He nearly had a stroke!

     Several years ago a groups of our Bible College students in Rosarito and I traveled to the interior of Mexico to the state of Nyarit.  There we met up with another missionary and went from village to village showing a Gospel film and putting on services.  At times we were in parks or town squares or public halls or wherever we could.  In one village we met in the home of a Mexican preacher that wanted to start a church there.
     While I was passing out tracts in that small village I was accosted by the local priest.  He wanted to know what we were doing in that village.  When I told him we were sharing the Gospel he informed me that HE had already brought the Gospel to the village.  I told him what he had was what was called ANOTHER Gospel and that we had brought the FAITH once delivered unto the saints.  He then asked me what was our religious denomination.  When I told him we were Baptists he said, "OH, you claim to go back to John, the Baptist."  I answered, "And you claim to go back to Peter" to which he answered in the affirmative.  He became furious when I told him I preferred my roots because John, the BAPTIST had baptized his originator, Peter and that his had denied the Lord THREE times and that he seemed to be following his example.  He then turned nearly purple and told me I had to admit that the keys of the kingdom had been given by our Lord to Peter.  I told him that didn't bother me -- we have the DOOR and HIS key wasn't any good without MY Door.  Then, I asked if I could ask him a personal question.  He begrudgingly agreed.  I asked him how he felt about being called, "father" when he wasn't even married.  That was all he could take so he stormed off.
     I know!  I know it was mean; but, it was FUN!!  Bro Don

God does have a sense of humor!

Some years ago I was volunteering in the emergency room at the little Rosarito, MX Red Cross hospital.  An elderly Mexican lady was brought into the E.R. and I began preparing her chart and STARTED to take her vitals.  She yelled at a Mexican doctor nearby saying (in Spanish), "Do you think I am about to let this GRINGO touch me.!"  I assured her (in Spanish) that the Mexican doctor would be glad to take care of her.  She turned to the Mexican doctor and asked, "So, I'm supposed to know he speaks Spanish?"  I took a lot of ribbing for awhile But, as I said, GOD HAS A SENSE OF HUMOR.
     A short time after that the same Mexican doctor and I were again working together in the E.R. when a middle-aged American man was brought in with a severe dog bite on his leg.  In fact, it was torn open.  The Mexican doctor started to attend to him when the American yelled at me, "Hey, doc, I don't want this Mexican touching my leg!"
     The Mexican doctor told him in perfect English that I was not a doctor but, I certainly knew what to do.  The American said ALMOST the same identical thing as the Mexican lady had.  "How was I supposed to know he spoke English?"
     No one but the doctor and I understood why we both nearly fell in the floor laughing..   Bro Don

