Sunday, February 24, 2019

Saved!

24 February 2019

Dear Phyllis,

Dear Phyllis,

I have mentioned my friend Paul Almstead to you several times. I have known hundreds, perhaps thousands, of people over the years but Paul Almstead is one of a kind. When I first met him ten years ago I thought it was a waste of time to invite him to come to a Bible study, He was so far at the end of the line of people waiting to be saved that you couldn't see him from the front. But after he got saved, daily he would stop by the house sharing some of the most amazing testimonies I have ever heard. I believe Paul has shared more astonishing miracles happening daily than any man I have ever known. But yesterday he sent out an email that tops them all.

Paul is from New York, and has a horrible background. His mother was as bad as they get. He never had a close relationship with his mother, and it had been well over 20 years since the last time he saw her or knew anything about her. But after he was saved Paul began to pray that she might come to Christ. That would be like growing bananas in Greenland. Then three years ago when he was in the states, he learned that she was in Florida, and went to see her. She was 86, in nursing homes, and driving everyone near her out of their minds. The police station had a special place for her as she was constantly calling them reporting that someone was trying to kill her. She was totally neurotic and very violent. No nursing home could handle her more than a few weeks and she was jumping around from place to place like a frog on a hot rock. Paul tried to witness to her but when he would mention Jesus she would curse and go wild. Since then he had lost contact with her again and had no idea where she was, but recently wondered where she was living. Paul had been a detective and could do miracles in tracing down and locating people. Somehow he was able to learn that she had died in a nursing home in St. Petersburg, Florida last November. Paul was grief stricken to hear that his mother had died unsaved and was forever in hell. But the the Holy Spirit kept saying to him, “Call someone to see if she knew Me”. Miraculously Paul finally got a man on the other end of the line and asked him, “Did you know Phyllis Almstead?” The following is from Paul's email:

He said, "Yes, I knew her very well. She was my friend. I led her to the Lord." I was so struck down!!! I cannot stop crying. He said, "I am Pastor Ricky Plummer. I led your mother to Jesus 6 months ago. I tell you she is in heaven now." He told me how she prayed all the time. 

Everyday Pastor and his wife would come to her room in morning and fix her hair and put on her makeup and take her out. He said everybody loved her and called her grandma. She was laughing and smiling happy all the time. She really loved Jesus, he said, and prayed all the time. Truly a miracle of God. 

Another miracle. My mother was most racist person I ever met, but this Pastor and wife are black people and her best friends. I have never been more happy in my life. Pastor said he was with her when she died. She did not suffer. Just went to sleep. He said she talked about me all then time, but could not remember where I lived.

There you have it folks. That tops them all. That is the most astonishing thing I have ever read.


Compared to Paul, all my stories are insipid. I have told you this one before, but as close as I can come to what happened with Paul's mother was my experience with Linda Rogers.

In 1973, when we were in the states, there was a fancy couple that used to sit in front of us in church. The man wore loud Hawaiian shirts and the lady had a huge stack of blond Marie Antoinette hair on her head. They were a vain as you get. I frequently said to Rosemary, “That couple aren't saved”. Eight years had passed and we were back in the states for furlough. We were attending a church supper in someone's home and Linda was sitting next to me. I said to her, “Mrs. Rogers, my name is Bill Cook, and this is my wife Rosemary.” She turned to me and said, “Bill Cook, I know more about you than your mother. I would like to share my testimony with you”. That took my breath away.

Linda said - like I had always suspected - they weren't saved, and after we went back to Japan they quit going to church altogether. After a couple of years, one day, a friend called Linda inviting her to go to church with her Sunday. Suddenly, Linda had an intense desire to go to church, and that week was the longest week of her life. After waiting an eternity, Sunday finally came. Linda got up early, and got ready for church; but it seemed that her friend had forgotten about her and was not coming. She was nearly in despair when her friend finally showed up. But then she never rode with such a slow driver in her life and every traffic light in town was red. At last they finally got to church, but it seemed like the service would never start. By the time the preacher finally stood up to speak, before he could tell his first joke, Linda had had the course and could wait no longer. Before a startled preacher and an amazed congregation of 500, Linda jumped to her feet, rushed forward, falling down at the alter crying, “Jesus, Jesus, save me!” Jesus everlastingly saved her and she got the whole nine yards.

Poor Jake. He had had a wonderful wife, but now she had lost her mind and was going bonkers for Jesus. There was no peace in heaven. Linda was on her knees every day storming the Throne of Grace, pleading with God to save Jake. Every time the Lord turned around, Linda was in His face pleading that He would save her husband.

Jake was a carpenter. About three months later, he was up on a roof with his crew. At 4:00 o'clock in the afternoon, he suddenly stood up, unbuckled his nail pouch, and told his crew, “I'll see you guys tomorrow”. Then he got on the ladder and claimed down off the roof.

