Now, we are delayed at the half, pachter Pastor Vector, my actual
weather. So I'm going to ask them to come
and minister at two years as the Lord gives them help.
Yes, thank you very much for the very kind invitation and the
welcome here. This evening, a joy to return to
carry do free Presbyterian church.
And I want to thank the Reverend McLaughlin for the opportunity
and indeed the enduring friendship over many years.
I have a I have a Bible reading this evening in first Timothy
chapter 1. First Timothy chapter 1, and
we're reading at verse 12 of that chapter First Timothy
chapter 1 and verse 12, And this is the word of the Lord and I
thank Christ Jesus. Our lord, who hath enabled me
for that. He counted me faithful, putting
me into the ministry who was before a blasphemer and a
persecutor and injurious, but I obtained Mercy because I did it.
Ignorantly in unbelief and the grace of our Lord was exceeding
abundant with faith and love which is in Christ Jesus.
This is a faithful saying And worthy of all acceptation.
That Christ Jesus came into the world to save Sinners of whom.
I am chief I bet for this cause have obtained Mercy that in me,
first. Jesus Christ might Shew forth
all long suffering for a pattern to them, which shewed Hereafter
believe on him to life Everlasting.
No, on to the king, Eternal Immortal invisible.
The only wise God be honor and Glory forever and ever.
Amen. And amen.
May God bless to us the reading of his secret word.
It's a joy and a pleasure this evening to be invited to share a
personal word of testimony. We're looking back of many years
and it does remind me of the story of a man whose wife had
become ill and wanting to do something to encourage her.
He decided that he would pick her favorite bread.
He had never done this life before but he got an idea of
what he would put together. So, he went to the shop and he
bought the flower and the Margaery The everything else and
bought a packet of yeast, when it came to picking at the
needing it all together. He wasn't sure how much yeast he
should put in. So we put it all in and as he
got the door ready and got into the tendon soon, it was in the
oven. And as it was picking he went
upstairs to his wife and said well only speaking something,
just without the smell of the baking bread was wafting through
the house and she I said you didn't you're not being me, that
will if he says, I am, the only thing is only I didn't know how
much he stupid in. So a put it all in, all she
said, Jamie at that's terrible. And just what the doctor was on
a Almighty buying don't stirs and he opened run downstairs,
and when he was downstairs, she showed it Jimmy.
Can you not keep it in the oven? It showed it back, honey.
I can't keep it in the kitchen. I say that this evening because
Looking back on 67 years as a Christian, it's hard to keep it
all in and no word to start to tell the story.
But let me start at the beginning.
I was born on the Donegal Road. In Belfast was born unto a
Christian home, but a good home. My father was a football referee
in the manager of Ross's Miller water Factory in this center of
the city. He took us to church every
Sunday morning at Richfield Presbyterian church.
And then the church Hall was only.
About 50 yards from our home and we were at Sunday school and
Christian. And ever since I was a Nipper,
as we say, I came to the life points, a BB and even other
nights, we went down to the GB, but that was for other reasons.
And so church was my life, dr. John Gervin was the city
missioner at the little City Mission hall, just down the road
from us. And we were there every Thursday
night and if you'd missed a night of John, Evans children's
meeting, he was riding a bicycle.
The next day, with a scowl on the Spheres, that with the fear
of God. And as, and we never missed the
children's meanings. For all of that, coming up
through all those days of Sunday, school learning the
gospel. I didn't become a Christian.
I say this this evening. I thank God for a Sunday school
teacher. Who was faithful to his name was
Billy Hamilton. Billy could never stood on a
platform like this to speak, but He taught five boys in his
class, taught them, the scriptures Faithfully every week
and told us. They catechism Faithfully every
week. I do that Sunday school class or
five, boys Trevor. Sorry, John mcquoid went to
Ethiopia as a missionary and today, he is a Brethren,
evangelist travel Coburn, became a presbyterian Minister, Joe
McCartney or more assume one of those two went to The submission
early and then I went to Brazil as a missionary and Eddie
hoisted behind stayed behind to pray for the other four.
He went back a nose, there's Billy Hampton.
Could never see what God would do with a Sunday school class
and I say that to encourage Sunday school teachers.
When I came through school, I went to the landfill and
Intermediate School just not too far from our home.
But I remember while at school, I was deeply impressed by the
death of Two boys, one almost called Bobby McIntyre.
Bobby didn't turn up school one day.
And as modern fact, he didn't turn up for that week.
Nor was he there for the following week?
And then we heard that Bobby was so very ill.
Very soon, we heard you died. He was only 13 years of age at
that time, but we heard that Bob had become a Christian and had
gone home to be with the Lord Jesus.
I was impressed with that Having learned the scriptures Etc but
also that seam here on ride day, that's the day.
When students had a lot of fun around the city, another young
boy a 13 year old boy from our class hopping on the back of the
truck. Fell off the truck on the
library. Loved on Eagle Road and was run
over by a bus. He also was killed but alas it
was new testimony that he had become a Christian and even a 13
years of age. I would lie awake at night.
