Hebrews 11:1
“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” KJV
Last year, while in South Africa our friends Leon and Lorna gave us a book to read. The name of it is “Is Jesus Enough?” Carol read it and could not put it down. She gave it to Glen and he read page one and could not put it down until he was finished. (I didn’t read it because with short term memory loss it’s hopeless to read books.)
Carol said to me, “Bill, you need to meet the author of this book.” Immediately after finishing the book Glen picked up my cell phone and called the author. Glen introduced himself and left a message for Maryanne the authors secretary. Glen mentioned how much he and Carol enjoyed reading the book and said we would like to meet the author next year (2007) when we return in January.
Over the next twelve months Glen kept in touch with Maryann via email. He set up a date to meet the author on Thursday, January 18, 2007. That was today.
We drove for about an hour. The sky was a beautiful African blue and absolutely cloudless. We arrived and yikes! --- a three mile dirt road to finish the trip. For those who really know me --- the worst thing for my neck is the vibration of a wash board dirt road. We drove the last three miles very---very slowly!!!!
We arrived for our appointment and the author was in his prayer closet preparing for the up coming weekend speaking engagements. We waited for about and hour and he graciously met with us.
Glen and I spent about an hour with him and discussed many ministry issues for both of us and then our discussion turned to why. Why had Glen and Bill made an appointment the year before and traveled eight time zones and 12,000 miles to keep the appointment.
In the book Glen and Carol read --- there was a chapter about an orphanage the author oversees --- of about 30 children. The orphanage started in the mid 1990’s. Since its inception the orphanage has five documented cases of children healed of HIV/AIDS.
When the author asked me why I had come so far --- my first internal reaction was to hide behind my wife --- Carol asked me to come --- but as I spoke my words changed --- “I was in a car accident in 1994 and living in serious pain with short term memory loss ever since. I want to be healed and I want to pass this healing on to others”.
It didn’t take the author long to bring out a small bottle of anointing oil. He anointed me with oil and prayed for my healing and for the compassion of Jesus. The same compassion Jesus exhibited when he wept for Lazarus before calling him out of the grave. John 11:25 “Jesus Wept”. Jesus knew Lazarus would live again but he wept out of compassion for the people.
The release was immediate --- I believe Jesus healed my body and mind out of his deep compassion --- right then --- right there. At exactly this moment it began to rain. It poured. The author confirmed, “The rain is a sign of your healing.”
We toured the orphanage and ate pizza --- then we started driving out of the parking lot. I was driving. I stopped and looked a three miles of dirt road staring at me --- this would be my first test. I rapidly accelerated out of the parking lot --- a few minutes later Glen yelled, “Slow down!”
Previous to this dirt road ride --- a ride at even a slow speed on a dirt road would have taken me three days of pool therapy and many drugs to overcome the pain --- it is now Friday morning some 16 hours later and I sit here in tears writing this diary entry. These are no longer tears of pain but tears of joy because you see --- no pool --- no drugs --- and I am pain free. To God Be All The Glory!
Over the next two weeks Glen and I and the team will minister to hundreds of HIV/AIDS Orphans and others. The second part of my request was to pass this healing on and I believe it will happen.
Stay tuned to see what God will do!
Who is the author? Angus Buchan of Greytown, South Africa. His life story in a Major Motion Picture is soon to be released in the USA. It’s called “Faith Like Potatoes” and chronicles his life before and after receiving Christ.