The next morning Jake was on his way to work when he was involved in an auto accident and killed outright. The ambulance took him to the hospital DOA (dead on arrival). There was a pastor in the hospital who was never there at that hour of the morning, but had come in early to pray with a member of his church who was going in for surgery. He was walking out the entrance, when he heard an announcement over the PA system asking if there was any clergy in the hospital to please report to the administration desk. He turned around and went back asking what they wanted. The nurse explained to him that they had just brought a man in there dead, and they wanted a pastor to be there to explain to his wife that her husband was gone. The pastor asked to see the body, looked at Jake's face in the morgue, and went to the entrance to wait for his wife. A few minutes later, when Linda came rushing in the hospital, he stepped forward and said, “Mrs. Rogers, I am Pastor Bagwell; your husband is in heaven with the Lord Jesus.” Linda glared at him and responded, “Preacher, you are a liar! My husband is an unsaved man and he is in hell”. The pastor went on, “Mrs. Rogers, I have something to tell you. Yesterday afternoon your husband went to a pay phone and called the first church he could find listed in alphabetical order in the yellow pages. At 5:30 yesterday afternoon I led your husband to Christ.” Gong! I never heard a anything like it. By this time, Rosemary had gone through every napkin on the table crying and was read to blow her nose on the table cloth. Then Linda dropped the bomb. She said, “After the Lord took Jake, you and your family, replaced my husband in my heart. I have read every prayer letter you ever wrote. I have talked to any one who knows you or visited you in Japan, The first thing I do every morning when I get up is to pray for you. I have your family picture on the wall behind my sink and pray for you when I'm in the kitchen. I live with you all day and go to bed with with you all in my heart.” Crash! I didn't think she knew my name, and I never had heard such a testimony in my life. I turned to Rosemary and said, “If there is anything we do while we are in this town, it will be to spend as much time as possible with this sister.” And that was the last time I saw Linda Rogers. We never got together again.

The Lord is amazing. I thought the Linda Rogers story was the most amazing thing I ever heard, but Paul's mother is another level up. If it is this good now, I wonder what it will be when we see Jesus and He tells us the rest of the story.
                                                      bill


Dear Phyllis,

I have mentioned my friend Paul Almstead to you several times. I have known hundreds, perhaps thousands, of people over the years but Paul Almstead is one of a kind. When I first met him ten years ago I thought it was a waste of time to invite him to come to a Bible study, He was so far at the end of the line of people waiting to be saved that you couldn't see him from the front. But after he got saved, daily he would stop by the house sharing some of the most amazing testimonies I have ever heard. I believe Paul has shared more astonishing miracles happening daily than any man I have ever known. But yesterday he sent out an email that tops them all.

Paul is from New York, and has a horrible background. His mother was as bad as they get. He never had a close relationship with his mother, and it had been well over 20 years since the last time he saw her or knew anything about her. But after he was saved Paul began to pray that she might come to Christ. That would be like growing bananas in Greenland. Then three years ago when he was in the states, he learned that she was in Florida, and went to see her. She was 86, in nursing homes, and driving everyone near her out of their minds. The police station had a special place for her as she was constantly calling them reporting that someone was trying to kill her. She was totally neurotic and very violent. No nursing home could handle her more than a few weeks and she was jumping around from place to place like a frog on a hot rock. Paul tried to witness to her but when he would mention Jesus she would curse and go wild. Since then he had lost contact with her again and had no idea where she was, but recently wondered where she was living. Paul had been a detective and could do miracles in tracing down and locating people. Somehow he was able to learn that she had died in a nursing home in St. Petersburg, Florida last November. Paul was grief stricken to hear that his mother had died unsaved and was forever in hell. But the the Holy Spirit kept saying to him, “Call someone to see if she knew Me”. Miraculously Paul finally got a man on the other end of the line and asked him, “Did you know Phyllis Almstead?” The following is from Paul's email:

He said, "Yes, I knew her very well. She was my friend. I led her to the Lord." I was so struck down!!! I cannot stop crying. He said, "I am Pastor Ricky Plummer. I led your mother to Jesus 6 months ago. I tell you she is in heaven now." He told me how she prayed all the time. 

Everyday Pastor and his wife would come to her room in morning and fix her hair and put on her makeup and take her out. He said everybody loved her and called her grandma. She was laughing and smiling happy all the time. She really loved Jesus, he said, and prayed all the time. Truly a miracle of God. 

Another miracle. My mother was most racist person I ever met, but this Pastor and wife are black people and her best friends. I have never been more happy in my life. Pastor said he was with her when she died. She did not suffer. Just went to sleep. He said she talked about me all then time, but could not remember where I lived.

There you have it folks. That tops them all. That is the most astonishing thing I have ever read.


