By Edi Seals

August 4, 2022

“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my

witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” Acts 1:8

Roy and I sat at dinner with GFMA Project Partners Jess and Anne Kerley, along with Anne’s German-

born mother Ingeborg Meiburg Weaver who is currently 97 years old. Succumbing to my interest in

names and origins, I asked Mrs. Inge about her name. (Later as I researched the origin of the name

“Ingeborg,” I found it means “to help, save, rescue.”)

Mrs. Inge related how she was born in Germany in 1924 and enjoyed an early childhood filled with love,

family, and friends. Her father became alarmed as Hitler moved up the governmental chain of

command. He decided to emigrate with his wife and daughters to America in 1932. Mrs. Inge continued,

“We just escaped Hitler’s rule. He became Chancellor in January, 1933 and President in 1934.”

Mrs. Inge’s German relatives were not Hitler supporters; therefore, they were not allowed job

advancement and suffered discrimination which led to deprivation. Mrs. Inge’s parents sent many care

packages back to their families whose pictures showed gaunt faces and emaciated bodies.

Mrs. Inge and her husband accepted Christ after marriage and raised four children, one of whom is

Anne Kerley. Anne and her husband Jess (who is now with the Lord) have dedicated their lives to

supporting and assisting missionaries and mission projects. They joined Global Faith Mission Agency as

Project Partners in 2012. Their ministry has encompassed many stateside mission projects throughout

our country as well as ministry in Europe, remote areas in the Andes Mountains of South America, and

in Central America.

Mrs. Inge’s story produced an overwhelming wonder in me as I contemplated how God took a little girl

from Germany, brought her to the United States to learn of Christ, and used her to raise a daughter

who, along with her husband, has impacted lives in many parts of the world.

I find it amazing that our omniscient, sovereign God begins His work in a person’s life generations before

he or she is born. To think that God began “working on me” long before I was thought of reassures me

of the fact that He has a purpose for each of His children and that He loves us beyond comprehension.

“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you: I

appointed you a prophet to the nations.” Jeremiah 1:5