Peter Stafford Sumner is well-known throughout Australia and New Zealand as an inspirational speaker and the founder of the Christian Blind Mission International (Aus/NZ).

Peter lost his sight at age 19 as the result of a working-bee accident with raw lime. He was training to be a teacher at the time.

Years earlier, Peter's mother had become a believer through a friendly contact with a Christian lady she met one day in a grocery store. Peter and his sister were then encouraged to attend Bible classes and as a result of this influence, they had both become committed Christians.

While undergoing treatment in hospital and trying to come to terms with his new situation, he was comforted by short messages of encouragement read to him by a Christian friends. Later, Peter transcribed these helpful items into Braille, and this led to his life-long interest in collecting inspirational quotes and anecdotes and sharing them with others.

During rehabilitation, Peter met, and later married, a partially blind Christian young lady named, Pearl. Although sight-impaired, Peter and Pearl had a vision of what God could do for others and together they the mission now known simply as CBMI. This mission is ministering to thousands of people with disabilities throughout the word today.

Over the years, several attempts were made to restore Peter's sight. After one operation, he was able to see for a few days. This was when he saw Pearl and their two children for the first time, but the operation failed and he became blind again.

Then, in 1991,after Peter had been blind for 28 years, a new operation was offered to him. Fearing the same devastating disappointment as before, Peter almost refused, but the men of his church gathered around him, laid hands upon him according to the Scriptures, and prayed in faith for God to do something special for Peter.

He went ahead with the corneal transplant and a few days later, when the bandages were removed, to the astonishment of all, he was able to SEE. First, as Peter describes it, people looked quite blurry, like tree-trunks walking around, then his sight cleared further and he could see well enough to read and recognise friends.

News of this amazing healing spread rapidly and he was soon interviewed for magazines and on national TV in Australia. Peter says he is still moved to tears of joy and thankfulness by the ordinary things around him he can now see.

Peter decided to make use of this new 'gift' of sight, to edit and produce a Treasury of the inspirational writings that had encouraged him and others through long years of challenge and adversity.

Now available, his Christian's Treasury is a convenient database program which gives the user access to more than 13,000 uplifting quotes and anecdotes, mainly to do with a Christian's faith and experience of Life. Peter hopes it will be a useful aid to church- workers, communicators and all those seeking to be led by the Spirit of Christ.

For more info about The Christian's Treasury, visit http://www.peterspeals.com.au/christian.html or E-mail: peter@peterspearls.com.au Peter is offering a special 20% discount to all purchasers who mention this site.

*The opinions expressed in this testimonial are those of the author, who is solely responsible for content.* Editor, THE EDIFIER