Around the World in 88 Years -E Book - Arthur Burt

ing strawberries. I knew I hadn’t stolen them and concluded,since it was the other lad who had taken the order, that he hadstolen them.It hurt my pride as a new Christian to think my boss had accusedme of stealing strawberries and then sacked me. I sat down andwrote him a letter, complaining, “How dare you insult me, aChristian, by accusing me — as if I would steal your strawberries.You are going to hell! ‘What does a man profit if he gain thewhole world, and lose his own soul?’ (Matt 16:26) You’ve sackedme for strawberries. Where will you be in eternity?” Then, unwisely,I put the letter in the letter box.I had been sacked for stealing. On this job, I didn’t want to besacked for being stupid, so that was the end of the fasting. Slowlybut surely, I was beginning to learn some lessons as I moved intothe latter part of my 16th year.“Young man, God wants you!”One day, an insurance man I knew, who used to travel aroundpreaching on circuits for the Methodist Missions, invited me tojoin him. “If you would like to come with me,” he said, “I willgive you fifteen minutes of every engagement I have.”Mr. Harrison was a gracious man who took me with him everywhere.He provided me the openings and opportunities and encouragedme in my early days of ministering. We regularly wentdown to North Shields and preached there from the dock to themen on the trawlers. Whenever the tide was out as we beganpreaching, we would look down at the men on the boats. By thetime we would finish the meeting, the boats would have risenwith the tide, and we’d look up at the men.I preached at the fishermen’s mission in the open air, on the beachand on the sands — all the time thinking that was the extent ofGod’s call on my life. I hadn’t really wanted to become a fulltimepreacher.About that time, I went to Stephen Jeffries’ meetings in Wakefield,where there were probably 3,000 people attending. He walkedto the front of the platform and he pointed, “Young man, Godwants you!” It looked as if his finger was coming straight at me.22