Titus 2 Men And Women

Tale Of 2 Women
Part I
by Denise Lower

            There is quite a story behind the conception of Tiuts2Women.  I scarcely know where to begin.  Well, as a famous song states, and this is somewhat loosely translated: It is better to begin at the beginning, a very good place to start. (Julie Andrews, I believe in The Sound of Music)

             We arrived in Hammond, Indiana three weeks before Christmas, 1996.  Caleb was a scant 20 months old, Evan had just completed the first semester of his Junior year of High School and we were officially middle-aged, beginning our forties by moving to a new area, starting a new life and beginning college.  I guess life does begin at 40!

             The winter was full of new experiences and illnesses due to our bodies adjustment factor.  I spent MANY Sunday and Wednesday evenings home from church with young Caleb, bemoaning my fate and my loneliness.

             Across the street from us lived another older couple, also in college, but nearing graduation.  We belonged to the same college wives club and our older boys were the same age.  Esther Godsoe became a good friend and encourager.

            After the beginning of the school year that fall, Esther encouraged me to become involved with the church’s Women’s Missionary Society, since our husbands were both in the Missions Program at college.  WMS began their year with a large kick off banquet at a local restaurant, so I bought a ticket and planned on attending.

             As I entered the large, beautifully decorated banquet room, Esther came rushing up to me and said in her inimitable Phillipino accent, Come here darling, there is someone I want you to meet..you just HAVE to meet this lady."  Well, not knowing in the least why I had to meet this lady, I walked with Esther to the other side of the room, where she introduced me to Mrs. Sharon Merhalski, the then leader of the Europe Circle.  I do not know today, if Esther realized the role she played in putting the two of us together for God’s glory.thank you, Esther Godsoe.

            Somewhere in the garble of communication, Mrs. Merhalski understood us to be candidates as missionaries to Ireland.  Well, I am definitely Irish, but unless my husband had announced to others and NOT to his wife, that we were called to Ireland, I did not have a clue what these people were talking about.  There was another new lady there that day, the wife of a  prospective missionary to Scotland (for real), and I sat and chatted with her throughout the delightful luncheon.

             Mrs. Merhalski took my name and number, since of course we were going to be missionaries to Ireland, I would of course be joining the Europe Circle (of course?!?!?!).  Well, my intentions were to become involved, I could straighten out the whole Ireland thing later.

             A few days later Mrs. Merhalski phoned me to tell me about the first meeting of the Europe Circle.  It was several weeks away, so I put it on my calendar and basically forgot  about it, being exceedingly busy with the beginning of school for Evan, and a new college semester for us.

             Well, the first meeting date came and I was very excited..I actually couldn’t wait to meet women who really wanted to do things to support foreign missionaries.  Mrs. Merhalski came right over to me as I entered the meeting room, making me feel very welcome.  I really can’t remember who I sat with or what was discussed, but what I was impressed with most was this leaders zeal, warmth and concern for the missionaries they supported.  It seemed like a fairly large group of missionaries and an equally large group of women were involved in this effort and it was something I couldn’t wait to be involved with.

             During the meeting, they passed around a sheet asking for circle callers.  These were people who were set up to call a smaller group of ladies within the circle whenever something happened.  I thought, I can do that, talk on the phone..(my husband says I am a professional), so I signed the sheet.

            A few days later, I got the nicest note in the mail, and on the envelope were stickers of butterflies and flowers.  What a nice touch, I thought.  In it was the list of ladies I would be calling as a circle caller, and a thank you note from Mrs. Merhalski.  I was raised to be very proper, although my husband says he wants to slap my mama every time he sees her, since I seem to have forgotten my up bringin’, (I haven’t really, I just forget sometimes), and I was very impressed with this touch of decorum and propriety in a casual world.

            I called Mrs. Merhalski a few days later, to confirm the names on my list, and we just chatted for a while, sort of got to know each other at that time.  Well, that was almost 4 years ago.  I really can’t remember when Mrs. Merhalski, whom I call Sharon NOW, became such an important part of my life.  Propriety and respect was bred into me to such an extent, that it was several months of almost daily phone calls and involvement in each others lives, before I could call her Sharon.  My husband STILL calls her Mrs. Merhalski, to which she jokingly refuses to respond until he calls her Sharon.

             Our relationship has grown and grown.  Sharon is an integral part of my life, both spiritually and emotionally.  Sharon is my spiritual mother.  My own mother was a very spiritual, very important part of my life.  My own mother taught me many, MANY Christian principals, many of which I quote on this site.  Sharon came into my life at a time when God knew I really needed her.  She taught me much about God, his grace and his timing.