Wondering if that had been me. Where would I be in eternity?
We would I like Bobby Hamilton go home to heaven and spend have
eternity there or would it be that I would have knew such
testimony. And with such hope however, I
left school back in those days fourteen-year-old boys got into
short out of short Chargers in the long trousers.
I think we used to call it. We slid down the banister at 14
years of age. We went to work.
I got a job as a telegram boy at the post office in Belfast at 16
years of age. We got a motorcycle motorcycle
the old PSA Bantam 125 Bantam and all around the city of
Belfast. Us delivering telegrams with
speed among the telegram boys who was a boy called Sammy
punderson and he sent me one Sunday this instead of going to
Ritchie tonight. Why don't you come with me to
live with her Road? There's a preacher over there
and I guarantee that you'll not fall asleep in his Services
speaking of the dr. Ian Paisley and my granny just
lived a stone's throw from NPC structure nervously only stones
at his church, but she lived immediately at the back of his
church. So, I was glad to go to the
Raven Hill Road when dr. P sleep, reach the other
platform, wider than this pulpit.
And as he preached, he paraded up and down the platform,
sometimes, shaking the doors. I'd say this as he told of men
and women, pleading it again to heaven, but they had rejected
Christ. Sometimes he came down the
aisle. Pleading with people to come to
the Savior, I sat up in the gallery and as he preached, I
trembled I tumbled, because I knew, I needed to become a
Christian. I knew I needed to perceive but
I was afraid as dr. Pierce, he preached.
I said this this evening. I can't remember anything.
He preached. But as he was preaching, all
that Billy huh? On the top, me and son to
school. Came back to me, Kim.
Back them to my mind. I was a sinner.
I needed to save Bobby McIntyre, died, and gone to heaven.
And when the appeal was made, I I so wanted to become a
Christian. I wanted to pick my The, but I
was paralyzed with fear. The Bible says, the fear of man
brings a snare and that fear was a snare to me.
I was afraid because I was afraid, I'd never be able to
keep it as I only thought and then I was afraid of what people
would say. As a telegram boy, there were 70
telegram boys, all the Eads between 16 and 18 years of age.
I can imagine going into work in the State to tell them, I become
a Christian why they would make fun of me if I would to do that
and so paralyzed without fear. I, I didn't respond, I left the
service, but I went back the next Sunday night and the
following Sunday night five, Sunday nights until the 20th of
October 1956 again sitting in the gallery again wrestling in
my heart, wanting to become a Christian but still resisting.
The Holy Spirit striving in my heart or assisting in the This
was over. I was coming down the stairs
with my friend Sammy. How much Sami Patterson?
When I spied a girl that had gone to school with Lily,
Campbell has? We knew her then Lily.
I was surprised to see her. She was as white as a ghost
since leaving school, she had spent two years in.
Foster Green Hospital Gerard tuberculosis and absolutely
surprised to see her. I said, Lily, what are you doing
here? And she answered Victor, what
are you doing here? Are you a Christian.
Without question, I was stunned. I shook my head and said, no
Lily, I'm not a Christian and she said to me, would you not
like to become a Christian? My friend on that moment.
I was faced with making the decision in my heart.
I so wanted to but still gripped with fear.
But from somewhere within me, I found the greatest to say, yes,
I'd love to become a Christian. And so that night beside doctor,
a lie, I knelt and the all inquiry your room and ask the
Lord Jesus Christ. Into my heart and looking back
on that night so many years ago and I still say today.
Oh happy day. That fixed my choice on the My
Savior. And my god well me this glowing
heart Rejoice to tell it's ruptures all abroad.
I didn't know on that night that the rest of my life will be
taken up with speaking of the raptures and the joy of the
Gospel of Jesus Christ. However, I had to go home and
tell my parents, I would become a Christian.
Even my mother used to say to me, Victor your heads full of
nutrients, you'll get over it soon.
Well thank god. 67 years later, I've still never got over the
joy of coming to Jesus Christ. However I had to go to work the
next day and face. 70 telegram, boys, all of them teenagers and
tell them, I had become a Christian.
As a matter of fact, when I want to work, the next day at 6:30 in
the morning, I got there. I didn't need to tell 70
telegram, boys are you I told two or three them, within 10
minutes, all of them knew about it.
Did they make fun? Of course, amid fun.
Max a common thing for a single few choruses.
Give us a preach Maxell and so went on, but others came and
shook my hand and said, God bless you.
I wish it was me over the course of the next five years, had the
joy of pointing those. Some of those telegram boys, to
personal faith in Christ. Some of them went in the
Christian work to become missionaries, others became many
Esters of gospel. And I say this to all young
people are safely not only to important to seek the Lord while
he may be found, but almost take your stand and confess him.
