212 Saturday, March 28, 1992 God’s world has room for all ‘Ediths’ @ Lost souls can find their place with Jesus The little girl wandered through the streets of London scrounging for any morsel of sustenance she could find, beg or steel and searching for any- thing that would offer her cold dirty little frame shelter from the bone chilling dampness of the London winter nights. She was scorned and avoid- ed by anyone who passed her by and ridiculed and rejected by those she came in contact with. No one knew her story or for that matter even cared to hear it. Some years prior to this scene this precious little jewel was orphaned when both of her parents were killed in the war. After being shuffled from relative to relative and from agency to agency she eventu- ally fell through the proverbial cracks in the system and wound up on the streets of London. On this particularly cold and rainy wintry night she sought refuge in a place she had always avoided — a church. After all, why would God want to have anything to do AT LOCAL STORES... If you enter a prepaid-subscription to the Castlegar News, you'll receive a Super Savings Booklet filled with valuable coupons to use when you shop in Castlegar. Using your coupons; you'll save hundreds of dollars when you shop at the following Participating businesses . . . Pulpit & Pew New Life Assembly Pastor Rankin MCGOUGAN with something that no one else wanted. As she forced her cold drenched little body to creep in through the massive doors she found that the dimly lit build- ing offered her a dark corner where no one would even de- tect her presence. She sat curled up in a ball keeping absolutely motionless as the service progressed. She felt strange and found that she actually liked the singing but it was what hap- pened at the close of the pas- tors message that actually stirred something in her heart. But she sat motionless in the darkens of the corner hoping that no one would see her s they left the service. Finally after everyone had gone and the pastor was putting out the lights she mus- tered up enough courage to run to the front where the pas- tor was and began to yell with an excitement that she had long forgotten. “Mister! — Mister! I didn’t know! —I didn’t know! The pastor knelt down on the floor and said “didn’t know what, honey?” “I didn’t know that my name was in that book but I heard you say my name while you were talking to the peo- ple.” He did .a quick mental re- view of his message and was perplexed because he could not remember mentioning any particular name in his mes- sage. So he very gently asked her . what was her name. “My name is Edith and I heard you say it”. Now the pastor was strug- gling with how to respond be- cause he was quite certain that the name Edith was not in the bible but he was definitely sure that he had not made any ref- erence to Edith in his message. As softly as he could, he said to the little girl that perhaps she was mistaken. Dc But before he could even fin- ish his sentence she burst into tears and said: “But I know you said it! I know you said it! No one has ever accepted me but you said that man Jesus would and I know that I heard it, it’s just got to be there!” Heart broken by the pain in her face he asked her what it was that she heard. Her response would be hu- morous if it wasn’t such an ac- curate description of the isola- tion and loneliness that shame can cause in the depth of our being. He looked into the face of a desperate little girl. A face marred by the pain of loneliness outlined by chan- nels through the dirt on her cheeks as the tears flowed like a river. Between the gut-wrenching sobs he heard her say “you said that Jesus receiveth sinners and eateth (Edith) with them The pastors heart broke as he held the little girl in his arms. Here was a little girl who felt so much shame that she didn’t even dare to think of herself as one of the sinners that Jesus would receive. But VI there was a glimmer of hope that may be, just may be Jesus would receive her too. Shame from our past can do horrendous things to us. It desperately distorts our thinking and we believe not that have done something bad but that we are badness And because of what we perceive ourselves to be we are convinced beyond a shadow of a doubt that no one, but no one could ever accept us — not the people we know, not our selves and worst of all not God. This world is full of Ediths who are convinced that be- cause of who and what they perceive themselves to be that they are outsiders, isolated and unacceptable. “Sure there may actually be such a thing as love, and may be even such a thing as gen- uine forgiveness and real ac- ceptance but if it does exist it’s not for me.” If your not one who strug- gles with the isolated prison of toxic shame from your past then the previous quote will seem absurd. But for those of you who - know only too graphically the darkness of that dungeon, I want you to know that Jesus receiveth sinners and all the “Ediths” of this world too! BIG Savings! * R.G. 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Pay only $37.50 plus $2.63 GST for a total of $40.13 a saving of $39 off the single issue price. Prepaid subscribers will. have a chance to win $20 for use at participating businesses. NO RISK! If you're not satisfied, you can cancel at any time and receive Ou ui Siuicis Enter your subscription by calling us today. We'll rush your Super Savings Booklet and your Shop Local license plate, and we'll send you 102 issues of the Castlegar News. 365-7266 @ Saturday, March 28, 1992 LocdSPORTS FastLANE LAKERS ON THE WAY Two-time defending national champions,the Vernon Lakers are well on their way to winning a third straight B.C. Junior Hockey League title. The Lakers beat the Bellingham Ice Hawks 9-2 Wednesday in the first game of their best of seven series Castlegar native and former Rebel Kevin Rilcof is a second-year defenceman with the Lakers. REBELS STILL LOOKING lf the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League's annual general meeting were held today, the Castlegar Rebels..would have to request a year’s leave of absence because it still hasn't found a new president, general manager or coach.See story, page 14 GOLF TOURNEY Entry forms for the Castlegar Sunflower Open are available now at the Castlegar Golf Course and the Birchbank Course in Trail. The annual Open is set for Castlegar June 6-7. Chiseled Steel Brenda Binnie Gerry Hoodicoff Ed Mills SPORTS EDITOR Conjure up all the stereotypes you can about body builders. You know, like muscle heads, roid freaks, weight flakes. Now forget about them. Meet. Gerry Hoodicoff, 34, successful businessman, antiques collector, lover of fine foods and classic cars. Meet Brenda Binnie, 31, mother’ of two, bus driver, President of all the Kootenay Locals of the Canadian Union of Public Employees and avid gardener. Together they form the antithesis to every known. cliche about body building. Like their lifestyles _ and personalities, body building for em is an Hoodicoff will be trying to attain when they compete in the Iron Ore Body Building Championship in Prince George April 11. Hoodicoff will intellectual pursuit. ‘I enjoy it, it makes you_ look good, feel good. It’s ‘I?ll be in really busy, stressful life. It’s a rel shape of my life at like therapy for a 31.’ Brenda Binnie compete as a middleweight, while Binnie is inthe heavyweight = div- ision. They’ve been training together for the best ~ Hoodicoff said. “Tl be in the best shape of my life at 31,” Binnie said. "I’m proud of that, my family’s proud of that.” The sport has other rewards as well. Rewards Binnie and the event for about four months and in total for about four years. They detest the stereotypes. For then, it’s like people saying all athletes are dumb. “T hate it,” Binnie said. “I’d like to see people move away from that. I’d like to see it open for everybody — for the house wives who want to try the challenge and for working people to see what it’s all about.” Hoodicoff, who opened Hooter’s Fitness Parlour in Castlegar four year ago, said the attitudes about body builders and their sport are slowly “People are realizing that it’s good, clean way of getting into shape. It becomes a lifestyle actually,” he said. Both are looking for top three finishes in Prince George.