Part 12 (2/2)

The neighbor hearing my scream, phoned to my home, and the folks came and took me home. We sent for Sister Hendricks, (now Sister Mayhre). She and wife prayed for me and as they prayed the bone moved back into its place and the next day I was well as ever and able to go about my business.

MAN SAVED AND HEALED

At one time while I was pastor in Grand Forks, a young man came who had been on crutches for four years. (He was partially paralyzed, and unable to bear his weight on his limbs.) He came at the time of the State camp meeting. He had written to Brother E. E. Byrum to come and pray for him, and he was bringing the answer he had gotten from Brother Byrum which said, ”I haven't time to come and furthermore it is so far and expenses would be so great and since the Dakota State Camp meeting convenes in a few days, you might be able to get someone to take you down there. Brother Susag will be there and he does the same kind of work that I do. He will pray with you, and instruct you how to get saved and healed.”

He came and went through the entire camp meeting without receiving the faith he needed to get saved and healed, but he remained another day and I had time to more thoroughly instruct him. He did get saved and was perfectly healed.

A DOCTOR'S DAUGHTER HEALED

I was asked at one time to come to a certain city to preach for a certain denomination for a couple of weeks, which I did. On coming I found that I was to stay with a certain doctor who had a daughter five years old. One afternoon she was sitting talking with me and I found her almost as smart as a high school girl. Toward evening I said to her, ”Honey, you are sick.”

She shrugged her shoulders and said, ”I'll be all right in the morning.”

But she became seriously ill that evening, insomuch that the next day her father sent for another doctor, a nurse and a lady to help. About three o'clock the third morning the doctor came up into my room and made a confession which he needed not to have made. Then he said, ”I've come to my wit's end; I know of no help for the child. But would you please pray for her? But pray right away, as she may pa.s.s away any time.” I began to pray right away. I put on my clothes and ran down stairs, praying all the while.

When I got down stairs everything was quiet, and when the doctor met me, he said, ”Less than three minutes after you commenced to pray my daughter went to sleep, and I believe when she wakes up she will be well.” She slept until four in the afternoon. When she awakened, she said, ”I want to get up and dress.” The doctor said, ”No, honey, you can't do that; you have been awful sick. You will have to stay in bed and be quiet until you get stronger.” She said, ”Where is Brother Susag?” He said, ”Do you want to see him?” She said, yes, so they called me and I said, ”Praise the Lord, honey.” She said, ”Can't I dress?” ”Sure, you can dress,” I said, and so they dressed her. Then she said, ”Now I want to get up and run.” Again the doctor said, ”You can't do that.” She said, ”Brother Susag, can't I run?” I said, ”Sure, you can run,” and out of the bed she went, but she stumbled against the wall, and the doctor went to catch her. She said, ”Don't touch me. If I need help, Brother Susag can help me.” Then through the house she ran with the father, mother and nurse after her. I was standing in the middle of the room praising G.o.d. Finally she stopped and faced her father and said, ”Can't I run, daddy?” He said, ”Sure you can, honey.”

Her father came and put his arms around my neck weeping and said, ”You saved the life of my child.” I answered, ”No, I didn't.” He said, ”Who did then?” I said, ”You made a humble confession and asked one of the Lord's servants to pray, and the Lord honored your faith and healed her.” ”Yes,”

he said, ”but if you hadn't been here she would have been dead now.”

A humble confession is a sure stepping stone to faith.

HEALED OF PARALYSIS

Not long ago the Lord said to me. ”You go to such and such a church tonight,” which I did. After service was over, a man who had been paralyzed from his waist down for a long time, asked me to pray for him. The prayer of faith was offered and he was instantly healed. To corroborate the above, will say that later I met a minister of another denomination who knew the case and he said that this man had retained his healing.

DELIVERED FROM A SINKING s.h.i.+P

I wish to rewrite an incident given in Brother E. E. Byrum's book, ”Startling Incidents and Experiences in the Christian Life.” As it was given to him verbally, and I did not see the ma.n.u.script to correct it after it was written. But on reading the article in his book, I discovered that he had forgotten some of the facts. I am rewriting it here, praying that it may prove a blessing.

For the glory of G.o.d I desire to relate some incidents connected with my trips to Scandinavia in the years 1904-05. While I was engaged in evangelistic work in North Dakota in the fall of 1904, the brethren in New York City wrote me about making them a visit. After praying earnestly for the Lord to make known his will in the matter, I decided to go, and felt that if I went to New York I also ought to make a trip across the Atlantic to Norway to see my parents and relatives whom I had not seen for twenty-four years.

