Interview with Wilma J. de Ruiter the First Lady of Eagle Wings Charismatic Ministries International.
Thank you for taking the time to talk to me today.
Your very welcome.
Let's just drop straight into the deep of it: what led you to give your life to Christ and how has that decision impacted your life over
the past years?
I was an alcoholic and I got tired of living the way I was and one night I prayed to God to take my addiction away.
I woke up the next morning and I never have craved another drink after that.
Well, that's awesome.
And He has blessed my life so, so much and I'm so grateful for what He has done for me.
How would you describe your faith journey to someone who might be trying to explore their own?
Always believe in God and pray when things don't seem like they're going the way you want it to, pray and God hears your prayer and trust in Him, as he is the Lord, and He is an awesome God who is there for you.
You mentioned prayer a couple of times, what role does that play in your personal life and in your ministry?
I pray, I pray every night before I go to sleep for everything that's going on in my life, you know, with our kids and our grandkids, with Israel and our country.
And how is this impacting your life?
Oh it surely impacts me, I feel the joy of the Lord inside, if you don't have the Holy Spirit within you, you will never know the amount of joy you can experience, and the light that you can
shine on others with your joy.
So a lot of times you hear people say happy but you talk about joy, I assume that this joy goes a whole lot deeper than just being happy?
Joy comes from deep within, it comes from the Lord.
Okay, that is something terrific.
How do you and Pastor Chris support one another in your respective roles within the ministry?
We pray for people, we listen to people and we just try to encourage people to accept Christ and live a godly life.
And how does that relate then between the two of you because you said you pray for people and that's wonderful of course but how does it relate between the two of you?
I've heard that Pastor Chris frequently has said oh I'm giving up, no more, it's enough.
And I always tell him that God gave you the ministry as a blessing and once you're called into this ministry you cannot leave, it was not given to you for a season, you cannot
abandon God.
So what you're saying is if God calls you for something, he keeps you to it. Yes?
than, and what if it's just for a season?
No, God did not call you for just a season.
So what advice would you give families that are doing their best, that are striving to put Christ, Yeshua as the center of their lives?
Always keep Yeshua at the center of your life because God is always there for you and he listens and He hears your prayers, He knows what's going on in your heart.
Amen!
Then all this takes a lot of time. How do you prioritize your time with family while at the same time the two of are active in ministry?
God comes first.
Is that not easier said than done?
Sometimes, yeah.
So what does family then, what does family then mean to you and how do you see it as a reflection of God's love?
Family is very important to me and God has blessed me with not three but five children, and our grandchildren and I just, I praise God for everything that he does for us.
In what ways do you feel called then to encourage or even maybe mentor other women in their own journeys of faith?
You also have a family chat going on Correct, as I understand that lots of times you are also in your family chat encouraging and sharing?
Yes, in our conversations and in the Daily scripture verse.
What's your favorite scripture verse?
That is Psalm 91.
Dwell in the Shelter of Elyon
Psalm 91
1 He who dwells in the shelter of Elyon, will abide in the shadow of Shaddai.
2 I will say of Adonai, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.
3 For He will rescue you from the hunter’s trap and from the deadly pestilence.
4 He will cover you with His feathers, and under His wings you will find refuge.
His faithfulness is body armor and shield.
5 You will not fear the terror by night, nor the arrow that flies by day, 6 nor the plague that stalks in darkness, nor the scourge that lays waste at noon.
7 A thousand may fall at your side, and ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you.
8 You will only look on with your eyes and see the wicked paid back.
9 For you have made Elyon your dwelling, even Adonai, who is my refuge,
10 so no evil will befall you nor any plague come near your tent.
11 For He will give His angels charge over you, to guard you in all your ways.
12 Upon their hands they will lift you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.[a]
13 You will tread upon the lion and cobra, trample the young lion and serpent.
14 “Because he has devoted his love to Me, I will deliver him. I will set him securely on high, because he knows My Name.
15 When he calls on Me, I will answer him. I will be with him in trouble, rescue him, and honor him.
16 With long life will I satisfy him and show him My salvation.”
That truly is a wonderful Psalm
And how has your relationship with Christ influenced you and your approach when you talk about raising children and grandchildren?
I can't answer that one completely because I didn't have Christ when the kids were growing up, but this is now different concerning my grand and great grand children.
I encourage our grandchildren when they are feeling like the world is caving in on them to pray, as I pray for them too.
Give your life to Christ and you will see how your life changes, God will change it, He hears your prayer and He knows that it comes from your heart.
So you are the first lady encouraging pastor, you are the encourager for your family in scripture verses, you help your grandkids with good advice, you have a role as a voiceover
for grandma pooch, so you have a lot of stuff to do. How do you balance all that?
A wife, a mother, a grandmother, a ministry leader, because every role has its own demands?
I do what I can do and what doesn't get done doesn't get done. That's a Texas attitude right isn't it?
If it can be done today we'll do it tomorrow that is it?
So don't sweat the small stuff. How would you say that for yourself?
How does that count for yourself?
You can only do so many things, only so much in one day and you just have to figure out what is most important that you can do for other people and yourself.
So is that the advice you would give other women too, other women that have multiple responsibilities?
Yes.
Now this might be a little personal. How has your partnership with Pastor Chris enriched both your ministry and your personal life?
We have a Holy Spirit filled relationship and between the ministry and our personal life we encourage each other through the Holy Spirit, as God brought us together, so we just do, and don't ask.
So what do you do for relaxation?
We like to hike and go camping, whenever we can.
So are there any special favorite thing you like to do when you go camping?
Fishing, Yes Fishing.
Like fishers or men or fishers or fish?
Fish. yes, just fish.
Can you tell me something about how it happened that you became the voice for Grandma Pooch?
"We hear barking" And there's the Pooch, there's Harper.
Listening to Kay on Duck Dynasty, the way she would talk to her puppies, her dogs,
and so I just took it there and it just happened.
How then do you see Grandma Pooch's character serving a bridge between your faith, especially for young listeners?
Because I think she's just funny, she's hilarious and she is very caring and uplifting and I believe that she can encourage young children and children of all ages to
believe in God, trust in the Lord.
That's great, thank you. Now I have one more question for you. That's the last question. What message would you like to leave for those who may be on
the fence about exploring and deepening their faith in Christ?
Always trust in the Lord, give your heart to God and pray and encourage each other.
And when they go out in this busy season of voting what is there, what's your advice for them?
And I know you're not allowed to talk about parties and so on because
you lose your 501c3 status as a ministry but I'm sure you have good advice for people.
The Bible, scripture verse Philippians 4:13, I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.
When you vote, have that based upon the Bible, because you have to give it to God and trust in God to
make the right decision.
You have to know which candidate stands for God and which one stands with Satan.
Will you Vote with God, or with the world, thus with Satan?!?!
It's that black and white?
Yes. it is, Vote in His plan.
Thank you First Lady Wilma.
