Part 13 (1/2)

The captain looked at me and said, ”What do you know about navigation, man?” pointing to the water that was being pumped out of the s.h.i.+p; ”we are sinking.” ”I know nothing about navigation,” I replied. ”Explain yourself,”

he said. Then I told my dream, and when I had finished speaking, I saw the tears running down the weather-beaten cheeks of the pilots. Then the captain said, ”What kind of a man are you?” I answered, ”An ordinary minister.” Then the pilot said to the captain, ”We had better listen to this man. He may be more right than we, because as long as this s.h.i.+p can hold up, we are safe, but if we go into the boats in this fearful weather and dark night, we shall soon be dashed to pieces against the rocks.”

Then the pilot said to me, ”Our s.h.i.+p sticks 28 feet in the water and the rock we struck was only twelve feet under the water, so you see it is a great miracle that our s.h.i.+p is not in two, and one end on each side of the rock. Had that happened, no one would have known what became of us, for we are now in 53 fathoms of water.” Orders were then given not to lower the life boats.

Then I said to the captain, ”Is this the Ta.s.so, that used to sail on Norway 24 years ago?” He replied, ”No, that lays on the bottom of the sea six miles from here. What about it?” I said, ”I embarked on that s.h.i.+p at Tronheim the 27th day of April on a Sunday afternoon at four o'clock, of the year 1881, with 384 other young people who were sailing for England, on our way to America. At nine o'clock we got into an awful snowstorm and just lay drifting until one fifteen a.m., exactly the same time of night as we struck the rock this time. We went on the rock and turned over on the side just outside of the Agness lighthouse.” Then the captain said, ”What kind of a man are you?” ”Just an ordinary minister,” I answered. The captain then told me his father was captain of that s.h.i.+p at that time. (It might be interesting to the reader to know that we lay on our side until almost six fifteen in the morning when the s.h.i.+p straightened up as the tide arose.

Then they cut the anchor chain and we backed up and went our way.) Needless to say, that night was one of the greatest prayer meetings ever held.

While I was speaking with the Captain, the first mate had come, a fine tall Englishman. ”Will you kindly go with me to the front end of the s.h.i.+p and see if we can see any lights? We are lost. We don't know where we are.” I answered, ”I know nothing about navigation sir.” He said, ”Please go with me.” I did, and coming out there, I saw three lights, and he could not see any. He said, ”Keep your eyes on them, and I'll run for the captain.” They both came running and the captain could not see the lights either. Turning to me he said, ”You must be mistaken.” ”No sir,”

I replied, ”I can see them now.” He then asked me the color of the lights.

After I had given him a description of them, he saw them himself and explained, ”They are steamers. Where are we? We are lost!” He called out in agony.

We lay there until six fifteen in the morning. When we turned around to the right between the rocks, they knew where to go. The pumps were in full operation, but our s.h.i.+p was tipping backward more and more as if it were going to stand on one end. We landed in Tronheim in the afternoon with our handsatchels and our lives, and as soon as the pumps stopped, the s.h.i.+p filled with water and sank in the harbor.

I saw an account of the wreck in two Norwegian papers after the s.h.i.+p had been raised and placed on dry dock. The paper stated that the cargo was a total loss and the s.h.i.+p was about thirty eight thousand dollars. That nearly every plate from mids.h.i.+p to stern was torn loose, just as I had seen in my dream and the paper said they could not understand why the s.h.i.+p had not sunk before, as one plate hole was enough to sink the s.h.i.+p. My wife wrote me later and said, ”I know why the s.h.i.+p did not sink. I and many others were praying that G.o.d would keep that s.h.i.+p on top of the waves, because he had one of his little ones on the s.h.i.+p.” The Lord verified his promises by hearing the prayers of his people to protect me and bring me safely to my destination. The blessings of salvation never seemed more real to me than at that time, as I was enabled to be calm and quiet through all the perils, having the sweet a.s.surance that the mighty arm of G.o.d was upholding me and protecting not only me, but those who were traveling with me. He hears and answers prayers. Those who trust and believe in him he often saves from death and destruction.

HOMEWARD BOUND

My return trip was just as eventful as my trip to Norway. For some time I had been praying earnestly for the Lord to direct me in getting the right s.h.i.+p across the ocean, as I was to sail during the stormy season of Spring.

On the twentieth of March, 1905, I left the home of my parents in Norway, with the intention of sailing the next morning. I was to sail on an English boat bound for Hull, England, in order to reach the fastest boat on the Cunard Line bound from Liverpool to New York, as I thought that would be the best vessel to take. Soon after leaving my fathers home, I stopped at a little seaport called Levanger to visit a relative of mine for a few hours, expecting to leave on the evening train, but my relative persuaded me to stay and take the early morning train. He said I would have ample time to reach my boat in Tronhiem, but when my train entered the station the next morning, the s.h.i.+p upon which I had intended sailing was just leaving the harbor.

I did not understand what this meant, but remembered the scripture which said that ”All things work together for good to those that love the Lord.”

