Bernice Delich is 84. She lives in her own home alone, exercises half hour daily and still drives her car. With her hip broken at the age 76 and another at 78 both of which had put her in the nursing home for 5 weeks. She had other minor factures too. Yet, she goes on. At an age when most people retire to rest and inactivity, Bernice is an inspiration, a motivator, surprise too.

She is a Gideon Auxiliary herself, with her husband who was a Gideon for almost 4 decades: she continues to be an active Gideon Auxiliary distributing nearly a thousands Gideon’s International New Testament copies a year. Her father told, she says, When you grow you can say anything and do anything. She does literally the same. She walks up to any person be it young or old, male or female, and share the Gospel with them. She uses the Gideon’s International New Testament as an icebreaker. She has reached out to hundreds since she becoming a Gideon and still continues. In her pursuit to win as many souls as possible she has faced insult, rejection and even at times foul language and embarrassing expressions. Not forgetting to count the blessing of seeing many receive the Lord and the Gideon's NT.

One day when she went out to shop in a gift shop, she saw a person. Before getting into the shop, she walked up to a gentleman and offered to give him a Gideon's NT. He refused to take it. When she said, it is the Word of God he proudly said, I read the Bible 5 times. Rejected, and disturbed she went into the shop. With the man on her mind she quickly finished her shopping. Just when she was leaving the shop, she felt how best to compliment this man outside for his arrogance and show the love of the Lord. She went back to the shop, searched a small golden heart placed in a small box and got it gift-wrapped. The price $ 5 pinched her. But she thought, he is worth a million dollars foe Christ. She walked off the door, to the man offered the gift and walked off. She prayed, Lord when ever he sees, may he feel your love flowing that he might be won for Christ.

Her way of reaching out with the Good News has some simple but mandate locations, a grocery shop, a shopping mall and even gas stations. On another occasion, when her son Pastor Don Delich was filling gas she got off the car and offered to give a young girl sitting in a car. She sternly refused to take the Bible. Not getting discouraged, she walked up to a tall and hefty person, tapped him and said, excuse me. The guy turned around and said, you are the first little lady in my life who dared touch me. She offered the Bible hesitantly. He gladly took it and proposed she gave it to his friends. He told her, could you give one to my girl in the car too. When she said, she is not interested, he signaled her to take it. By now Don her son finished filling gas.

On the day, Don Delich Sr. her husband was admitted in the hospital, she says, that she witnessed to a man in the waiting room. The day next, Don went to be with the Lord. It is strange, that a person whose husband was ailing in the hospital with an illness that would kill him the next, here was a wife faithfully witnessing for the Lord and winning soul. While Don was physically dying, Bernice was pouring life into a soul winning him for the Lord. She says with a sparkle in her eyes.

Copyright 2004 Fountain of Life. Used by permission