The Bible says, if Thou shalt confess with thy mouth, the
Lord, Jesus, and believe in thine heart that God has raised
him from the dead. Thou shalt be saved.
Never be afraid to take your stand for Jesus Christ.
After I was converted one day, I was delivering meal on the
Woodstock, Road on the street called, own myth Street, as you
went up the streets in those days.
Most most doors are most houses and the window had net curtains
and a brass pot with a plant. That's a lot of people had that
way, but in a me street While most sizes were like that, I
came to her house that had new curtains and a new plant, we
were pushed her star in the window for God's.
Loved the world that he gave his only begotten son.
I am the way, the truth and the life.
Listen, to the sermons of d.l. Moody are a tardy.
I thought the house was different and when I knocked the
door, the man who opened the door, he certainly was
different. He had the broadest brightest
smile I've ever seen in my life, he introduced himself as Ernie
Allen. The founder of Revival movement
and every home, Chris, in when he heard that, I was a Christian
why I immediately had me in the door.
And very soon. I was recruited to go testifying
with him and singing the choirs he was holding gospel missions.
Bringing missionaries are evangelist from United States.
Of course it was the beginning of every home Crusade and in
those days we were attending Don, Martin free Presbyterian
church and Ernie. Give me a kiss full of
literature to do every home in the Murray.
Wrapping all the doors spreading the gospel of Christ.
Those were great tears. Looking Back Now even though
Things ended with fear and trembling it was in 1958 or 59
in July of that year. The group of us young people
decided on a July day to go up the mountain Coast, the beauties
of the Antrim Coastal, l'ouverture head.
There are nine of us fellows and girls and when we got to portray
shall not beautiful, July day, we went in swimming swimming in
the blue, pull the Blue Pools and natural formation of rocks.
That are height. I tied, it's quite deep and
forms quite a pull. I think the called the blue pool
because that's the color, you turn them when they get into the
water, the North Atlantic up there.
But we were having the time of our lives diving swimming.
Jumping fellows girls. But there was one girl, a girl
from Jamaica, she didn't turn blue.
She went to sort of color of gray.
She couldn't swim, as she sat on the water holding onto the
steps, into the pool and The girl said to me, Victor take
Dorothy across the pool. She can't swim.
Well, I had a problem. Then I still have a problem
often others. I find it difficult to say, no.
So I decided I'll take Dorothy across the pool.
I'd seen people do it, ice floating on my back and holding
hers. I got across, but when we got
halfway across the pool, Dorothy, panicked and grabbed me
by the throat. And before long both of us were
on to the water. She still grabbing onto me when
we Boyd up again. In by this time, people were
jumping in and yelling. They G Dorothy.
But I went down the second time and then buoyed up again and
people were trying to get me, but I went on the third time and
letting years of uh I thought my life was just about over someone
from below me came in with a strong arm, push me up onto the
Rocks away from the shore on the ocean side of the the pool.
They tried to get the water out of my paw.
Bring up me and very soon. They, they threw a life belt
over and but this time, quite a crowd had gathered at the, at
the poolside, the through the lifebelt over, and they put me
across the water and got me out on amongst the cried.
There was dr. Love from the Victoria Hall and
he gave me artificial respiration as he pumped them
along. Zhanna, I think just about half
of the Atlantic was pumped out of my lungs that day and very
soon, the Bluebell of the ambulance was on The scene and I
was rushed off the Korean hospital.
I was in Korean hospital for 34 days and during these those
three or four days, God, really spoke to my heart. 18 years of
is some of you perhaps her daddy inch and I thought to myself, my
life was almost over. I was a Christian, I had, I had
Assurance Blessed Assurance of heaven but but what about my
life And on that hospital bed, I surrendered all of my life to
Jesus Christ, whatever you want me to be whatever you want me to
go whatever you want me to do. Lord, I I surrender all to Jesus
Christ, my life came on to the lordship of Jesus Christ.
It was during that time that God began to speak to me about
missions. In those days, we were attending
missionary permanency a creeper. Meaning the work permitting, the
you A meeting we were writing to make sure he's writing mystery
books. Challenged about Mysteries until
I felt God was calling me to be a missionary.
And I remember, when I felt as I went behind, one, Sunday night
to speak to the minister of the Murray.
And he said, to me, Victor go home until the Lord, exactly
what you've told me and ask God to speak to you out of this
world, don't open the Bible or random, take your Bible reading
and ask God to speak to you. You out of the leading.
A remember that Sunday night, no one was home.
And before the bed with an Open Bible, I prayed Lord.
If it's you that speaking to me. If you want me to be a
missionary, then speak to me through your word.
John chapter 6 is the story of the feeding of the 5000.
And after it was over the Lord, Jesus Christ.
Constraint his disciples to get into a ship and to go to the
other side. He went to the mountain to pray.
You probably All the story in the midst of the storm and the
dead of the night, the most distant part from Shore, those
disciples were hit with a terrible storm.
The waves on Darla are breaking over the bow of the ship.
