Collection 424
[April 4, 2000]
Maxwell, Ruth Lillian; 1955-
Interview; 1989
Audio Tapes
Restrictions
There are no restrictions on the use of this collection.
Biography
Full name: Ruth Lillian Maxwell
Birth date: January 10, 1955
Birth place: Jos, Nigeria
Parents: Ernest and Freeda Maxwell, Sudan Interior Mission (SIM) missionaries to Nigeria
Grandfather: L. E. Maxwell, founder of Prairie Bible Institute
Siblings: Two brothers: David older, Mark younger
Conversion: Accepted Christ in grade 2 at Kent Academy in Nigeria
Marital Status: Single
Education:
Prairie High School, Three Hills, AB, Canada--graduated June 1973
Prairie Bible College, Three Hills, AB, Canada--ca. 1973-1977
major: Bible/Missions, degree: BRE
Columbia Graduate School--Cross Cultural Communications Course
Wheaton College Graduate School, Wheaton, IL--
M.A. in Missions/Intercultural studies, 1990 (degree completed after
interviews)
Career:
1978-1981 Assistant Dean of Women, Prairie Bible Institute
1981 Team Leader of SIM Student Missionary Interns
1982-1983 Dean of Women, Prairie Bible Institute
1984-1985 Church Secretary, Prairie Tabernacle
1986-1989 SIM missionary to Liberia
Plans: Continue work for SIM in urban church planting and counseling of short term missionaries.
Scope and Content
Ruth Lillian Maxwell was interviewed by Robert Shuster on November 21 and December 8, 1989, at the Billy Graham Center, Wheaton, IL. The time period covered by the interviews is 1895-1989. The boldfaced entries are intended to highlight the topics covered in the interview. Time elapsed in minutes and seconds is recorded to the left of the topics discussed in the interview. The index is keyed to a cassette copy and not to the reel-to-reel original.
T1 - side 1
00:00 Beginning of tape
00:30 Introduction to interview
01:00 Family background in missions: grandfather L. E. Maxwell founder of Prairie Bible
Institute (PBI), parents met as missionaries in Africa, uncles and aunts around the
world
05:30 Childhood memories of growing up in Africa, importance of interaction with other
missionary children, family atmosphere among missionaries
11:15 Typical day at the mission station, father always training national workers, both parents
teaching at Bible institute, African friends, devotional life of the family, types of
students and classes at the Bible institute
18:00 Sense of cultural difference as a child, discrimination and fear of missionaries
21:15 African church, worship and prayer style, evangelistic messages, parents work with
Theological Education by Extension (TEE) to train pastors
28:15 Daily prayer meetings at the church, discipleship groups, parents' effort to bring
worship into home to make up for non-English services
32:45 Presence of animism and Islam in Nigeria, parents earned respect through skill in the
Hausa language
36:00 Personal conversion at Kent Academy in second grade, commitment to obey God in
Canada in eighth grade in Canada
39:30 Positive and negative qualities of boarding school, adjusting to being away from
parents
43:45 End of tape
T1 - side 2
00:00 Beginning of tape
00:05 Overlap from side 1
02:00 Reasons for children's reactions to boarding school, alternative options, activities for
boarding school students, differences between boarding school and North American
schools
09:15 SIM missionaries in Nigeria, family atmosphere, Harold Fuller, Art and Helen
Redekop
13:15 Family vacations, helping parents in their work, hospitality of home, bargaining in the
marketplace, psychology of bargaining
18:45 Biafra Civil War in Nigeria, realization of true meaning of freedom, awareness of
causes of the war from a national's perspective
23:45 End of tape
T2 - side 1
00:00 Beginning of tape
00:05 Continuation of interview
00:15 Spiritual decision to leave boarding school and attend Prairie High School in Canada
living with grandparents, memories of grandparents (L. E. Maxwell and his wife)
07:15 Problems at Prairie High School from being a missionary kid (MK) and grandchild of
the founder of the school, students' stereotypes of missionaries
12:00 Influence of discipleship training in college, choice in Bible school to invest her life
in young people, nurse's training, selfish desire for security in nursing, decision to
return to PBI to work
16:15 Early desire to be a missionary, waiting for Lord's permission, impact of death of
parents in 1982, remembrances of mentors
21:45 End of tape
T3 - side 1
00:00 Beginning of tape
00:15 Introduction to interview
00:45 Personal effects of death of her parents, portion of memorial fund dedicated to build a
