Around the World in 88 Years -E Book - Arthur Burt
Around the World in 88 Years -E Book - Arthur Burt
Around the World in 88 Years -E Book - Arthur Burt
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In spite of that, amidst <strong>the</strong> flares of bombs light<strong>in</strong>g up <strong>the</strong> skies,<strong>the</strong> mad <strong>Burt</strong>s were out every night. Terrify<strong>in</strong>g as it was, we hadalready settled <strong>the</strong> issue, know<strong>in</strong>g if we were killed, we would allgo toge<strong>the</strong>r to heaven where <strong>the</strong> people of God were. We weren’tgo<strong>in</strong>g to stop go<strong>in</strong>g to church meet<strong>in</strong>gs just because <strong>the</strong>re was awar on.Little SonyaWhile we were <strong>in</strong> Paddock Wood, a situation arose with my sonJoe, which scandalized him so badly he pulled away from <strong>the</strong>church and from God.Joe became friends with a bro<strong>the</strong>r <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> church who had befriendedhim, and Joe would regularly visit him and his family athis home. This older man and Joe were toge<strong>the</strong>r often, visit<strong>in</strong>g,walk<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> dog and go<strong>in</strong>g to <strong>the</strong> park. For a long time, Joespent his weekends and almost every free moment with this man,when abruptly, Joe turned completely aga<strong>in</strong>st his friend. I rebukedJoe for be<strong>in</strong>g so rude and for refus<strong>in</strong>g to go to visit him.Joe pulled a letter out of his pocket and showed it to me. It wasa love letter. Joe had rebuffed <strong>the</strong> man’s overtures <strong>the</strong> only wayhe could. The friendship broke, and with it, my son’s relationshipand communion with God also broke.Joe, disillusioned with so-called “love people”, would not returnto <strong>the</strong> meet<strong>in</strong>gs for <strong>the</strong> next ten years. He had been trust<strong>in</strong>g, andnow he felt he couldn’t trust anyone. The Scripture says if a manoffends, stumbles, one of <strong>the</strong> Lord’s little ones, “it is better forhim that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he werecast <strong>in</strong>to <strong>the</strong> sea.” (Mark 9:42) The episode had caused Joe tostumble. He left <strong>the</strong> meet<strong>in</strong>gs and he left us <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> process. Follow<strong>in</strong>gthat, our relationship with him, although friendly, was nolonger close.After several years, Joe married and had two little girls. The Lordused <strong>the</strong> oldest one, Sonya, to tug at Joe’s heart dur<strong>in</strong>g her tragicillness. Her illness began with a trifl<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong>cident, a nose-bleed.They took her to a doctor who exam<strong>in</strong>ed her and <strong>the</strong>n sent herto <strong>the</strong> hospital for fur<strong>the</strong>r tests. The prognosis was grim. “Yourchild has leukemia. She will be dead <strong>in</strong> two years.”132