Part 13 (1/2)

The captain looked at ation,pu about navigation,” I replied ”Explain yourself,”

he said Then I told , 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 thisas this shi+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 shi+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 shi+p is not in two, and one end on each side of the rock Had that happened, no one would have knohat became of us, for we are now in 53 fathoiven not to lower the life boats

Then I said to the captain, ”Is this the Tasso, 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 shi+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 ere sailing for England, on our way to Aot into an awful snowstor until one fifteen aht 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 shi+p at that ti to the reader to know that we lay on our side until alhtened 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 prayerwith the Captain, the first o with me to the front end of the shi+p and see if we can see any lights? We are lost We don't knohere we are” I answered, ”I know nothing about navigation sir” He said, ”Please go with hts, and he could not see any He said, ”Keep your eyes on the 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 thehts

After I had given him a description of them, he saw them himself and explained, ”They are steaony

We lay there until six fifteen in the ht between the rocks, they knehere to go The pu backwardto 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 shi+p filled ater and sank in the harbor

I saw an account of the wreck in two Norwegian papers after the shi+p had been raised and placed on dry dock The paper stated that the cargo was a total loss and the shi+p was about thirty eight thousand dollars That nearly every plate from midshi+p to stern was torn loose, just as I had seen in my dream and the paper said they could not understand why the shi+p had not sunk before, as one plate hole was enough to sink the shi+p My rote me later and said, ”I knohy the shi+p did not sink I andthat God would keep that shi+p on top of the waves, because he had one of his little ones on the shi+p” The Lord verified his pro the prayers of his people to protect s of salvation never seemed more real to me than at that tih all the perils, having the sweet assurance that thenot onlywith 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 asearnestly for the Lord to direct ht shi+p across the ocean, as I was to sail during the stor

On the twentieth of March, 1905, I left the ho the next land, in order to reach the fastest boat on the Cunard Line bound froht that would be the best vessel to take Soon after leaving er to visit a relative oftrain, buttrain He said I would have ample time to reach my boat in Tronhie, the shi+p upon which I had intended sailing was just leaving the harbor

I did not understand what this s work together for good to those that love the Lord”

Hadthe fast steamer from Liverpool to New York carried and had the shi+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 shi+p, and if run on schedule generally arrived in New York nine days after leaving Oslo

We sailed fro out at sea for a day, we found to our surprise and dissatisfaction ofdirect to New York, we had to go to the Azores to pick up soers from another shi+p of the same line, as a shaft of that shi+p had been broken in a storm on the Atlantic Ocean, and the shi+p had been towed to soe

With the exception of two or three days of storh every day By this we knew that farther north in the ocean, a terrible storh sailing, we found ourselves just outside New York in the , such as I had never before witnessed The whistles of the fog horns of the shi+ps kept blowing and the bells ringing as we slowly proceeded in the afternoon, but finally we had to anchor, as a pilot froo any further He said the sea was full of anchored shi+ps on account of the fog, some of which had been there for three days He said we could notaway I felt quite satisfied, although like e

Early the next ruers that it was quite unpleasant forseemed to be thicker than ever It was so dense a person could hardly see beyond his outstretched ar across the bed, prayed earnestly to God 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 ti seemed to be thicker than ever The third ti a voice said to e your clothes”

I knehat 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 co on the shi+p I said, ”Before we have finished breakfast, we shall be on our way into the harbor” So to God and He had assured hedwe heard so rattle and someone asked ”What is that?” I said, ”I suppose they are raising the anchor” A nuh the portholes and the fog was gone, and ere on our way to the port Then one ht” After that there was noThank God, he stood byto the astonishment of my fellow travelers Our shi+p was the first one to pass into port, though so 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 shi+p of that coers were badly hurt, being thrown about by the rolling and tossing of the shi+p A young man who came across the ocean on that shi+p informed me that a number had to be tied to their beds, and s, I perceived that the Lord had answered prayer in a wonderful way He had hinderedon that shi+p, and had thus spared

Thanks be to his precious and matchless name It is safe to put our whole trust in God, because He kno to protect and shi+eld us fro of this incident of the Lord's dealings withand 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 e call upon Him in a simple childlike lory of God, I wish to relate two very definite instances of answered prayer