And the Bible says that they feared for their lives.
When Jesus came walking to them on the water.
They were afraid that they'd seen a spirit and they cried
out. Now, I'm reading asking the Lord
Lord. Are you calling me?
Is this, your voice and verse 20?
Came with words, that touched my heart impact.
At my arm, Jesus said, it is, I be not afraid.
It is, I be not afraid. I say that's more than 60 years
ago, and I, I still need that verse every day.
Just to know the Jesus is guiding, and he's going before
us and he's repeatedly saying it is.
I be not afraid. I say that this evening.
I'm Audrey Sears. So I can't tell you how she run
after me, but that wouldn't Is the truth, I run after Audrey
and very soon. Both of us shared this Vision
that God was calling us to the mission field.
We started to go together, but only went off to the Bible
College of wheels and Swansea. While I went to the Bible
College of the work, in Glasgow, after two years at work, I went
to the mystery School of Medicine in London.
And so, although we went together for five years, we sell
them saw each other, I would write the letters and kiss the
envelope and send it to Audrey. And that was about, The hate of
our courtship back. In those days at a Bible
College, I was deeply challenged because my mom and dad and
brother, they weren't Christians and the little God was calling
us to go overseas so far away to preach the gospel yet at home.
They weren't Christians. And so, I began to pray that God
would touch their hearts before we would leave for the mission
thing. While it Bible College, we got
an invitation that is the college students who went out
and missions every year. An invitation came in from
Newton period of Baptist Church to do a mission.
That was April 1963. I led a team of young fellows,
five of us and we had a Gospel Mission, two weeks.
God, blessed and not Mission many.
Precious Souls were saved and many young people.
As a result of that mission were called to the mission field.
And today, some of them are still in Christian work.
God, so blessed. The meetings that we were asked
to do an extra week. And I remember preaching on the
last night of that Gospel Mission after three weeks, I
preached in Jeremiah eaten 20, the Harvest is past the summer
has ended and you are not saved. Thank God, that night, one man
was saved. It was my father, he trusted
Christ as Savior and not brought a big chance tomorrow home very
soon. My mother trusted the Lord.
And in that same year my my brother owned of the ministry of
dr. Pierce Lee also came to Christ.
I tell you this keep on praying for your family.
God does answer prayer. Audrey, and I'd applied to Accra
Gospel. Mission.
We knew the missionaries and we felt God was calling us to
Brazil and applying in 1964, we were accepted married on the
30th of January 65 to silt'e. Brazil within two weeks looking
back. It was too soon, but the ship
was the lead for several weeks and on the 5th of April, 1965.
We left for Brazil, big crowd down at the Docks, the seals of
and we were Selling with Fred or 90 days, you can get to Brazil
to quickly. You can get there in 18 hours,
but in those days to get to Brazil, it took our boat six
weeks to get to Brazil. I mean, we were traveling from
Liverpool to Cork cork to Lisbon, Lisbon to Barbados,
Barbados to Trinidad, Trinidad, to the mouth of the Amazon.
And then from the mouth of the Amazon, the seam ship took us
four thousand miles upriver, To the city of manaus and having
left on the 5th of April, we got to Munoz on the 16th of may I
say on that because back on Tuesday is used to get my hair
cut every two weeks, short back and sides as we called it.
But having been at sea for six weeks, I desperately needed a
haircut. And so, in the city of Muñoz,
which is a city in those days of 200,000 people, I spied in the
center of the city. A barber shop and I went in the
man. Showed me the church.
I said Tony didn't know how to he tried to talk to me, but he
couldn't speak back and so he began to cut my hair.
Has he talked and talked and cutting cutting?
And I realize it was getting too short and I didn't know how to
tell him that's enough. But I do remember seeing at the
traffic lights. The sign read said, Paris PA Ari
stop. So I said to the barber party.
He looked at me. It's only then that he began to
cut. I mean Sparks coming out of the
scissors over the top of my head and he left me with a little
tuft of hair in the front of what was known as a military
haircut in Brazil, or what I learned afterwards.
The word party signs, like a word a party, which means take a
little more off. You don't tell a barber.
That the word you say to the barber, you have arrived.
That's what you would say to the barber, but Apparently, well, he
took a lot more off and left me with at taught me.
I needed to learn this language and so Audrey.
And I began language study are calling Bill Woods.
Of course fell into difficulty. Also, he, he was a short while
and poker to Accra. He needed to buy batteries for
his radio but he didn't know how to speak yet.
So he asked Molly Harvey, if she would write out to the man, have
you any batteries? And so the man, rather liked the
word for battery is Pelias. When moliro's indict, do you use
in your tank? Pillion that is do you have any
batteries the word peculiar? Well, Pelion means daughter.
Ah, sorry. Sorry Pelion means battery but
the P look like an f. And so when he got to the shop
instead of asking for pillars, he said to the man, do you have
any figures that is? Do you have any daughters?
