My Pilgrimage to Missions: Part Five
This is article five of a series on the missions heart of J. Herbert Walker, Jr., former director of Church of God World Missions.
By J. Herbert Walker
God had placed us in a ripe harvest field. Prior to our coming to Haiti, because of political difficulties, our churches had been closed for nearly two years. During that time many of our people had been put in jail for up to three weeks for nothing more than possessing a songbook or a Bible. They were not allowed to worship in any of the buildings.
Such persecutions had purged the church so that when we arrived we found deeply committed Christians who loved the Lord and who knew why they loved Him. Having suffered for the sake of the gospel, they were ready witnesses to the ability of God’s presence to keep them and give them strength. As they shared their testimonies, the church grew.
Miracles
We experienced many miracles during this time. Brother T.L. Osborne and his wife, Daisy, were just then beginning their overseas campaigns. I arranged for them to come to Port-au-Prince for five days in the summer of 1950. Those five days witnessed many healings. On one occasion I saw a 65-year-old blind man instantly healed. Another time a lady coughed up a tumor as God delivered her through prayer.
Spiritual Warfare
Spiritual battles were the order of the day; God gave us victory over the power of Satan and deliverance from voodoo powers. The voodoo priest and his assistant in the village of Jammeau were both converted and became students at our Bible school. Later, after graduating, they returned to Jammeau and became pastors in that area.
We had many experiences that strengthened our faith in God and deepened our commitment to Him. One such experience occurred on Easter Sunday morning, 1951. The authorities in the city of Cayes arrested me on the charge that I had hit a boy with my jeep, and they took me to the city of Aquin.
I remember thinking, “Lord, I know this city has been one of the most difficult in all of Haiti. At times when I have driven through here, the people have thrown rocks and bottles at my jeep. On one occasion townspeople broke into the hotel room of some Baptist missionaries, took their suitcases down to the seashore, and tied their clothes in knots, soaking them in salt water. This has been a very difficult city for the gospel. Yet, this may be Your means of opening a church here because I am determined to witness for You if I am placed in jail.” Jail for me, however, was not God’s plan, and I was released after several hours.
Delivered from Demon Possession
Eventually, we did open a church in Aquin. A few weeks later our pastor in Port-au-Prince, Bernard Lacombe, was requested by a family that lived in Aquin to come and pray for their son. They lived in one of the main houses on the town square. Upstairs they kept their demon-possessed son chained to the wall. When Brother Lacombe and a bus load of church people arrived in Aquin, they had a prayer meeting downstairs with the family.
Then Brother Lacombe went upstairs. The young man in his early 30s looked more like an animal than a person. His fingernails were like claws. His hair was matted. The chains rattled as he snarled like a wild beast. After praying, Brother Lacombe approached the man, put his hand upon his head and rebuked the evil spirits. God brought instant deliverance. The man was completely delivered from the demon possession and put in his right mind. From this experience, the word went throughout the entire town and a church was established. Praise the Lord!
Taken from The Pentecostal Minister written in 1987.
For more articles like this visit the new World Missions Centennial web site, www.wmcentennial.org.
© 2009 Church of God World Missions