Had my plans for reaching the fast steamer from Liverpool to New York carried and had the s.h.i.+p sailed on schedule, I should have been in New York in ten days, but now I had to make the best of the situation, so I decided to embark on the S. S. United States of the Scandinavian-American Line from Oslo which was due in New York just one week later than the other s.h.i.+p, and if run on schedule generally arrived in New York nine days after leaving Oslo.

We sailed from Oslo on time, but after being out at sea for a day, we found to our surprise and dissatisfaction of many of the pa.s.sengers that instead of going direct to New York, we had to go to the Azores to pick up some pa.s.sengers from another s.h.i.+p of the same line, as a shaft of that s.h.i.+p had been broken in a storm on the Atlantic Ocean, and the s.h.i.+p had been towed to some Island. This made a very long round-about voyage.

With the exception of two or three days of storm, the weather was good, but the waves rolled exceedingly high every day. By this we knew that farther north in the ocean, a terrible storm was raging.

Finally after fifteen days of rough sailing, we found ourselves just outside New York in the midst of a heavy fog, such as I had never before witnessed. The whistles of the fog horns of the s.h.i.+ps kept blowing and the bells ringing as we slowly proceeded in the afternoon, but finally we had to anchor, as a pilot from the sh.o.r.e entered our s.h.i.+p and forbade us to go any further. He said the sea was full of anch.o.r.ed s.h.i.+ps on account of the fog, some of which had been there for three days. He said we could not move until the wind changed and drove the fog away. I felt quite satisfied, although like many others, I had been very seasick while on the voyage.

Early the next morning I went on the deck. There was so much unrest and grumbling among the pa.s.sengers that it was quite unpleasant for me to stay on the s.h.i.+p any longer. However, the fog seemed to be thicker than ever. It was so dense a person could hardly see beyond his outstretched arm. I went to my room, and there while lying across the bed, prayed earnestly to G.o.d to take away the fog. Then I went on deck and looked, but the fog seemed to be still worse. I went down and prayed the second time, but found on my return the fog seemed to be thicker than ever. The third time I went and prayed, and while I was praying a voice said to me, ”Change your clothes.”

I knew what it meant. The Lord had heard my prayers. I arose and put on my best suit of clothes (for I expected soon to be in New York). Then I went to the breakfast table.

The people were complaining on account of having to remain so long on the s.h.i.+p. I said, ”Before we have finished breakfast, we shall be on our way into the harbor.” Some asked who had said so. I said I had been praying to G.o.d and He had a.s.sured me that such would be the case. Eight men got up and laughed me to scorn, saying, ”ha, ha, ha,” but while we were eating we heard something rattle and someone asked. ”What is that?” I said, ”I suppose they are raising the anchor.” A number sprang from, their seats and looked through the portholes and the fog was gone, and we were on our way to the port. Then one man arose and said, ”That minister's religion must be right.” After that there was no more laughing and scorning. Thank G.o.d, he stood by me and showed himself mighty in answering my prayers and in lifting the fog to the astonishment of my fellow travelers. Our s.h.i.+p was the first one to pa.s.s into port, though some had been waiting there for three days for an opportunity to reach New York.

After landing, I learned that the Cunard liner on which I had intended to sail from Liverpool, had not yet arrived. It did not arrive until the next day. According to reports it had the worst voyage that any s.h.i.+p of that company had had for forty six years, and a number of pa.s.sengers were badly hurt, being thrown about by the rolling and tossing of the s.h.i.+p. A young man who came across the ocean on that s.h.i.+p informed me that a number had to be tied to their beds, and many were injured. After learning these things, I perceived that the Lord had answered prayer in a wonderful way. He had hindered me from embarking on that s.h.i.+p, and had thus spared me much unnecessary suffering.

Thanks be to his precious and matchless name. It is safe to put our whole trust in G.o.d, because He knows how to protect and s.h.i.+eld us from harm and danger. It is my prayer that the relating of this incident of the Lord's dealings with me may prove a blessing and inspiration to others, and enable them to put their whole trust in the Lord in time of difficulty and distress. He will surely hear and answer prayer when we call upon Him in a simple childlike manner.

AN ANSWER TO PRAYER

For the glory of G.o.d, I wish to relate two very definite instances of answered prayer.

One time I was holding services nine miles north of Kerkhoven, Minn. The meetings were very good, but I was under a very severe trial, and it seemed very difficult for me to learn the will of the Lord as to whether at the close of the meeting I should go home or to Grand Forks, North Dakota, Camp Meeting. I learned that my fare from Kerkhoven to Grand Forks would be $3.32. Then I went out into the grove three times, (I believe it was on Friday,) and asked the Lord that on Sunday forenoon at the close of the services He would put it in the mind of somebody to give me exactly $3.32 if He wanted me to go to Grand Forks. No one but the Lord knew my needs. On Sunday after the service while I was shaking hands with the people, a brother put some money in my outside coat pocket. When I left the house, I walked to the grove to the same spot where I had prayed and knelt down and thanked the Lord for $3.32 in my pocket, and when I had counted the money I found that it was the exact amount for which I had prayed. He had not only supplied my carfare, but had in this way made known His will to me. Before I left the next morning, the brethren had given me more, so that I had something to send to my family.