And the man said, yes, I do. Bill says, I like to buy five of
them, please do so. Maybe it's for that reason.
He's never been married, but the didn't get the five daughters
that night and so it is that we went to study in the town of La
Brea. La Brea had been a hard place.
Its were pharaohs, wife had died and only 29 years of age.
We learned the language. We started our language study in
August and by the month of November, Fred help me on my
feet preaching, haltingly in Portuguese.
And the month of December, we moved to connote Ahmad.
The Joint Bill Woods color Tama had been was, is a very pure on
a very remote time. A Spanish priest dominated, the
tone phrase, the door. He was his name, he dominated
the tone, but God moved into that tine and a great way and
people were being converted. Our next door neighbor, seen her
a oh, fras you and his wife, Amelia they both got see if he'd
been a murderer, one of the hardest men and time people
feared him but I did enjoy of leading a oh fras you to Christ.
Then God, moves through that whole family until five of the
sons and daughters trusted. Christ.
The Savior. So many people were being
converted in kind of Tama that the priest who owned, the only
School in time. He made the order that those who
are leaving the Catholic Church to go to the Evangelical Church,
their children can't come to school anymore.
So, there were many boys, and girls weren't allowed to go to
school, because their mom and dad had been converted, so Bill
woods. And I we started the school.
We built the School. Bill had worked in an office and
had been in the post office. We've never built anything in
our lives before. So we built a lean-to school.
It needed to lean on something we could have done with the
Reverend McLaughlin nerves Joyner.
We built a link to school needed to lean in something or it will
fall and down with us building. But when we had finished with 90
boys and girls in that school, not only learning their Reading
Writing arithmetic. But also learning the scriptures
and thank God. Many of those boys and girls.
Today have been missionaries and pastors serving God in various
parts of Brazil. Also, when not timed, there was
a lot of danger in the time. The particular time an epidemic
hit the town of what was known as black fever in our time.
There were no doctors or nurses of no clinics.
And I guess, because I had been to the mystery school of
medicine. I learned enough to be
dangerous, And so, I was responsible and atoned for
extracting teeth and treating sickness.
Sometimes suturing wounds, remember how the amputeeot a
part of a man's ear and one of the occasion, and unjust call
for four different things. But this terrible epidemic, hit
our time and it hit children between the ages of 3, 4 up to
16 years of age. It swept through the tone and
not only did we tried to treat many of those children but they
generally died after five days. As we know of one family who
lost six children within three months, three of them died in
the same week and tune were buried in the same day, I still
remember carrying some of the moment, arms trying to treat
them. It was a terrible time.
Everyone Wednesday night prayer, meeting time.
Audrey was on, hisle were in the city of Muñoz and I was on my
own and Connor tell Mom, we were to have a permanent teachers
meeting before permitting and when it finished at Seven and it
was permitting. And as I was going into the
permitting, the lady said, to me Pastor Victor.
There's a girl up River and she's very ill.
Could you go tonight and see here?
Now, we had electric light in our time, it gets dark every
night at 6:00 in the Amazon all year round.
We had generally learnt only give us electric light from
6:00, to 9:00 every night, and after 9:00 the lights went out.
That's why we had our permitting from 7:30 to 8:30.
In. When per meeting was over, I got
a young man from the town you want, but she stood to come with
me on our mission boat and we traveled for another upriver to
treat this little girl. We saw the family, we give some
treatment, we prayed with the family and we headed back down
river during our absence. We didn't know what was taking
place in the time but the local tax collector who had left the
city in the left his family rather in the city of manaus.
He was incarnate talmud that checked.
The taxes and he did something that he shouldn't have been
doing. He took his guitar and he went
out, said under the window. The open window of a young girl
who was lying in a hammock and he began to certainly at her, he
was a married man, this was a young woman and so an Indian in
the town seeing what the tax collector was doing.
He went with his torch and Charlotte in the tax collectors
eyes and said what you're doing is not right, you've come from
manaus, you shouldn't be here and an argument of Look and the
tax collector, took his guitar and broken over the Indians head
and round for the house. As I said, it's no dark.
It's dark after 9:00 and the tax collector smaller than me, but
he was not unlike me. We arrived back in the town at
midnight and when I got back into the tiny left, you won't,
but she stood his house and then came to our house which was only
about less than 100 yards from the river.
It came up, we didn't have keys on a doorway open the door and
then / do wooden block in the back of the door.
And after midnight is going to make myself a cup of tea when
suddenly gone, far started, bow long and I fell to my knees and
I thought they were shooting into his arms kimmons room.
So I looked in there was new and I thought they're shooting in
our room went there by this time I got back up on my feet and
suddenly, they're hitting the door.
Pastor. Victor come quickly convict
quickly. What had happened was the Indian
When the tax collector, broke the guitar, over his bed.
He over his head, rather he went, and he got his gun and Kim
hunting for the tax collector, who was not unlike me at
midnight. And the grace of God, while he
was coming down to me and street.
