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
My briefcaseSome incidents are like a scar on a man’s life. They never goaway; he never forgets them. Once I was traveling from Duluthto Minneapolis, and while I was waiting for a connecting flight, Ileft my suitcases near the ticket counter and went to make a phonecall. There were two rows of telephone booths with openings atthe bottom where you could look in to see if they were occupied.I went into a booth and put my briefcase between my feet. Itook out my little telephone book, stood it up on the ledge, andbegan to count out the quarters the operator said I needed. WhileI was counting out the quarters, I felt a movement between myfeet, and suddenly, my briefcase was gone. Everything of importancewas in it — my tickets, money, passport — everything.Foolishly, I panicked, not knowing what to do. I left the phonedangling and rushed out into a milling crowd of hundreds andhundreds of people, looking through them desperately, but couldsee nothing of my briefcase or of the one who had slipped it outfrom between my feet.“Lord,” I prayed, closing my eyes. “I’m sorry. I’m altogetherwrong. I’ve lost my peace. I’ve panicked. I don’t know what todo.” I stood there utterly helpless.God spoke to me: “Return to your bags at the ticket counter.” Ididn’t want my other bags. I desperately needed my briefcase,but leaving everything in the booth — the telephone dangling,the stack of quarters, my phone book propped up against theledge — I obeyed the Lord and went to the ticket counter. WhenI got there, to my complete astonishment, I found between mytwo bags was my briefcase.Now, reason would say I never took it with me to the phonebooth — but I did take it. I pulled my telephone book out of mybriefcase between my two feet, and I felt a hand pull it out frombetween my feet through the aperture at the bottom of the telephonebooth. How it ever got between my two bags at the ticketcounter was beyond my reason. When I had repented of myfear, God, in His mercy and grace, gave me back my bag.216
I picked it up and went back to the kiosk where the phone wasstill dangling. The pile of coins was still there, and so was mytelephone book. To this day, I can offer no explanation for whathad happened. My only answer — it was God.Ethiopia. If I am out of God’s will, I am out of everythingthat matters.On my way to visit a brother who had gone to Ethiopia as amissionary with his wife and children, I flew from London toRome where I had to change planes. When I presented myself atimmigration before boarding the next plane, the official lookedat my passport.“You can’t continue,” he said. “Your vaccination certificate expiredlast night.”“I didn’t realize that,” I replied. “I am so sorry. I’ll have it seen toas soon as I can.”“You most certainly will,” he said. You won’t go past me withouta vaccination certificate.”“You’re not telling me that I have to go back to London,” I protested.“Yes, of course. That is my job. Your certificate expired last night.If you want to, you can go into quarantine in Rome, stop over afew days, and get vaccinated there.”I stood there and watched all the people go past me onto theplane. Leaning against a wall, I challenged myself, “What will Ido? Am I in the will of God? Did the Lord tell me to go to Ethiopia?”I knew God had told me to go. The official just stared atme coldly, and I knew I would get no help from him as, one byone, the other passengers filed past, leaving me standing therealone.“I don’t really know what to do,” I said to the man. “I don’t feelI have to go back to London.”“Look,” he said impatiently, “I don’t want to know you. Goaway.”217
- Page 173 and 174: airport. I wondered if anyone would
- Page 175 and 176: and praising God, while Sister Wall
- Page 177 and 178: piano to a dead cat — or if, perc
- Page 179 and 180: Just then, rain began to fall softl
- Page 181 and 182: I told him to drop me off at the bu
- Page 183 and 184: I discovered this, I didn’t inven
- Page 185 and 186: Clockwise from right:1. Mickey the
- Page 187 and 188: 12 Climb the Mountain!On my first t
- Page 189 and 190: leave, and then had begun pelting m
- Page 191 and 192: There shall be no ebb. This is sign
- Page 193 and 194: my ministry. Originally, God had sp
- Page 195 and 196: I walked up the drive to this house
- Page 197 and 198: — broken drains, damp basement
- Page 199 and 200: Then the phone rang. It was Harry B
- Page 201 and 202: 13 These Foolish ThingsWhen I was f
- Page 203 and 204: “Go away! Go away!” Pam demande
- Page 205 and 206: Big (in my own eyes), pompous Arthu
- Page 207 and 208: I thought I knew the voice of God a
- Page 209 and 210: This reminds me of the old story of
- Page 211 and 212: drive all the way to the Convention
- Page 213 and 214: I got on the plane and looked at th
- Page 215 and 216: Haiti. The large straw hatSometimes
- Page 217 and 218: 14 Far & AwayEl SalvadorWhen I was
- Page 219 and 220: It’s easy for a missionary to go
- Page 221 and 222: we had been during those hours, exc
- Page 223: “Are you all right brother? Do yo
- Page 227 and 228: “The porter just picked up my lug
- Page 229 and 230: doesn’t really do much for your i
- Page 231 and 232: 15Crumbs from aBroken LoafIt is for
- Page 233 and 234: Joy came to me one day and asked me
- Page 235 and 236: “Oh,” he sputtered, “of cours
- Page 237 and 238: He says, “Are you telling me, you
- Page 239 and 240: ly that the message the Spirit of G
- Page 241 and 242: that they’re wonderful. But then
- Page 243 and 244: have now about this house from the
- Page 245 and 246: ministering to God. When you minist
I picked it up and went back to <strong>the</strong> kiosk where <strong>the</strong> phone wasstill dangl<strong>in</strong>g. The pile of co<strong>in</strong>s was still <strong>the</strong>re, and so was mytelephone book. To this day, I can offer no explanation for whathad happened. My only answer — it was God.Ethiopia. If I am out of God’s will, I am out of everyth<strong>in</strong>gthat matters.On my way to visit a bro<strong>the</strong>r who had gone to Ethiopia as amissionary with his wife and children, I flew from London toRome where I had to change planes. When I presented myself atimmigration before board<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> next plane, <strong>the</strong> official lookedat my passport.“You can’t cont<strong>in</strong>ue,” he said. “Your vacc<strong>in</strong>ation certificate expiredlast night.”“I didn’t realize that,” I replied. “I am so sorry. I’ll have it seen toas soon as I can.”“You most certa<strong>in</strong>ly will,” he said. You won’t go past me withouta vacc<strong>in</strong>ation certificate.”“You’re not tell<strong>in</strong>g me that I have to go back to London,” I protested.“Yes, of course. That is my job. Your certificate expired last night.If you want to, you can go <strong>in</strong>to quarant<strong>in</strong>e <strong>in</strong> Rome, stop over afew days, and get vacc<strong>in</strong>ated <strong>the</strong>re.”I stood <strong>the</strong>re and watched all <strong>the</strong> people go past me onto <strong>the</strong>plane. Lean<strong>in</strong>g aga<strong>in</strong>st a wall, I challenged myself, “What will Ido? Am I <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> will of God? Did <strong>the</strong> Lord tell me to go to Ethiopia?”I knew God had told me to go. The official just stared atme coldly, and I knew I would get no help from him as, one byone, <strong>the</strong> o<strong>the</strong>r passengers filed past, leav<strong>in</strong>g me stand<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong>realone.“I don’t really know what to do,” I said to <strong>the</strong> man. “I don’t feelI have to go back to London.”“Look,” he said impatiently, “I don’t want to know you. Goaway.”217
Change language