Colonel Henry Gariepy was born in 1930, and as a young man, joined the Salvation Army serving as an officer until his retirement in 1995. He was also the national editor-in-chief of the The War Cry during this time. He wrote more than 29 books and was a contributor to an additional 50 works ranging from devotional works to biography and history. One of his best known titles is 100 Portraits of Christ.
In this book, Colonel Gariepy tells of former president Theodore Roosevelt returning home from an African hunting safari. As he boarded the ocean liner at the African port, crowds cheered as he walked up the red carpet. He was given the finest suite aboard the ship. Stewards waited on him hand and foot during the journey home. The former president was the center of the entire ship’s attention.
Also, on board the vessel was another passenger, an elderly missionary who had given his entire life in God’s service in Africa. His wife had died, his children were gone, and he was now returning to his homeland alone. Not one soul on the ship noticed him.
Once the ocean liner arrived in the port of San Francisco, Roosevelt was given a hero’s welcome—whistles blowing, bells ringing, and the waiting crowd’s cheering—as he descended the gangplank. But nobody was there to welcome the returning missionary.
Alone, the elderly man found a small hotel for the night. As he knelt by his bed, his heart broke; “Lord, I am not complaining, but I don’t understand. I gave my life for You in Africa. But it seems to me that no one cares. I just don’t understand.”
Then, in the darkness, it was as if God reached down from heaven, and placing His hand upon the old man’s shoulder, He whispered, “Missionary, you’re not home, yet.”
It brings to mind the old King’s Heralds song, Welcome Home, Children.
Not Home Yet
A great day is coming
Heaven’s gates will open wide
And all who love the Lord may enter in
To join with their loved ones
Who in Jesus Christ have died
Their eternal life in heaven will begin
And the Lord Himself will greet us
Oh, what joy will fill that day
When with a smile of the proudest Father
He’ll look at us and say
Welcome home, children
This is the place I’ve prepared for you
Welcome home, children
Now that your work on earth is through
Welcome home children
You who have fought on so faithfully
Welcome home, children
Welcome home, children
Here where I am you shall always be
Forever rejoicing with Me
“Let your faith be pure and strong and steadfast. … When you rise in the morning, kneel at your bedside and ask God to give you strength to fulfill the duties of the day and to meet its temptations. Ask Him to help you to bring into your work Christ’s sweetness of character. Ask Him to help you to speak words that will draw those around you nearer to Christ.” Sermons and Talks, Vol. 1, 332, 333
Source: wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Gariepy