HE DIED THAT OTHERS MIGHT LIVE.-- A TRUE STORY

     I was just 16 years old and my favorite sister had a son (my nephew) that was 3 1/2 years old.  I had a burden for my sister and brother-in-law that they would accept Christ as Savior so I asked a pastor in their town near where I lived with my parents to please visit them and talk to them about their need of Christ, which he did.
     My brother-in-law opened the door and asked the pastor to leave making a prophetical statement, "When I want a preacher I'll ask for one."  My heart was broken.
    A short time later there was a revival in their city and my sister-in-law invited my sister to attend and at her heavy insistence, my sister went forward supposedly to receive Christ.  But, my sister showed no evidence of a personal experience with Christ.
     A short time after my brother-in-law asked the pastor to leave my little, sweet nephew suddenly urinated blood.  When examined it was found he had a large tumor in one kidney.  The tumor was removed but the prognosis was not good.  This was in 1951.  My brother-in-law was devastated but still would not listen to the Gospel.
     Just about 6 months went by and the little boy became ill again.  This time the tumor had come inside his liver and there was no hope for his recovery.  He suffered terribly!  Time after time, I would lie beside him on his bed and read him Bible stories that he loved.  My sister began to take him to Sunday School.  By now he was a little over 4 years old.
     One day we were all sitting at the table talking about the latest prognosis when he shocked us all with a statement because we did not realize he understood our discussion.
     He calmly stated, "Sometimes Jesus takes little children to be with him and you're not supposed to cry, Mama."
      We were all shocked!  Where had this come from?  My sister decided his Sunday School teacher had probably taught this so she called the lady to thank her.
     The teacher finally confessed she had stayed away from the subject of dying so as not to disturb the little boy.  My sister was now REALLY puzzled so she finally broached the subject with my little nephew.  His answer to her question of where he had heard that was, "Oh, Jesus told me right here in my heart."
     The next Sunday he was so emaciated that he had to be carried on a pillow yet he insisted on attending church.  The next Sunday we had his funeral.  As a young preacher of 16 at that time (I started preaching at 14) I asked the pastor WHY hadn't God answered all the prayers that had gone up for that little boy!  Why hadn't he been healed!  The pastor assured me that God knew what He was doing, to just trust Him.
     My sister and brother-in-law were devastated!  My mother and I visited my sister often, at times. finding her asleep with his picture in her arms.
     One day we went to see her and she was happy and going about her daily chores.  When she went to the kitchen my mother whispered to me that she believed my sister had suffered a breakdown.
     When my sister returned to the room and saw our faces she smiled and explained that the previous Sunday she had gone to church and had truly been born-again and knew she would now see her son again.  One down; one to go -- my brother-in-law.
     One day he left work and began rushing to find the pastor telling himself over and over again that he had killed his son by his rejection of the Gospel.  He was so disturbed that just about two blocks from the pastor's home he had a wreck.  Being a small town, he knew the policeman, he told him he had something he HAD to do and he RAN to the pastor's home and accepted Christ and then returned to take care of the wreck.
     For many things we will have to wait until eternity to understand    but, for that one we had the answer.  He had died that two loving parents would be able to spend eternity with him.  Bro Don

AN ORPHAN NOW PREACHING THE GOSPEL!

     Pedro grew up watching his father and mother serving the Lord until his mother was taken by the Lord when he was very young.  The father continued to raise his large family alone.  His father even began to preach the Gospel and Pedro accompanied him on many of these occasions.  However, when Pedro was only 13 his father fell from a two-story construction site and became an invalid later with cancer of the spine.  

     It became Pedro's lot to care for his father and two brothers still at home.  He continued to walk to school, working after school until the wee hours of the morning, sleeping only a few hours until his routine started again.

     After two years of suffering his father realized his end was near in this world.  He called for a pastor and told him he could not go to be with the Lord until he knew his 3 younger boys would continue to be raised in a Christian atmosphere.  The pastor had heard of our Boys Ranch.  Although the Ranch was full, room was made for the three boys.  A few days later Pedro and his siblings were truly orphans.

     The three boys grew up and left the Ranch.  Pedro went out into the world to work.  Thank God, he never got into the sins of the world nor in its vices.

     Just recently, at the age of 19, Pedro returned to faithfulness in the church and entered the Bible College and is already a FINE preacher of the Bible.  Last weekend he blest the hearts of Edna and I when he said that as long as we were around he would never be an orphan.

     I can only feel his parents are smiling down from Heaven to see such a fine son carrying on the Gospel.  Bro Don 

JUST LIKE IN THE NEW TESTAMENT.

     Sometimes it is easy for us to feel far removed from the great experiences of the early Christians in the New Testament -- to feel God just doesn't move the same in our modern times.  Or maybe we feel we just don't have the faith or the power the early believers had.  BUT, all one needs do is visit one of the mission fields of the world where new generations of believers are being raised up.  Where the Gospel is SO excitingly new and the simple, child-like faith of new believers believes God for great things.  There you find God is not limited by our lethargy or lukewarmness.  This has been demonstrated on our part of the mission field, BAJA CALIFORNIA NORTE, MEXICO.
     A few weeks ago a new mission was started in a village between Rosarito and Tijuana.  A small building was put at our disposal and the people crowded out the little building in no time.  Souls have been saved and the new congregation has now become quickly a solid group.
      One day a small boy took the workers walking across the hill to a nearby village that also needed the Gospel.  They began witnessing and found the people there also hungry for the Word.  A Christian lady has charge of a vacant house owned by a relative that had moved to the U.S..  She loaned it to the workers, it was cleaned up and two exploratory services were held.
     Just yesterday (Thursday, April 19) they began the music for the services with over 50 people present but the people kept coming, kept coming and KEPT COMING until the little house was over-flowing.  Finally the group was divided up into three groups: adults, youth and children.  The pastor spoke to the adults, a 19-year-old Bible College student spoke to the youth and a 16-year-old student, with the help of some ladies, spoke to the children.  By this time  126  people had crowded in and around the house and 11 precious souls received Christ as Savior.  The "new mission" across the hill now had THEIR mission.
     Take heart, dear folks, God CAN still do it and He is in the Baja, at least!! Bro Don

HE WAS QUITE MISTAKEN!

