It is every woman’s nightmare. Lois Rabey has never forgotten the day 23 years ago when the hot-air balloon holding her husband and his two friends caught on fire. All three men were killed instantly in front of her and her two young daughters.

“At that moment, I had a positive experience of heaven, that it is real, and those men were entering it,” she said.

The story received broad news coverage, in part because Mrs Rabey’s faith in Christ led her to testify that her Christian husband and the two men killed with him were in heaven. Despite having never spoken in public before, she was soon in demand to share her experience, including an invitation to speak at a Billy Graham crusade in front of 14,000 people just weeks later.

“The Lord just opened the door and gave me a ministry, mainly to women,” she said.

For the past 20 years Mrs Rabey has continued to share her testimony through reaching out to other women on radio, television and public meetings with the challenge of the gospel, explaining how her faith has helped her and her daughters.

Christians in Wollongong will hear from the US speaker in October when she travels around the region, and further afield, for a series of outreach meetings as a guest of Mothers’ Union (MU). Mrs Rabey will speak on ‘women in a changing world’; a topic that organisers say will provide Christian women with the opportunity to invite their non-Christian friends and family.

MU Sydney President Natalie McLeod is urging MU members to pray for the success of the outreach and is encouraging parish groups to attend a meeting. “This is the time when we provide ongoing oppor-tunities to talk and explore Christian beliefs and nurture relationships with Christ.”

Mrs Rabey’s visit was made possible through a grant to MU from the Wollongong Regional Council. The seeds of the project were planted two years ago, when MU’s Judith Barrett, Promotion and Development Officer, saw a need within local branches of MU for women to be given more opportunities for outreach.

“Here were gifted, dedicated women with years of experience in helping to run MU and their church families,” said Mrs Barrett. “I thought, why can’t we use these women more and give them greater opportunities?”

Following an evangelistic event in Wollongong in 2001 attended by 300 women, Mrs Barrett says she recognised that MU had the infrastructure for a much greater outreach.

Mrs Barrett said Lois Rabey’s personal testimony of managing widowhood, loneliness and single motherhood are relevant issues for every woman.

Christine Jensen, Sydney Diocese MU Patron, is leading the Outreach Planning Committee for Mrs Rabey’s visit. Led by the wives of the regional Bishops, MU members in each branch have tailored the meeting to the local community. Events planned for October include morning teas at Figtree and Narrellan, a coffee and dessert night in Wollongong and a garden afternoon followed by a high tea at Bowral, along with events in other parts of Sydney.

“We talk a lot about evangelism and I am sure every church is active in this area. It will be good for us to meet together, work together and be encouraged. “We want to be women ‘on the go’ for Jesus, alert to every opportunity,” said Mrs Barrett.