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the
Crusader
Once in a while we like to share another perspective on the newsletter
theme by asking Even though she has had much in her life to be angry about, Joyce’s deep, abiding faith and her delightful sense of humor have been an inspiration to many. Here’s her story: Growing up in a Lutheran parsonage in Minneapolis with four brothers and two sisters, Joyce’s roots in the Christian faith go back a long way. She graduated from Augsburg College, married a wonderful Christian man and moved to Austinville, a tiny Iowa town of less than one hundred residents and a far cry from the big city. Together they raised two daughters and a son, all committed Christians who love to serve the Lord. During the polio epidemic in 1946, Joyce was paralyzed completely on her right side. Thankfully she made a full recovery from this debilitating disease. However, eleven years later, she, her three young children, and her parents were seriously injured in a head-on automobile crash. Unable to see, talk, or swallow due to swelling, Joyce knew her recovery was in doubt. And yet, because of her relationship with Christ, she also knew God was in control, so she rested in the knowledge that he was at work in her life. Joyce’s oldest brother received a call from Dr. John Grotting, a former member of her father’s congregation. Dr. Grotting was a surgeon who had made a name for himself during WWII in Europe doing reconstructive surgery on the wounded. Wanting to thank Joyce’s father for writing to those who served in the war, Dr. Grotting asked if he could do the surgery to reconstruct Joyce’s face. The long, grueling operation was a success, and the recovery was slow, but through it all, Joyce felt truly blessed. In 1962, her husband’s implement business burned to the ground. Left without an income, again the Lord supplied their need. A teaching position opened up in a nearby community and she was hired. As a teacher, Joyce shared her love of learning with hundreds of junior and senior high school students over a twenty-five year span. An interesting note is that while living in Iowa, they occasionally attended the church of Dr. Melchert, Christian Crusaders’ first speaker. And her husband, an accomplished pianist, played for a radio gospel quartet, “Call of the Cross,” every Sunday for thirteen years on Waterloo’s KXEL, where our program continues to be heard. A number of years after her husband’s death, Joyce returned to Minneapolis where she now lives in a senior citizen building, a place she loves. Although life continues to throw her many curves, Joyce tells us she has never been angry with God. “How could I be when he has been so wonderful to me? Since turning everything over to him, I find it interesting to see how he works out my problems. He has never failed me yet.” Her theme song during her darkest days has been “Tis So Sweet to Trust in Jesus,” a tune she hums every day. Being reminded daily of God’s wondrous love, Joyce wants her life to be a testimony both in what she says and does.
ON THE LIGHT SIDE
Frank,
once a very active and helpful person around the house, became a couch
potato in his retirement. This inactivity annoyed his wife, who began
to complain incessantly. Finally Frank decided to visit his doctor and
learn why he had slowed down so much. “Well, in plain English,” the doctor replied, “you’re just plain lazy.” “Okay,” said Frank. “Now give me the medical term so I can tell my wife.” |
a listener to relate it to their life story. So please meet one of our
KKMS listeners in Minnesota, Joyce Limburg. Joyce began listening to
Christian Crusaders when she turned on the radio one Sunday morning
and recognized Rev. Homer Larsen’s name from the Cedar Falls Bible
Conference. Noticing that his voice reminded her of her father’s, she
began to listen regularly. In her words, “I’ve missed very few
programs and have been blessed so many times.” 