In the latter part of November it was made very clear to me by the Holy Spirit that I should go, and about the middle of December I left my home for New York City. On the 24th of December my wife took so seriously ill that she was not expected to live. She had faith that the Lord would raise her up, but the children were much distressed, fearing that their mother was going to die, and knowing that their father was on his way to a foreign land, not intending to return for several months. They begged to have a telegram sent to me asking me to return. Finally about two o'clock in the night, when she was getting very low, and the children would not be comforted in any other way, she consented to have a telegram sent to the missionary home in New York City. Knowing as she did that it was G.o.d's will for me to go to Norway and knowing also that if I returned so soon, I could not go if she should recover, she prayed earnestly that the Lord would hinder me from getting the telegram, which he did. G.o.d heard her prayer and also healed her. After stopping with the church in New York for sometime, I went to Boston, and thence on the 20th of January, 1905 sailed on the Steams.h.i.+p Saxonia of the Cunard line for Liverpool, England. Everything went well--the Atlantic was the smoothest I had ever seen it. I wondered how it could be otherwise, inasmuch as my family and many people of G.o.d were sending up earnest prayers for my safe journey. My journey from Liverpool to Hull was by railroad, but at the latter place, I embarked on the S. S. Ta.s.so of the Wilson Line bound for Tronheim, Norway. Getting into the North Sea we had a very rough voyage. We were to make our first stop at Stavanger, but the weather was so stormy as we neared the coast that evening that we did not dare to sail in the dark. Consequently we anch.o.r.ed out in the North Sea for the night. While the s.h.i.+p tossed up and down and back and forth through the night, I dreamed the s.h.i.+p was going on dry land.

I could hear the screeching as it went on the rocks and chills went down my back. Then the scene changed. In my dream I seemed to be on land standing looking at the s.h.i.+p going, and wondering why it did not tip over. I looked close and on the right hand side of the s.h.i.+p was a large stone, almost as high as the s.h.i.+p, sc.r.a.ping against its side. On the left side was a small stone steadying it as it moved along. Finally it moved out into deep water and turned to the left, and in a little while we landed at our destination, Tronheim. In the morning I told my dream at the breakfast table and said, ”We may have an accident before we get through.” The people laughed and said, ”Do preachers believe in dreams?” I said, ”Yes, when they come true.”

They thought there was no danger, for the reason the s.h.i.+p was so large.

”Well,” I said, ”it is very stormy weather and the sea is full of rocks along the coast and we do not know what may happen.” That day we landed safely in Stavanger, and then went to our next stop, Bergen. Leaving there we encountered the roughest sailing I had ever experienced. Four s.h.i.+ps started out at the same time from the dock, and only one was able to anchor at the next stop, Aalesund, so we had to anchor out in the ocean. The next morning we were able to land at the dock. Thence we went to Christiansund, which was our last stop before our final destination. It was a good harbor, and were ready to leave there at 8 p.m., but as the storm was still raging out in the sea, the captain decided to remain in the harbor until twelve o'clock. Then we should land at our destination at eight o'clock in the morning. At twelve o'clock we left the harbor. The storm was still raging and a heavy snow was falling. At 1:15 a.m. I felt a shock and heard the same screeching noise that I had heard in my dream and knew at once what had happened. Immediately the stewart came running into the stateroom calling, ”Everybody up! take nothing along. We are sinking!”

Quicker than I can tell you the seven men with me in the stateroom were up and dressing, putting on all the clothes they could. Up the stairs they went, throwing away their tobacco and pipes, and leaving behind their whisky bottles, some empty and some partly empty. I got up, dressed, took my Bible and read a little. Then I knelt down and had prayer. The stewart came down and said, ”Aren't you in a hurry? We are sinking!” I said, ”No, he that believeth shall make no haste.” He looked at me and went on the deck. The snow storm was whistling wildly through the tackling of the s.h.i.+p, and the seamen were working with all their might to lower the life boats.

Others were running to and fro. Some women were crying aloud and others were praying while the water was pouring into the sides of the s.h.i.+p. The pumps were working to their full capacity, throwing out the water. It was indeed a sad sight. As a seaman was running by, I asked him to direct me to the pilot. He looked at me and said in a harsh voice, ”What do you want with the pilot?” and went his way. A little further on I met another seaman, and asked him the same question. He said, ”The pilots are both over there with the captain,” pointing to three men who were standing a short distance away.

I walked over to where they were standing, conversing with one another. I saluted them and said to the captain. ”Could you spare me a minute or two?”

”If it is important, I can,” he replied. ”I think it is,” I said. ”Speak on then,” he said.

I then asked him who the pilot of the boat was, and one pointed to himself and another man. Then I said to the head pilot, ”We are off the rock now, are we not?” ”Yes,” he answered. ”Did you turn to the left when you turned off the rock,” I asked. ”Yes,” he replied. ”If that is the case we need not go into the life boats,” I replied, ”as this boat is going to land in Tronhein, without loss of life.”

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