Precious Jewels: A story of Pieter and Johanna Vos and the founding of the Sunbeam Homes.
signed
1986 · Oakville, Ontario
by Vos, Pieter. With J. Gordon Wilder.
Oakville, Ontario: The Triumph Press, 1986. Signed and inscribed by the author. Octavo, blue illus. stiff paper wrappers, 230 pp. Fine. From Preface: The quintessence of Pieter and Johanna Vos is compassion -- the love of God in action. Born in Holland this splendid Christian couple met while serving in Dutch Guiana (Surinam); fell in love with each other and The Salvation Army. Eventually making their home in Waterloo County, Contario, Canada, they soon perceived a felt need to minister to mentally and physically handicapped children. Encouraged by a local pediatrician, they launched out in faith; one might say with nothing more than a shoe string. Thus Sunbeam Home was founded, where, since its inception they have cared for hundreds of children. You are immediately captivated by Pieter’s effervescent personality, and Johanna’s warm-hearted mother in Israel spirit. They have been ably supported in this ministry by their children who, in early childhood, caught the spirit and vision of their parents. A splendid example of Christian laity, Pieter Vos and Major Gordon Wilder have captured in this story the mission of the Vos family.From Foreword: It was the early 1960s when I first became aware of the work of Pieter and Johanna Vos. I very quickly gained a sense of admiration for the work being carried on in their Sunbeam Home. Special children, unable to get the most basic kinds of supports in their own homes, looked to Pieter and Johanna for care, attention and most importantly, love. They were not disappoined. Later, I learned more about Pieter and Johanna on a personal level. Their selfless dedication to the well-being of society’s forgotten, I discovered, sprang from lives in which they came face-to-face with fear and death. In Europe, there were hardships associated with one of human history’s darkest eras; later, far from their homeland, they sacrificed their own comfort to help natives in South America. The unique experiences of Pieter and Johanna Vos have given them not just the capacity to celebrate life and living, but the strength to bring joy, warmth and affection into hundreds of other lives. (Inventory #: 6706fd)