I was going up the main street, but because I don't need to go
about 50 to 100 yards up. I got into the house.
When he passed the door, when he passed our door, there were two
men standing talking and he went for them with the gun.
One of the men, jumped into the river.
The other got the gun and both of them wrestle to outside our
house. When the gun went off, it didn't
hit either of them but the Indian angry that he had lost.
His shot, took his place, Sheriff.
That is his fish knife about this length and got it and just
pull it up from the base of the neck, right up into the Temple
of the man. Seems one was his name that
carried amount of the boat, he lived on a boat and now they're
heading up my door. I remember they said he's been
shot come quickly. And so I grabbed my little
medical buying went down to the boat.
He was lying as if he was just about dead.
His wife was hysterical and to try and stop the bleeding.
Ding should tick on the bag of coffee powder, a kilo of coffee
boat and poured it into the wound.
But through the coffee powder, you could see the archery
pumping out the blood and spheres and sought.
No, almost 1:00 in the morning. I began to clean out all the
granules of coffee from the wound and then suture tied up
the the artery and then closed and sold over.
Sutured has his Fierce and and we worked a bit. 3:30 4:00 in
the morning. And in the mercy of God, Synergy
amongst life was spared. But the impact of attending that
man talks the whole of the time and God began to move in that
time, I don't have time to tell you this evening of individual
testimonies other than this, thank God for the mighty power
of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I always remember and remember
an old Brigadier General Frost speaking to us a bible college
and saying, remember boys wherever you go.
All the world, the conscience of men and women is on the site of
the Gospel. There is a truth in the gospel
that will touch their hearts and they will respond and that's how
it was. I see my time is gone but I wish
I had time to tell you about book or do archery and and what
God did in bukit to ARCA. I remember one night and poker
directory preaching in the opener.
And we saw lives transformed and poker to artery preaching.
The opener one, Saturday night. And after I had it was in the
times Square and quite a crowd and serenaded gathered our
church. And Kim was only 100 yards away
from the Town Square. And after I had preached, I want
mingling amongst the crowd giving up gospel tracts.
And this man said to me, he said, pastor Victor, I'd love to
become a Christian. I'm going to church tomorrow
morning and I'm going to become a Christian.
I said, but you can do it tonight.
Why don't you come down to the church with me now, and you
accept Christ tonight? No, no.
He says out. Do it tomorrow morning Fred or
soon, join me and Fred try to persuade him, come to Christ
tonight. And then he said, serves I've
booked a room. I've bought in the drink.
I've invited people for a faster tonight and I can't cancel it.
I need to blur, but I'll be at church tomorrow morning and I
will trust Christ as Savior. He left us sadly at that dance.
At first that night young people under the age of 18 tried to get
Christ and tried to get in on the fight developments in fists
were flying and feet were kicking and blood was flowing
and and the local police simple. Police came on the police and
and took away a number of the people including our friend who
wanted to be saved. He was put in an old wooden
prison overnight and at Daybreak the next morning. 5:30 they took
him and frog. Marched them up them in street
or polka darker. Incidentally book a Darkness
like a white West. I never fights and murders the
Lord in that time, they frog. Marched them up the street and
Down the River Bank on to a Dugout canoe to go to the other
side of the river, a curry to a place called Santa Maria.
It's all Forest jungle as they got into a canoe, the brothers
of the young man, they were going for XI Wang.
Zhi dais was his name when they saw the police coming.
They showed it to their brothers, you won't run Fleet of
the forest here. Come the police.
The police were crossing. The river was our friend
tomorrow. Nice Sunday morning.
I'll get saved. As they cross the river, Jumanji
dais instead of flowing a fleeing rather to the forest.
He went to the wall. Took down his gun and came to
the window of that simple. Jungle home made of bamboo wood,
are not the window. Took careful, aim and bounce
shot. The bullet whistled through the
air and hit the Temple of our friends.
Who said tomorrow, I'll get saved tomorrow, I'll become a
Christian. We'd reason with them and try to
persuade tomorrow, we're not bullet hit the Temple of his
head. He fell into the Muddy Waters of
the river, actually, and we never found his body.
Again, we find his food inside a shoe, the pyrenean fish and
eating the body. My friend, it reminds me that
when God speaks, it's important to respond when God speaks at
some part and to come to Christ, I wish I could tell you about
Tara walk our way back. 1968 when Sharon his with us here.
Tonight was only a baby Audrey and I and Sean went to visit
Arawak our friends. Dr. Thomas mulcair has just
arrived in the time. They were still learning
Portuguese and when we got to the town of A visit.
We saw the time was open to the gospel.
No missionaries had ever been to terrible cough before and so, to
take the opportunity, we decided to have children meaning stone
at the side of the river. And so we took songul graphs and
started a meeting alone that day of, but 40 boys and girls came
along and trust and listen to the gospel.
Next day, over a hundred people, men and women were all gathered
round and throughout all of that week.
