Myrtle Truss, a long-time supporter and faithful worker for our ‘Stamps for Mission’ project has passed away at the age of 92. For over 40 years, Myrtle actively contributed to the work of the LCA International Mission and she will be greatly missed. Myrtle Truss was a blessing to many people throughout her long life, […]

Myrtle Truss, a long-time supporter and faithful worker for our ‘Stamps for Mission’ project has passed away at the age of 92. For over 40 years, Myrtle actively contributed to the work of the LCA International Mission and she will be greatly missed.

Myrtle Truss was a blessing to many people throughout her long life, and in particular to the work of LCA International Mission. She was one of the many people within the LCA who show their love for Jesus, and for the church, by volunteering time and energy to support our brothers and sisters overseas.

For over 40 years, Myrtle avidly collected stamps for our ‘Stamps for Mission’ fundraising project. She cleaned stamps (soaking them off paper envelopes), packed the stamps (according to country of origin or value) and then stored the stamps until there was a shoe-box full and ready for despatch to the Stamps for Mission headquarters in Adelaide.

Myrtle (Smith) was born in Toowoomba, Queensland in 1928 and grew up in the surrounding region. She was one of five children and was only 6 years old when her father died. Myrtle finished Primary School in Grade 7, which was previously known as Scholarship. After her schooling, Myrtle worked on the family farm, providing support while her older brother was away serving during the war, and then as a machinist in a clothing factory. As a young woman, Myrtle enjoyed going to country dances, which was where she met Keith Truss, who she married in 1947.

Myrtle and Keith lived and worked in Toowoomba and Oakey, raising their growing family. In 1994, the family moved to Maroochydore on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland where they ran a mixed business. They subsequently lived in Nambour and Maryborough working in a variety of jobs. Keith passed away in 1988 and Myrtle moved to Bli Bli on the Sunshine Coast where she lived for 18 years, before moving into a retirement village in Nambour where she lived independently until she died.

Myrtle was an active member of the church throughout her long life. She rarely missed going to services at St Luke’s in Nambour and was involved in Ladies Guild. She got her friends at women’s fellowship meetings involved in Stamps for Mission, as they would stay on after the meeting and fellowship lunch, to help clean and pack stamps. In later years, Myrtle mostly worked on Stamps for Mission at home, with occasional help from a friend.

Myrtle led an active life. She enjoyed gardening, sewing and craft, but was never too busy to work with her stamps and was still involved with stamp collecting until earlier this year. There was a certain pride in her voice when she talked about the work Stamps for Mission achieved, simply by selling stamps, and she was a part of it!

Myrtle and her big smile will be very much missed by those who knew and loved her. We’re sure her hope would be that Stamps for Mission will continue to be supported by others following in her footsteps.

Myrtle and other volunteers like her are the backbone of the LCA, serving to help spread the gospel. This year, to date, over $15,000 has been raised by Stamps for Mission. One of this year’s projects has been to provide funds to refurbish a house at the Ogelbeng Seminary in Mt Hagen, Papua New Guinea (PNG). The seminary will use the property as a rental, to generate ongoing income. Income streams are vital in a country like PNG, where most pastors are not paid.

We thank God for Myrtle and His love, which was reflected in her life.

If you would like to consider the opportunity to donate used stamps or become a stamp receiver, you are invited to phone Peter Nitschke on (08) 8365 7717 or email pmnitschke@bigpond.com. For more information, go to https://www.lcamission.org.au/join-gods-mission/stamps-for-mission/