: And He has called each one of us separately to be related to Him. And He sent His Son, the Lord Jesus, to die on the cross in order that He could take our sins in His body on the tree and make the way for us to have eternal life.
Len: Thank you very much! That was excellent! I really appreciate you sharing that about your birth and early childhood. And we're going to wrap this segment up right now, for today. So thank you very much, Andrew, for joining us! We really appreciate you sharing that today.
Dr. Stenhouse: Thank you, Len!
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?"
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.
