MIRACLES and MISSIONS – 004
A Church provided
Three days after our arrival in St. Thomas, a Methodist woman met our boys on the street and invited us to hold a revival in her large community Sunday school hall that had 205 chairs, a lovely piano and organ, ceiling fans and electric lights. The next day we started the meeting and every inch pas packed with hungry folks. We all took turns at preaching and often there were as many as three altars calls given in one night. Each time the altar filled up with souls crying out to God for salvation, and 105 people were saved and delivered from sin and bad habits. Then the question arose: “ w here are we going to put all these people when the meeting closes… we need a church building.
We prayed, and God answered In a most remarkable way. In the nearby island of St. Croix, a light case of polio had broken out in a child. To prevent the spread of this dreadful disease, all public meeting places were ordered to be closed to children until further notice. Now she did not need her hall for Sunday School, so she graciously offered her hall to the local converts until they could secure their own permanent meeting place.
Fear Removed
By this time God had provided so miraculously for us and had confirmed the simple preaching with such mighty signs of deliverance that Mary was anxious to go to another island to see what God would do there, also. So after twenty six days in St. Thomas, we took our leave and flew to another island where more people had a chance to know Jesus.
Antigua and Revival
God prepared for a revival He was going to give in Antigua, by sending a pastor to open a church just six weeks before we arrived. Though only sixteen people attended his service, when we told him who we were and that we had come to hold a revival, Brother Mulcare stood up and danced for joy. “Why you can start a meeting tomorrow night.” He said.
“Tomorrow night? Why not tonight? We asked
“Sure, you can start tonight, I just thought you were tired after your long journey.” From the first night the crowds packed the place and filled the street below to see four young folks shout the victory over all the power of the devil. A well-dressed woman threw both hands into the air and came screaming to the altar under deep conviction for her sins, and many, many scores of people were saved by the simple preaching of the Gospel.
It Rained
But the city was not the only place on that large island that needed the Gospel. So we started holding street meetings. We were in the fourth town and had just begun to sing when it started to rain, everyone ran for shelter. A little boy asked me if he could run to his father for the church key. I attempted to tell him that the church might not like my preaching, but he was gone and in ten minutes he was back bravely announcing that the church w as open and we could now come for service.
When we entered we found a church that seats about 400 people, packed to the walls and many people stood for nearly two hours outside the windows in the rain in order to hear the Word of God.
I preached as one standing between the living and the dead, knowing that what they heard might be the last for some of them. At the close of the service, 50 people came forward for genuine salvation.
During the second week of the meeting in the capital, Brother George Upton, the missionary Secretary for the Canadian Assemblies of God, arrived on his way to Monserrat, and we had the wonderful privilege of having him preach for us on several occasions while he was waiting for the missionary, brother Piper to come from Monserrat. He appreciated the way God was blessing our meetings and we were so happy to have the fellowship of such a saint of God.
But something funny happened the first night he arrived, We had returned to the hotel after the meeting was over and talked a little about how God was leading us, when Brother Upton suggested that, as it was late, we had better adjourn and everyone go to his room. We three girls, Mary, Sadie and I, were sharing one big room and Mary decide to write a letter. Someone knocked on the door and Mary answered. It was Brother Upton and Mar stepped out into the hall, then this is what we heard: “Do you folks have a net over your bed?” Brother Upton asked. “Yes, haven’t they put a mosquito net on your bed? inquired Mary. “Yes, they have, but how do you get into the bed with that net on the bed? Do you jump in from the top?” Mary tried to hold her face straight, but we rolled with laughter. The nets were tied in a round hoop with lace and bows on it about seven feet above lied. We could visualize a leap and a forced landing without a parachute. I think Brother Upton still believes that houses are safer with screens on the windows instead of on the beds.
The next day Brother Piper arrived. When he saw the mighty power of God in all the services he insisted on our going home with them for meetings in Monserrat also.
Monserrat and Healing Campaigns
When we arrived everybody and everything was out to meet us but the band, it seemed, and when we got to the house the table was Ioaded with turkey and duck and everything to go with it. It didn’t seem like this was “starving“ to us!
God prepares the hearts of the people for our coming through a vision given a native lady over four months before we even knew there was such a place as Monserrat.
Missionary Called
In the meetings at Monserrat many wonderful miracles took place, and over one hundred people were converted: devils were cast out, and many young people dedicated their lives to serve the Lord and preach to this Word. Among them was the daughter of one of the wealthiest men on the whole island, and though she had to renounce all her wealth to follow Jesus and go as a missionary with no one financing her, she stepped out on the promises of God. If His promises were sufficient to hold four of us up, she judged that they were sufficient to hold one up. And He did! When she got to the place God had called her she found that the only building suitable for services had been vacated by the labor union just theday before. She went and engaged it before she knew how much the rent would be. She wrote: “I know it is not more than God can pay.” And it wasn’t for in the first meeting nine souls were saved, and similar numbers every service thereafter for months and months. A church is established there today.
The Rain Stopped
Everywhere we preached the churches were filled. One night when hundreds were standing outside the church, unable to get in, it started to rain. Everyone ran for shelter but these people needed to hear the Word, so Verlin raised his hand and commanded the rain to stop. Within five minutes all the clouds were cleared away and when we came out of the church that night every star could be seen like diamonds in the sky. As soon as everyone had reached home the heavens opened and poured all night long.
Food Provided in a Barren Land
Brother Piper encouraged the pastors to feel free to invite us for revival services, having only to provide food and lodging and one offering per week.
The first to come was a pastor from the very poorest district of the whole island. How could he provide for us? In the natural, it seemed impossible… but I was radiant with hope and we were willing to go.
At 5:00 A.M. the gong began ringing in no uncertain tones for hall an hour. The heaviest sleeper could not have snored through that noise. We wondered what it was, so we arose and went to the church where we found out that they were having early Morning Prayer meeting.
Although Brother Piper lad told us that in this place we might not have much food, when we came to the table it was loaded with everything from soup to nuts in such abundance that we thought it was just for today. But when we saw the table loaded the second and third days also I was worried, and said, “Brother Pastor, we don’t want you to go in debt to feed us. We are satisfied with just bread and water.”
He pushed back from the table and with a big smile said, “I’m glad you brought up the food question for I wanted to tell you how marvelously the Lord has been providing. Meat and vegetables are scarce, but as I know what Americans like to eat I made a menu and depended on Cod to send the needed ingredients. At about 10:00 A.M. when I should be putting on the meat a little boy brought me a whole leg of Lamb. A lady brought carrots from a farm miles away, and when I went to prayer meeting this morning I started to ask a sister to bring some limes and handing me a bag, she said: “The Lord has already told me to bring them, and here they are!'”
God doesn‘t starve His children, even though they live in the most remote place on the globe, if they will endure to believe God’s word.