     Several years ago a young missionary that was planning to go to Central America visited us at our mission work in Mexicali, Mexico.  So I invited him to preach.  His being new in the Spanish language I offered to translate for him.  But, he assured me that he was fluent in the language and felt confident he could preach in Spanish just fine.
     Here I must make an explanation -- in the Spanish Bible the word for a baby donkey is POLLINO, a word from Spain; but not used in Central American Spanish.  The word for a baby CHICKEN is POLLITO only one letter different.
     Now. to continue the story -- the young missionary preached on the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem.  HOWEVER, when he came to the word, POLLINO (baby donkey) he said POLLITO (baby chicken).  The people, being polite tried not to laugh.  BUT, it became more and more difficult.  He was describing how it was a POLLITO (baby chicken) that was tied close to its mother.  And how the disciple told the owner that Jesus needed the baby chicken.  How it was a baby chicken upon  whom no man had ever sat.  How it was not rebellious when Jesus sat on it.  (Although we knew what he meant, by this time all of us were fighting hard not to laugh at the sight he was describing.)
     He further explained that they were putting their clothes on him and casting palm branches in his path; but the baby chicken just kept going.  After he finished his task he was taken back to his mother bearing the honor of having carried the Lord into Jerusalem as no other baby chicken had ever done!.  Sad to say, we were all relieved when he finished and we no longer ached from holding in our laughter.
    As the people were leaving they were thanking him for the message but now widely grinning.  He turned and asked me, "Brother Don, haven't you ever preached  on this passage?  The people acted as if they had never heard this."  I replied, "Yes, I have preached on it but they had never heard your version."  You can imagine how he felt when I explained to him what he had done!   But, I  imagine, like me, he has probably made many other errors in Spanish.  Only, I'm not telling mine.  Bro Don

The largest funeral we have ever held on the mission field or anywhere else.

     It was late on a Saturday several years ago when the warning was given to the upper Baja that an El Niño storm was headed towards us, especially towards Rosarito.  Many places along the coast were evacuated.  Then the storm hit in the wee hours of Sunday morning and as the gray Sunday dawned the devastation was seen on all sides!  We decided to go ahead with the services and assigned some of the young workers to start the services while we checked on members.
     Going to the top of a bridge overlooking an area where a large family of our membership lived we were horrified to see nothing but a vacant lot!  The house was completely gone.  But, a young mother of the family came running hysterically to the bridge, followed by her teenage brother and sister.
     The horrible story unfolded.  They had awakened to water coming into the little wooden house and began to get the children in their arms.  They knew they had to get out.  The young mother had two small children under her arms, the teenage girl had the baby and the teenage boy had his mother by the hand.  Suddenly, as they were stepping into the water just outside, a wall of water came roaring down the gap where the house stood and they were all suddenly in the swift churning water.  A dirt dam a farmer had built to divert the water to his crops had broken.
      As the house collapsed the corner of the roof fell on the grandmother and she was jerked out of the boys hands.  The teenage girl had the baby swept out of her hands.  The young mother was tumbling in the water when she felt two young bodies and threw them on a roof of a house they were passing.  The two teenagers and the young mother escaped to find the children that were tossed on the roof were, in fact, neighbor children.  The grandmother and the three grandchildren were gone!
     Later thar day their bodies were found in a morgue after they had been dug out of the mud some blocks from the home.  Then began the task of preparing for the funeral.  They were just 4 of many bodies that were recovered.  There was not time nor facilities to embalm all the recovered bodies so as soon as they were cleaned up and put in caskets we met at the church for their funeral services.  By this time it was nighttime  What a sight -- those four caskets lined across the front of that little mission church!  What a night we spent with the grieving family!    They were buried the next day.  That was a big task for us,    But His grace is always sufficient!  Bro Don