Miracle in Africa
In my previous missive I described the transportation to a mission station deep in the jungle in Liberia W. Africa, and jumping right into the maintenance and repair work requiring mechanical ability. About a month after arrival, my friend was contacted by the Liberian government to see if he could exterminate a rogue elephant that was destroying some natives plants they depended on for food. Because he was a very good marksman he asked me if I would like to take a trek with him to a distant village, to which I quickly agreed. A day later, after prayer time with Jesus, we set out through the bush with a guide-tracker, a gunbearer, a native carrying a burlap bag full of our food for about a week, a native with a bag full of food for the natives, and a hacker (a native to chop a path through the dense bush). After about an hour, we were in jungle about 100 feet high, and so dense you could not see your watch at noon.
It was nearing sundown when we came to a clearing with a crude hut of palm branches just barely able to shield us from rain. Needless to say, it rains more than 250 inches a year there. We struck out very early, part of the time walking in streambeds because the brush was so dense. Toward evening, we came to a village, near a river. No one there had ever seen a white man, especially one with blond hair and blue eyes. My friend interpreting, we found that the elephant had vanished into the forest several days before. The chief wanted to know if I was a hunter; the answer being no. He inquired why was I there. I said God sent me. He said, who is God.? My friend said, that is a long story, whereupon the chief said we will hear it after the meal. We bathed in the river, but it's water has much bacteria, we dissolved halazone pills in it to drink (Like Chlorine). After the meal, The chief gathered the whole village, and said let's hear about God. I had not had any training in sharing Jesus with heathen, so I told them how God, the Creator of the sun, moon, stars and earth, also created man. I described their sinful nature all through the ages, the Israelites before Christ came, and how God decided to send His own Son to pay the bloodshed and death penalty for all mankind. They had no concept of sin, so I had to fill in with terms like Juju, Fetishes, (charms incantations devil-worship, and witch doctor. These displeased God, as well as violating his commandments about stealing, etc. I spoke in terms I thought they could understand. I ending up after more than two hours, by telling them they can have Jesus in their heart and follow him to escape a burning hell, and gain heaven. When I asked how many would accept Jesus Christ as their Savior by raising a hand, every single hand in the village went up, and I asked my friend if they understood what I said, and he said it was as clear as it could possibly be on such short notice. I was elated and walking on air, almost all the way back to the mission station. The next day, I thought I would tackle the sick Jeep. This was much needed because the mission station was about a mile and a half from the air strip to a nurses clinic at the other end. I was told it would not start. Since it had plenty of spark, I ripped out the fuel pump, filter, and Carburetor, and they all were full of dirt. After cleaning them with a bucket of gasoline I went to the edge of the compound to dump the gasoline. As I dumped it, not knowing a curious native was watching, his toes right at my heels, and when I turned to step away, I fell over the native, gasoline all over my face and arms, and a fire about 20 feet away. The fire leaped the vapor and I became a blazing torch.
The first thing that came to mind was roll in the grass, but when I lay down, a native jumped atop me and started trying to beat out the flames with his hands. It took all the strength I could muster to knock him off me, roll in the grass and put out the flames. By this time, I was badly burned, skin hanging from my face in shreds, having a very big beard and mustache, it was all burned off including eyebrows and lashes. I had a presence of mind to keep my eyes closed. I had a short-sleeved shirt on, and the hair in my armpits was burned.
The natives walked me about a quarter mile to where two nurses lived, left me there, and ran about a half-mile to the clinic for a nurse. By this time I was in a lot of pain. The nurse didn't have anything but petroleum jelly, which was applied generously. She had the natives put a cot in the living room, deposited me on it, and had to get back to the clinic.
The natives have a custom there, when anyone is badly injured or ill, they file in, walk past the bed, looking down, and saying "Sorry, Sorry." I don't know how many there were, but it seemed it took an awful long time for them to file past. I heard them all in the courtyard, talking, telling each other what happened, the noise was pretty great, and pretty soon, I began to feel sorry for myself. Having much pain, and no anesthetic of any kind, I began to talk to my Jesus. I knew He didn't cause my distress, but He could alleviate the pain, heal my body, and give me peace. Suddenly, The Power of the Holy Spirit intervened, and I was literally jerked off the cot to my feet, I went to the door, and when I opened it, there was a tremendous silence, and I said "In five days, you will see me just as I was this morning", and I went back to the cot. In a minute or so, I told myself "what have I said?", knowing I had said five days, and there was a native boy who had rolled into and out of a fire eight months before and still had proud flesh on his buttocks.
A couple of natives were to stay with me through the night. The next morning, the nurse said I was probably out of danger of infection, and since it wouldn't look good for a man to be in their house, I should go to my own house atop the hill (a half mile away). By the end of that day, my entire face and arms were all just one great scab. My friend was due to fly in, in two or three days, and could fly me to a doctor. However, a day later, the nurse said that wouldn't be necessary, it would heal, but probably leave pretty bad scars.
The fourth night, at bedtime, I prepared the mosquito netting, and tried to see if any of the scabs could be pried off. Absolutely no way, when Iifting the edge of a scab it bled, so I loosened some scab about the size of a penny on my arm; blood. So, I said God didn't need any help, He'd have to do it himself. I climbed into bed, tucked in the mosquito netting, and fell asleep.
I was awakened just as it began to become daylight, with a very great number of voices in my courtyard, which had not happened before. I got out of bed to see what was the matter, and could make out a lot of natives standing around. I went back to the bed, and it was FULL OF SCABS, and I knew that was the fifth day, and the natives all came to see if what I said was true. I looked in a mirror, and my face and arms were pink; but no scabs, no scars. My arms were all pink, except the place where I had pried the scab off, and I have a white spot there to this day.
Natives were provided concrete proof that Our God is not only the only God, but is our Healer, and it wasn't difficult to demonstrate His love for us all.
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