I couldn’t believe it when the radio woke me up this morning to the voice of Florence Littauer. It was like hearing an old friend speak. Over the next two days, Florence is speaking on the topic of “Making the Tough Times Count” on the broadcast of Focus on the Family.

My mom and I just spent half a week with Florence and her daughter, Marita, at a conference in August! They started an organization called CLASS, which stands for Christian Leaders, Authors, and Speaker Services. Every day, I got to hear Florence speak in person, and I’m still processing everything this amazing, godly woman taught me.

This morning, on the broadcast, Florence shared about how she and her husband, Fred, met and what the early years of their marriage were like. She is SO funny — such a joy to listen to! I reviewed a book she wrote about this in last month’s Christian Women Online, After Every Wedding Comes a Marriage.

Unfortunately, after Florence became a mother, her difficult times began. She gave birth to two healthy baby girls, but then she had a son who was born with such severe brain damage he died. I don’t want to spoil what happens next because she’ll be speaking on Focus again tomorrow, but Florence’s life was filled with even more tragedy after that. You can listen to today’s broadcast here, then she’ll finish up tomorrow.

From Florence’s sorrow became her ministry. It’s amazing how God can transform what seems like total despair into joy, when we trust Him. If you’ve read my interview with beautiful Allison Bottke in this month’s CWO, you may remember this quote she said that has stuck with me: “Every test is a testimony and every mess is a ministry.”

If you’re in the middle of a mess right now, just remember this. What you’re going through may be a ministry to someone else someday.