Compared to Paul, all my stories are insipid. I have told you this one before, but as close as I can come to what happened with Paul's mother was my experience with Linda Rogers.

In 1973, when we were in the states, there was a fancy couple that used to sit in front of us in church. The man wore loud Hawaiian shirts and the lady had a huge stack of blond Marie Antoinette hair on her head. They were a vain as you get. I frequently said to Rosemary, “That couple aren't saved”. Eight years had passed and we were back in the states for furlough. We were attending a church supper in someone's home and Linda was sitting next to me. I said to her, “Mrs. Rogers, my name is Bill Cook, and this is my wife Rosemary.” She turned to me and said, “Bill Cook, I know more about you than your mother. I would like to share my testimony with you”. That took my breath away.

Linda said - like I had always suspected - they weren't saved, and after we went back to Japan they quit going to church altogether. After a couple of years, one day, a friend called Linda inviting her to go to church with her Sunday. Suddenly, Linda had an intense desire to go to church, and that week was the longest week of her life. After waiting an eternity, Sunday finally came. Linda got up early, and got ready for church; but it seemed that her friend had forgotten about her and was not coming. She was nearly in despair when her friend finally showed up. But then she never rode with such a slow driver in her life and every traffic light in town was red. At last they finally got to church, but it seemed like the service would never start. By the time the preacher finally stood up to speak, before he could tell his first joke, Linda had had the course and could wait no longer. Before a startled preacher and an amazed congregation of 500, Linda jumped to her feet, rushed forward, falling down at the alter crying, “Jesus, Jesus, save me!” Jesus everlastingly saved her and she got the whole nine yards.

Poor Jake. He had had a wonderful wife, but now she had lost her mind and was going bonkers for Jesus. There was no peace in heaven. Linda was on her knees every day storming the Throne of Grace, pleading with God to save Jake. Every time the Lord turned around, Linda was in His face pleading that He would save her husband.

Jake was a carpenter. About three months later, he was up on a roof with his crew. At 4:00 o'clock in the afternoon, he suddenly stood up, unbuckled his nail pouch, and told his crew, “I'll see you guys tomorrow”. Then he got on the ladder and claimed down off the roof.

The next morning Jake was on his way to work when he was involved in an auto accident and killed outright. The ambulance took him to the hospital DOA (dead on arrival). There was a pastor in the hospital who was never there at that hour of the morning, but had come in early to pray with a member of his church who was going in for surgery. He was walking out the entrance, when he heard an announcement over the PA system asking if there was any clergy in the hospital to please report to the administration desk. He turned around and went back asking what they wanted. The nurse explained to him that they had just brought a man in there dead, and they wanted a pastor to be there to explain to his wife that her husband was gone. The pastor asked to see the body, looked at Jake's face in the morgue, and went to the entrance to wait for his wife. A few minutes later, when Linda came rushing in the hospital, he stepped forward and said, “Mrs. Rogers, I am Pastor Bagwell; your husband is in heaven with the Lord Jesus.” Linda glared at him and responded, “Preacher, you are a liar! My husband is an unsaved man and he is in hell”. The pastor went on, “Mrs. Rogers, I have something to tell you. Yesterday afternoon your husband went to a pay phone and called the first church he could find listed in alphabetical order in the yellow pages. At 5:30 yesterday afternoon I led your husband to Christ.” Gong! I never heard a anything like it. By this time, Rosemary had gone through every napkin on the table crying and was read to blow her nose on the table cloth. Then Linda dropped the bomb. She said, “After the Lord took Jake, you and your family, replaced my husband in my heart. I have read every prayer letter you ever wrote. I have talked to any one who knows you or visited you in Japan, The first thing I do every morning when I get up is to pray for you. I have your family picture on the wall behind my sink and pray for you when I'm in the kitchen. I live with you all day and go to bed with with you all in my heart.” Crash! I didn't think she knew my name, and I never had heard such a testimony in my life. I turned to Rosemary and said, “If there is anything we do while we are in this town, it will be to spend as much time as possible with this sister.” And that was the last time I saw Linda Rogers. We never got together again.

The Lord is amazing. I thought the Linda Rogers story was the most amazing thing I ever heard, but Paul's mother is another level up. If it is this good now, I wonder what it will be when we see Jesus and He tells us the rest of the story.
                                                      bill


Dear Phyllis,

I have mentioned my friend Paul Almstead to you several times. I have known hundreds, perhaps thousands, of people over the years but Paul Almstead is one of a kind. When I first met him ten years ago I thought it was a waste of time to invite him to come to a Bible study, He was so far at the end of the line of people waiting to be saved that you couldn't see him from the front. But after he got saved, daily he would stop by the house sharing some of the most amazing testimonies I have ever heard. I believe Paul has shared more astonishing miracles happening daily than any man I have ever known. But yesterday he sent out an email that tops them all.

