Charles and Corabel Morgan were an integral part of several mission organizations but especially one in Quito, Ecuador called HCJB: “Heralding Christ Jesus’ Blessings.” It was a radio station transmitting the message of the gospel and also offering quality Christian music from the several missionaries there. Charles was the candidate secretary of HCJB and they interacted with missionaries who came through Miami on their way to the mission field. Many times she would call inviting us to a meal with missionaries we were eager to meet. After dinner we’d sit around the table and hear their stories: how a whole tribe had come to Jesus in one village or how God had provided for or protected another missionary family miraculously. We learned that these were folks wholly trusting Jesus; and proving He was faithful. Then promptly at 8:45 p.m., Mrs. Morgan would tell us how wonderful it was to have us in their home. Then she would pray. We left a little bit wiser.
The Bible study Mrs. Morgan hosted for some of us women who were in the Bible college was particularly impactful. Every Thursday morning we’d meet at her home in Miami and sit around her dining room table. That’s where I learned there was fascinating richness in the Word of God. We started with Genesis. She’d break open the scriptures to us; and I discovered things about God’s people and His story that I hadn’t known before. She often served sandwiches before we left. And every time Mr. Morgan came home from work at noon she stopped what she was doing with us, went to greet him with a warm embrace and told him how glad she was to be with him. “Can I do anything for you Charles? Are you hungry?” He knew we were there; and he quietly drifted into his study with a sandwich for his hour lunch break before returning to his music store. That moment of her loving him well will remain an unforgettable visual to a young wife.
One year when we lived in Canada, our ladies had a retreat and I suggest Corabel as the weekend speaker. She asked if Charles could come, but we unwisely eventually declined saying he probably wouldn’t enjoy it as it was a ladies weekend. We asked what theme she’d be using as we wanted to have a song to go along with her theme. Her answer: Just pray and ask God what He wants you to use. It turned out the song we chose exactly matched her weekend topic. We learned about the power of praying from that exercise. We also learned that weekend that she and Charles had never been separated before. Ever. They had quietly, lovingly sacrificed for us.
We kept in touch with them over the years and were always glad for their godly advice and loving encouragement. They would both get on the phone, hear my questions and problems that a pastor and his wife may face. They were always available offering wisdom and understanding. During one particularly painful season in ministry, she said, “One day you will be glad this happened. At the time I couldn’t imagine it, but she was proven right. She faithfully prayed for us and our children and remained a strong mentor always. She loved me so well that it wasn’t until after her death I realized the foolish and immature things I’d said or done that must have made her cringe. I never sensed it. She loved everyone that well.
During their last years Charles and Corabel would have daily Bible time together. It was on a day they were discussing Mary sitting at Jesus’ feet that Charles slumped over in death. Now, he too, was present at Jesus’ feet. Several years later at age 96 Corabel was taken to the hospital. In her last hours, her granddaughter, who sought with assurance to release her grandmother from this life, said, “Run to Jesus Nana! Run to Him!” We were told that in that moment, April 11, 2012, instead of her heart slowing down, Corabel’s heart sped up as she “ran to her beloved Jesus…and Charles.”
Titus 2:3 “…tell the older women to be reverent in behavior,…they are to teach what is good, so that they may encourage the young women to love their husbands,…their children, to be self-controlled,…kind, being submissive to their husbands, so that the word of God may not be discredited.”
