Whispers from the Lord: A Missionary Nurse’s Journal

In 1943, nineteen-year-old Arlene Schuiteman began keeping a journal, which she continued her whole life, including thirty-four years of nursing and teaching in three African countries: South Sudan, Ethiopia, and Zambia.

During a particularly trying time, she recorded ninety whispers from the Lord in her personal journals. The four years during which Arlene recorded these messages (1975-1979) were among the most difficult years in the history of modern Ethiopia as well as Arlene’s own life. Even as she began transcribing the messages, a violent political movement–the Qey Shibir (Red Terror)–descended on the nation. After being forced to leave her beloved church and her nursing students, she moved to the nation’s capital and was eventually ejected from the country. She soon returned to Africa, however, working this time in Zambia until her retirement in 1989.

Although Arlene recorded these whispers as a personal encouragement, at age ninety-eight, she now wishes to share her journal with others who struggle and need to be reminded of God’s faithfulness during dark days. Here is an affirmation of God’s intimacy with his children and his loving response to us all.