TESTIMONY OF OUR BELOVED SISTER DOROTHY BRAY

(Entered glory on 31st August 1980 at Brooklyn.)

Sister Dorothy was one who was continually aware and thankful unto the Lord for His
mercies toward her. Summing
up her own experience with God, she claimed that she was only "a brand plucked out
of the fire" (Zech. 3:2). God had
delivered her from a life of sin and eternal judgment, and she was eternally
grateful to Him.
Dorothy Milne was born and brought up in England. She lived in an atmosphere of
fighting, terror, and fear. Her father
was a terrible drunkard and gambler. Every night he would come home in a drunken
stupor ready to fight with his family.
On many occasions Sister Dorothy had to intervene to stop murder in her own home
and rescue her mother. Her mother's
life left a deep impression on Sister Dorothy. She remembered her mother's silent
suffering undergirded with faith in God.
To Sister Dorothy this was a real example of Christian love in action - a sermon
beyond words.
Due to these early experiences, she developed great bitterness of spirit against
God. In fact, she soon grew to deny His
very existence. She turned to the world with its wealth its fame, and its
pleasures.
She attended church regularly to sing beautiful solos in the choir, but none of
these meant anything to her. Every night it
was a case of dancing and theatres. She lived such a busy social life that her
health soon weakened. At the age of 17 she
had a nervous breakdown. Later she was afflicted with Pneumonia, and later yet was
stricken with Tuberculosis. There
was no human help or cure left for her. The doctor told her that no one - except
God - could help her. At one point of
desperation and despair she attempted suicide. Just then she heard a clear voice
speak to her saying, "only the pure in
heart can see God". That was her first encounter with God. After that she began to
make a diligent search for the truth.
Finally she went to a Pentecostal meeting where she experienced the presence of God
as never before. She was
miraculously healed that night by the power of God, and she gave her heart to the
Lord with a firm decision to live for
Him.
Sister Dorothy then married a young Christian by name Leslie Bray and together they
enjoyed a life of peace and happiness.
A few months later she had a vision in which she saw young ladies dressed in sarees
from India calling her to help them.
She wanted to ignore this call and continue her happy life with her husband, but
soon her husband had a vision in which
he relived his former commitment to serve God full-time. They both knelt and
consecrated their lives to serve God in the
East - to preach the Gospel freely, looking only to God to supply all their needs.
The path was not easy. In 1932 they left England and sailed to Colombo, Ceylon
(today called SRILANKA), where they
arrived on April 8th. They were some of the earliest missionaries in that country.
They lived and moved with the people,
entering into their everyday lives. They dressed as the people of the land, ate
their food, and slept on the floor. Sister
Dorothy went barefoot for 17 years. They ministered mostly to the poor whom they
loved and with whom they identified
them selves. Many days they spent without food and drink. But their joy was
boundless and their work was fruitful and
rewarding.

In 1949 they were sent back to England to begin a work. They had to start all over
again with much suffering and hardship,
but the Lord blessed their labours in Newark and later in London. Even though
Sister Dorothy's husband, Pastor Leslie
entered glory while in the ministry in 1959, Sister Dorothy continued steadfastly
serving the Lord in churches in England.
Later, she was transferred to Brooklyn, New York, where for the past seven years
she ministered day and night to build up
a glorious church for the Lord. Everyone who knew Sister Dorothy, can testify of
her tireless efforts, her motherly love
and concern, and her deep love and devotion for our blessed Lord. Sister Dorothy
readily testified that during the 48 years
that she served the Lord, He had never failed her. Christ had been her Saviour, her
Healer and her Keeper. Many times
she had been at the point of death, but the Lord raised her up. Her most recent
experience is given in the following
testimony.
In May of 1980, Sister Dorothy suddenly fell ill. She began bleeding from the eyes,
ears, nose and mouth. At that time she
suffered a stroke which left her paralyzed and in a coma for three days. Recovering
from that condition, she said, "I was
with the Lord and He healed me with His stripes and sanctified me for further
ministry". She told of being taken to Mount
Zion which she described as, "Marvellous! Wonderful! Beautiful!" To the amazement
of the brethren, she was
miraculously restored.

Later, she went to Washington for rest, during which time she was able to teach,
encourage, and build up the new servants
of God. Her very presence was a source of great inspiration to all.
A few days before her passing away, she had a dream of being with some of the dear
departed saints, are of her departure,
she gave instructions concerning her funeral. The next day she collapsed. After
four days of continuous prayers made on
her behalf, the Lord removed her suffering. Her last words were, "I am healed!
Healed!" Pointing upward she said, "Higher,
Higher, Higher". A few hours before she passed away, the brethren committed her to
the Lord whom she loved with all
her heart and whom she also served faithfully for 48 years. She had fought a good
fight. She had finished the race. She
kept the faith. Her crowns await her.