I had to leave Audrey and Shannon, and because had to go
away back to the poker drive three.
But two hours by Aeroplane away vast distances out there, and
only stayed on for three months. So it was from August, through
November and she did studies for the women did studies on the
life of the Virgin, Mary Catholic woman, attracting them
to the gospel. I want back in November.
Sean had got whooping, cough, I got word.
So I went back in November and we're not I saw the response to
the women and the situation the time we felt we needed to do
something now. I made benches for a week.
I worked at making bank. I've never had benches my life
before but I made Dentures for people to sit on Tom and got an
old house that he bought we wait watch the inside of it and put
electric light and it and on the think it was the 16th of
November. We opened that house for a week
of meetings on the Sunday night that Catholic Novena at six
Walk, the people were coming out at 7:00 and they had come down
past where we had the old house and I was almost like a
policeman on point students. The people can donate just kept
directing them into the house and very soon, you will hoist
was fool. We had a week of gospel
meetings. I preached every night.
Some nights were my back to the world, children sitting around
my feet, every bench taken on holding, thank the Lord.
And during that week, 16 people trusted Christ.
Amongst them was a girl called iolanda 16 years of age.
He landed got saved in the middle of that week and she went
home home. Her home was a shock over a
swamp, holds. The new roof, it was only pound
leaves boards. Missing from the wooden walls,
bamboo floor and a very / home as she came from.
And to tell her mother that she had become a Christian was quite
embarrassing because her mother was a prostitute Dona Maria,
espanol. She told her mother should
become a Christian and said, Mama like you to come to the
meetings. Maria was too embarrassed to
come but we were praying for her.
And after a month, Maria came to the meetings, she came to the
meetings and listen to the gospel and one night at the
gospel meeting Ethel gathers, Leonard, the personal faith in
Jesus Christ. When she got saved, Ethel said,
Tom she can't go back to be a prostitute.
We've got to get her a job. And we had a small Hospital in
Sarawak are Samsung. Gomes, was the name of the
hospital? I was the administrator.
Tom goddess was a surgeon and they the local doctor doing
everything there. You got to get a job.
So Tom gave her job as a Washerwoman at the hospital.
Hot worked out in the open sun, over aluminium Parts, balling
the Linens in the whites and for two years she did that but every
night at the Bible, These surrounding buildings, permanent
Maria was there, her life was transformed, a prostitute saved
by the grace of God. After two years, she got an
easier job as a cook in her kitchen.
Now this wasn't a fancy hospital.
I mean the boards were rotting and holes in the walls.
It was a wooden hospital and as I say 13 beds in the hospital.
So Maria got a job as a cook. It wasn't a fancy kitchen,
either every night I went down with Tom for the rod.
Ryan, Ward rind, at 9:00, on we take guns with us.
Take guns. Because when we opened the
store, the rats spread everywhere.
And so, we were dead. I take time to shoot at the rats
in the store of rice and beans. After two years as a as a as a
cook, Tom came home one day and said we need a nurse now,
they're not nurses from the city or ulcer hospital.
We had to trim the nurse taught them, how to count the pulse,
taught them how to take blood pressure, give him an orange and
train them, how to give injections.
And so simple things and when when Tom came and said, we need
a nurse, as I said, what about Marie?
Maria Maria can't kind as a says I'll teach you to come.
And so for the next month, every night, Ethel taught Maria, had a
cone and she used to do all my boys tears and then she hit her
head and say what comes after? What comes after C, 445.
And within a month, she had learned to kind, she became a
nun. No, she wouldn't.
You wouldn't want her your hospital.
Remember the day I did the anesthetic when Tom To day
operations and this man had been operated on.
He had a snake bite and he had got better and Tom was doing a
skin graft. And so when the operation was
over we took him to the ward. And Tom says keep an eye on him
that when he comes out to down the set, he doesn't touch the
wound so I watch them for 10-15 minutes and then Tom said, time
for next operation Victor let's go.
I said what about the man? Give Maria to look after.
Now Maria was about my height and quite strong and I said
Maria You watch him. Make sure he doesn't touch the
wound. So Maria stood over him with
folded arms and Tom build a dam in order to and I call him, I
said, Tom watched Maria. Maria stream with folded arms
and every time the monster heard and will lifted his head Marie,
just quoted him back out. You weren't, you wouldn't want.
That sort of a nurse. That was Maria.
One day. A man had come into the
hospital. He had been shot in the legs six
months ago, For fear of the evil eye, they hid them in the
forest. So the people wouldn't see him.
And during 6 months when you're in the forest, this is when
you're sick and not part of Brazil, you don't get washed
water mustn't, go near the body. So this man for six months was
hidden and water hadn't touched his body.
But the wound was getting worse and almost a way above skin had
formed between the bowl of the leg and the thigh.