My own mother taught me the most useful, wonderful, feminine, domestic things any woman would need to know.  My husband has stated several times, that I am very fortunate to have had a mother that would take the time to teach me these things, that there are not many women today who know how to do the things my mother taught me.    One of the desires of my heart is to mentor women who were not taught these home arts.  Then Sharon came along and reminded me that women need other women to help meet the emotional needs that their husbands cannot.  Over the months, and now the years, we have talked many, many times about the need for Women’s Bible studies, Women’s Prayer groups, Women’s Mentor groups, basically anything that has to do with women teaching, mentoring and counseling other women.

 Much has transpired in both our lives in these past four years.  Personal illnesses, family members illnesses, financial difficulties, problems with family members, career changes and challenges, just about anything you could imagine, it has happened to us these past four years.

 Sharon kept reminding me that God WILL get His glory, and that God is always good.  That while we are yet healthy and sane, we need to give back to God what He has given us.  I have a firm belief that God has given me this life and all it’s experiences as a witness and testimony to His love and unfailing grace.  With those desires in mind, we sought ways to share our lives with others.

 Both of us have what we call a "Titus 2 burden" for women.  I sought the advice of Mrs. Evans while attending college, about what to do with this burden.  Sharon worked very closely with Mrs. Evans, and talked with her often about the pulse and tempermant of women in America, both young and old alike.  Sharon’s desire to help emotionally battered and scarred women, along with my desire to see women return to the home as their ministry, needed a place to be born.

           We looked at ways to publish our writing, we inquired at other publications as to the requirements for writing for them, we even looked into self publishing.  One day, my older son, Evan, mentioned his roommate, who was building a website...hmmm, a website, what on earth for?  Well, just a personal site, you know, with things that are he was interested in, sort of an 'album' of remembrances.

A few months before this discussion with large son, we had purchased a brand new Gateway computer, complete with internet access. I really wanted to utilize it to it’s fullest capacity, but I am one of those entirely computer illiterate older ladies, who didn’t have a clue what an ISP was, let alone spamming.

  I was extremely wary of the internet.  I had been led to believe there was NO good in it.  Recently Sharon has shared with me what the radio was considered when IT first came out.  That it was the work of Satan, and that NOTHING good or used of God would come out of it.  I believe that Satan is the prince and power of the air, however I also believe that good can come out of evil, that is even Bible, Gen. 50:20, But as for you, ye thought evil against me, but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive.

Psalm 19:4 - "Their line is gone out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world."

If Noah could save 8 souls by building a boat when no one had ever seen rain, I am sure there are people out there who can be rescued by the waves of the internet. In fact, many people have been led to the Lord or rescued from their backslidden condition by something they heard on the radio waves.  I think specifically of the broadcast from Pacific Garden Missions, based here in Chicago, entitled Unshackled.

  Sharon believes the SAME theory of the internet.  MUCH evil abounds there, but I am struck with a quote given by a pastor the other day.  He quoted a politician from the 1800’s , I believe Burke who sat at the First Continental Congress, who said, All that is necessary for evil to triumph, is for good men to do nothing.  Well, if we apply that to today, then all we need to do is sit back and let the liberals and the heathens take over the Internet, and sit back on our hands and do nothing.  Evil will certainly triumph on the internet if we who are used of God sit back and do nothing.

 With this philosophy in mind, I asked large son, then living in Michigan, if he knew enough about websites to help two old ladies with a burden for God, build one.  I think he was just humoring me, but he said, Well, if it ever comes to that, sure, I can help.  Months later, circumstances arose that enabled my son to move back here to live with us, while preparing to attend Bible college. 

After several disappointments in Sharons life, I saw a woman with a burden to reach women for Christ, but having no vechile in which to do it.  I am a person who believes in the written legacy.  I believe a leagacy is VERY important to our children and grandchildren who follow after us.  A legacy can be a tree you planted as a memorial, or a peom you’ve left as an epitaph.  Sharon’s legacy is in the words God has given her to write, not only to other women, but to people all over this world.  God has enabled her, through many trails and tribulations, to come to a place in her life where she needs and desires to give back to others, as a testimony to the God she loves, and who first loved her.

Well, not being one to just sit back and not do anything (within limits), I went to my son one night, and TOLD him we were starting a website, I would need his assistance in this thing.  Then I called Sharon, and told her to gear up, I hope she had a lot of printed material ready, because we were going to start a website, and we were going to call it Titus 2 Women.  I went directly to my computer after that phone call, and registered that domain name, set up a hosting agent and the rest is history.

 I have made it sound simple, and that is a far cry from the truth.  Anyone who has had anything to do with a website, knows how intricate and time consuming they can be.  But I feel a great peace that can only come from God.  We, Sharon and I, love this God who formed the Universe, and ache to give Him back a portion of that love.  We will continue to add to this site, as God gives the grace.  I will repeat what I said in my testimony.  Our goal is ONLY to give God the glory, that we be only vessels used in His service.  And that is MY story behind the "2" in Titus 2 Women.

The Story is continued by Sharon in Part II.

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