church in northern Ghana, Kasena tribe's difficulties understanding Christian
funerals, impact of this gift in their understanding
08:30 Her desire for control revealed by God through prayer, personal struggle through the
process of growth, thankfulness overcoming discouragement, choice to leave Dean
of Women position at PBI to give up control of her life
14:00 Decision to work at home church one year before going overseas, waiting for church's
blessing
17:45 Application process to SIM, candidate school, important questions and lessons
learned, complete dependence on God for guidance
23:30 Problems assimilating to Liberia, types of classes and students, problems with
noisiness and discipline, fear caused by unstable conditions
30:45 Feelings of failure and loneliness, realization of gifts through the counseling of others
34:45 Bible Knowledge program in Liberian public schools, government sanctioning of the
program, response of various students
38:45 Problems caused by her small stature and by being the only woman teacher at the
school, good relationships with girl students
41:00 Definition of discipleship, most important character qualities
43:15 Beginning a women's ministry in downtown Monrovia, combatting sexual immorality
in Liberia, social pressures on young women, developing discipleship material for
use in the women's group, importance of accountability and lifestyle change
52:30 Leader for International Women's Bible Studies run by Christian Women's Club,
work with missionary kids, comparison of being a modern MK to her childhood
experience, SIM International Outlook Course (SIMIOC), work with short term
missionaries, their specific needs
59:45 End of tape
T3 - side 2
00:00 Beginning of tape
00:05 Overlap from side 1
02:15 Freedom as a single woman missionary because of family background and support,
American conflict on the issue, importance of using gifts
07:00 Organizational and decision-making process in SIM, solving problems on an
individual level, variety of churches in Liberia, desire for biblical foundation
10:30 End of tape
T4 - side 1
00:00 Beginning of tape
00:20 Introduction to interview
00:30 Syncretism and animism in Liberia, interaction with spirit world and witch doctors
even among Christians, difference in concept of prayer between Americans and
Liberians, no dichotomy between physical and spiritual worlds, differences this
causes in prayer meetings
07:45 Denominational influence in Liberia, strength of middle class church, large number of
churches in Monrovia, need for church leaders, spiritual hunger of Liberians
12:30 Lessons learned at Wheaton College, greater confidence through training, importance
of relationships over programs on the field
15:45 Strengths of the Liberian church, importance of national leadership, weaknesses of
the church, comparisons and contrasts between Nigeria and Liberia
20:45 Story of Liberian Christian friend Immanuel, trust in their relationship
25:45 End of tape
Provenance
The materials for this collection were received by the Center in November and December 1989 from Ruth Maxwell.
Accession 89-123, 89-130
April 25, 1995
Mark Congdon
LOCATION RECORD
Accession 89-123, 89-130
Type of material: Audio Tapes
The following items are located in the AUDIO TAPE FILE:
T1 - Reel-to-reel, 3-3/4 ips speed, approximately 68 minutes. One side. Interview with Ruth Maxwell by Robert Shuster, November 21, 1989. Discussion of growing up in Nigeria, boarding school experience, missionary background, African church and worship style, Theological Education by Extension, and the Biafra Civil War.
T2 - Reel-to-reel, 3-3/4 ips speed, approximately 22 minutes. One side. Continuation of interview with Ruth Maxwell by Robert Shuster, November 21, 1989. Discussion of grandfather L. E. Maxwell, attending high school in Canada after being in Africa, schooling and work at Prairie Bible Institute, death of her parents.
T3 - Reel-to-reel, 3-3/4 ips speed, approximately 68 minutes. One side. Interview with Ruth Maxwell by Robert Shuster, December 8, 1989. Discussion of application to Sudan Interior Mission (SIM), teaching Bible at public school in Liberia, leading a discipleship group for women, sexual norms in Liberia, other work and activities, results of being a single woman missionary.
T4 - Reel-to-reel, 3-3/4 ips speed, approximately 26 minutes. One side. Continuation of
interview with Ruth Maxwell by Robert Shuster, December 8, 1989. Discussion of
syncretism and animism in Liberia, differences in prayer style from America, indigenous
church leadership, attending Wheaton College Graduate School.