And so they brought them about six days Downriver to tired of
ikana. We put him in the hospital and
first law of her Hospital is, you've got to give them a wash a
bath. I was in the hospital that
afternoon and Kim by the wooden Ward were, the man was was
sitting on a stool in his birthday suit and Maria was
taking these five-gallon cans of water and just pouring over the
head, and Paramount was like a doughnut run, and then should
take another one. She had emptied out over his
head, I got over the road, I wasn't going to say anything or
interfere but not night at 9:00 during the war drained.
When I got down there with Tom The / Mound was sitting on top
of the bed shivering, it's in the topics.
It's all. And Tom said, what's wrong with
you? Oh she said that nurse today.
Nearly nearly drawing me and she couldn't get the dirt off.
So should take brillo pads and she did blow apart from head to
toe. You wouldn't want Maria to be a
nurse one day. Tom came home and said, we need
a midwife. As I said, what about Maria?
Maria? Do you know what Maria's like,
Ethel. God, our way of Maria became a
midwife. As a matter of fact, she
developed to be the best Midwife and tine and when all of us
left, Tara worker 1986 Maria was the best Midwife and tone.
And after we left, she said up, she had now got a proper home
and Jesus into her home, she built an antenatal Clinic, it
was there that the rich people better off, people have time
Center and wives, and daughters for the confinement of their
Children in the antenatal clinic Maria.
After some years, he retired. When she was 66 years of age, he
retired and on antenatal Clinic, became a prayer room, every
Thursday morning did meet and where babies were born.
No women, young girls were born again, tremendous Testament.
Some years ago, Maria passed away.
And I guess it's nice seven years ago I was back in Tera
Baca, I've been back since but back about seven years ago,
doing a week of meetings in the time and because we have another
daughter who was born in that time, Tara Wacha.
I went to look down with the old hospital was.
And here there's a brand new hospital And as I looked at and
murdered above it is this word, all speak towel familiar.
That is Family Hospital dead. She can't do all that is
dedicated to organizing in honor of Maria Espanol.
Maria espanol, Mira spins. We called, she's a woman who had
been a prostitute in the time had trusted Christ as Savior.
Her life is transformed and became a beacon of light and not
own my friend, that's what the gospel can do.
Better still the church today and total because an autonomous
Church sends missionaries and pastors.
Most of the best Pastors in the Accra.
Came from the church and Tara vodka.
But today and not Church Maria, espanyol's grandson Wagner is
the pastor of that church. That's what the gospel can do.
My friend, our time is gone and I've indulged too much but let
me just say this the Apostle Paul looking Back on his life,
he thanked God for the ministry that was given to him.
And I thank Christ Jesus. Our lord, who has kind of me
fearful, putting me into the ministry.
Thank God for the ministry of the Gospel.
My friend were liberating for eternity Sunday school teacher,
keep on serving Jesus. Thank God for the ministry but
Paul not only thank God for the ministry that was given to him.
Thank God for the miracle that happened in them.
He said to me who was a blasphemer A persecutor
injurious to the Church of cry while he says, I was a chief of
sinners. But I am to Mercy because I did
it, ignorantly unknown, belief and faith and love and all the
ingredients of the Gospel deserve the love of God, the
mercy of God, the grace of God. Thank God.
If you're a Christian tonight, my friend, you are a miracle.
If you're not a Christian that Miracle can happen to you.
Tonight said the Apostle Paul. Thank God for the ministry.
Thank God for the miracle happened in me.
Thank God for the message. This is a faithful saying and
Worthy. Worthy of all acceptation that
Christ Jesus came into the world to save Sinners.
That's the message that we have for the world.
Martin Luther said, if we could compact a Bible into one phrase,
that would be the three years Christ.
Jesus came into the world to save.
Sinners, my friend EQ for you. The ministry of the Gospel.
Thank God for the miracle that happened in us for the message
given to us. Now Paul sings The Melody.
Now on to the king Eternal Immortal invisible to the only
wise God be honor and Glory forever and ever.
Amen. And we say Amen this evening.
Thank you for listening. I trust the young people
committed to the martyrs, don't speak too much.
That's just still our hearts before the Lord, our heavenly
father. How we thank you tonight, for
your enemies in Greece, and each individual life.
Each of us can say once we were blind.
But now we're so we can see. We have been transformed out of
the kingdom of darkness and brought into the kingdom of
God's dear son and for this. Dear Lord, this evening we thank
thee from the bottom of our hearts.
Our Father, we do pray for friends and our meeting who
knows Not Christ as Savior Lord, we pray that you will give to
them the grease tonight to do what they need to do.
To do what they will be glad to have done when they stand before
the integrate eternity. Help them to come to Christ as
night. So accept our thanks in Jesus
name. Amen.
Maybe we could just sing two verses of our him. 279 Pass Me.
Not O Gentle Savior hear my humble cry while on others.
Thou Wert calling do not pass me by.
If you're young people, you need to leave immediately do feel
free to leave as we sing the first.
And last verses of this him to 79, Let's turn sick from our
hearts.