Catherine Esther Hudson (1914 - 2008)

Born 28 Nov 1914 in Dordrecht, Cape Province, South Africa

Ancestors

Wife of Basil Lake Crompton — married 2 Apr 1938 (to 28 Jun 1978) in Wynberg, Cape Town, South Africa

Descendants

Died 14 Nov 2008 at age 93 in Port Elizabeth, South Africa

Biography

Cathy was born in Dordrecht in 1914, to an English father and an Afrikaans mother. This was just 13 years after the end of a bitter war fought between these two nations. The love of Jesus was what brought them together. In Mar 1921 her father died, leaving her widowed mother with 4 small children. In 1923 her mother married her 5th cousin once removed, Mr Johannes Albertus Maree, and the family moved to his farm, Geitjiespan, near Marydale, Cape Province, South Africa. In 1925 Cathy was mightily baptized in the Holy Spirit, and she dedicated her life, and all she would ever possess to Jesus Christ her Lord. Cathy was sent to boarding school in Worcester, Cape Province, South Africa, and she Matriculated in 1933, with high marks in both English and Afrikaans higher grade. As this was the height of the great depression, she had difficulty in finding a job and moved to Randfontein, Transvaal, South Africa, where she stayed with her mother's sister, Johanna. Aunt Johanna was the wife of the pastor of the Full Gospel Church, in Randfontein. Because of the depression contributions to church funds were rather depleted, and of course, the pastor's salary was the first thing to suffer. One day they had no food in the house, so Cathy went to her aunt and asked, her, what they should do. Aunt Johanna replied firmly, "Set the table". So they did this, and when the time came to eat they sat down at the table and thanked the Lord for the food that they were about to eat. Just then there was a knock on the door and there stood a lady with enough food to feed the whole family. When Cathy saw this she said, "If God can do that for my aunt, why not me"? In 1937, she was invited to stay with the pastor of the Apostolic Faith Mission in Wynberg, Cape Province, South Africa, and his family. She was put in the room of the assistant pastor, Basil Crompton, who was away on a preaching tour with the English evangelist, Smith Wigglesworth. Smith did not believe that it was right for a pastor to be single so he spent the whole of his visit to South Africa, praying for God to provide Basil with a wife. And, when Smith prayed things happened. When Basil returned from his trip, he was given a bed in the passage to sleep on. He never let on that he was interested in Cathy, but he suddenly started to take the dog for a walk, and just happened to pass the station at the exact time that she arrived home from work. One beautiful moonlit night, Basil suddenly offered Cathy a lift home from church, but instead of taking her home he took her up the back of Table mountain, and he told her that he loved her very much, but he could not marry her because he was only getting 9 pounds a month. Her reply was I accept your offer of marriage, God will provide! And he always did right up until she died aged 94. In 1941 God called both Basil and Cathy separately, to open their home to missionaries. There were many of them who were trapped in Africa, because of the war. They had to get out of the Congo for health reasons, so they came down to Cape Town, but many of them were destitute, and were living under terrible conditions. This was in impossible commission, BUT, with God nothing is impossible. So Basil went to his church board. They really liked the idea, but said, "Sorry we have no money to help you with". So they said to themselves, "If God has called us, HE is responsible to provide our needs". So they opened their two bedroomed house to God's children, and all 4 of us Cromptons slept in one room. The very first missionaries to stay were Leslie Wigglesworth and his family. There was never any charge for missionaries to stay, and some stayed for up to 3 months. Many miracles of God's provision happened when it seemed impossible for the problem to be solved. In 1945, when the war was over, the Cromptons did not know what was going to happen, so Cathy took a blanket and went and sat under the gum trees at Pentecostal Park, a camping ground near Strand, Cape Province, South Africa and earnestly prayed for guidance. There she had a real meeting with God, with a new calling. She still entertained missionaries, but for much shorter periods. Cathy was greatly used in tongues, interpretation and prophecy, and fought to maintain the movement of the Holy Spirit in Pentecostal churches. For years she and a friend Mrs Bessie Saayman met for prayer, and nobody was in any doubt about what they were doing. It was done very loudly. When Cathy's son David turned 13 he went to his mother and said, "Mom I need a bicycle". Her reply was "Well you know I haven't any money, but I will pray for one for you. 5 days later a three-speed Raleigh bicycle was delivered to her door, for her son, and the person who gave it was totally unaware of her prayers.

Sources

As told to me by Catherine Esther Hudson herself.

SA Identity document attached

South African Identity number 141128 0053081

See photo of Gravestone, in Port Elizabeth, Eastern Province, South Africa, graveyard.

South Africa, Cape Province probate records of the Master of the High Court 1834-1989