Paul is from New York, and has a horrible background. His mother was as bad as they get. He never had a close relationship with his mother, and it had been well over 20 years since the last time he saw her or knew anything about her. But after he was saved Paul began to pray that she might come to Christ. That would be like growing bananas in Greenland. Then three years ago when he was in the states, he learned that she was in Florida, and went to see her. She was 86, in nursing homes, and driving everyone near her out of their minds. The police station had a special place for her as she was constantly calling them reporting that someone was trying to kill her. She was totally neurotic and very violent. No nursing home could handle her more than a few weeks and she was jumping around from place to place like a frog on a hot rock. Paul tried to witness to her but when he would mention Jesus she would curse and go wild. Since then he had lost contact with her again and had no idea where she was, but recently wondered where she was living. Paul had been a detective and could do miracles in tracing down and locating people. Somehow he was able to learn that she had died in a nursing home in St. Petersburg, Florida last November. Paul was grief stricken to hear that his mother had died unsaved and was forever in hell. But the the Holy Spirit kept saying to him, “Call someone to see if she knew Me”. Miraculously Paul finally got a man on the other end of the line and asked him, “Did you know Phyllis Almstead?” The following is from Paul's email:

He said, "Yes, I knew her very well. She was my friend. I led her to the Lord." I was so struck down!!! I cannot stop crying. He said, "I am Pastor Ricky Plummer. I led your mother to Jesus 6 months ago. I tell you she is in heaven now." He told me how she prayed all the time. 

Everyday Pastor and his wife would come to her room in morning and fix her hair and put on her makeup and take her out. He said everybody loved her and called her grandma. She was laughing and smiling happy all the time. She really loved Jesus, he said, and prayed all the time. Truly a miracle of God. 

Another miracle. My mother was most racist person I ever met, but this Pastor and wife are black people and her best friends. I have never been more happy in my life. Pastor said he was with her when she died. She did not suffer. Just went to sleep. He said she talked about me all then time, but could not remember where I lived.

There you have it folks. That tops them all. That is the most astonishing thing I have ever read.


Compared to Paul, all my stories are insipid. I have told you this one before, but as close as I can come to what happened with Paul's mother was my experience with Linda Rogers.

In 1973, when we were in the states, there was a fancy couple that used to sit in front of us in church. The man wore loud Hawaiian shirts and the lady had a huge stack of blond Marie Antoinette hair on her head. They were a vain as you get. I frequently said to Rosemary, “That couple aren't saved”. Eight years had passed and we were back in the states for furlough. We were attending a church supper in someone's home and Linda was sitting next to me. I said to her, “Mrs. Rogers, my name is Bill Cook, and this is my wife Rosemary.” She turned to me and said, “Bill Cook, I know more about you than your mother. I would like to share my testimony with you”. That took my breath away.

Linda said - like I had always suspected - they weren't saved, and after we went back to Japan they quit going to church altogether. After a couple of years, one day, a friend called Linda inviting her to go to church with her Sunday. Suddenly, Linda had an intense desire to go to church, and that week was the longest week of her life. After waiting an eternity, Sunday finally came. Linda got up early, and got ready for church; but it seemed that her friend had forgotten about her and was not coming. She was nearly in despair when her friend finally showed up. But then she never rode with such a slow driver in her life and every traffic light in town was red. At last they finally got to church, but it seemed like the service would never start. By the time the preacher finally stood up to speak, before he could tell his first joke, Linda had had the course and could wait no longer. Before a startled preacher and an amazed congregation of 500, Linda jumped to her feet, rushed forward, falling down at the alter crying, “Jesus, Jesus, save me!” Jesus everlastingly saved her and she got the whole nine yards.

Poor Jake. He had had a wonderful wife, but now she had lost her mind and was going bonkers for Jesus. There was no peace in heaven. Linda was on her knees every day storming the Throne of Grace, pleading with God to save Jake. Every time the Lord turned around, Linda was in His face pleading that He would save her husband.

Jake was a carpenter. About three months later, he was up on a roof with his crew. At 4:00 o'clock in the afternoon, he suddenly stood up, unbuckled his nail pouch, and told his crew, “I'll see you guys tomorrow”. Then he got on the ladder and claimed down off the roof.

The next morning Jake was on his way to work when he was involved in an auto accident and killed outright. The ambulance took him to the hospital DOA (dead on arrival). There was a pastor in the hospital who was never there at that hour of the morning, but had come in early to pray with a member of his church who was going in for surgery. He was walking out the entrance, when he heard an announcement over the PA system asking if there was any clergy in the hospital to please report to the administration desk. He turned around and went back asking what they wanted. The nurse explained to him that they had just brought a man in there dead, and they wanted a pastor to be there to explain to his wife that her husband was gone. The pastor asked to see the body, looked at Jake's face in the morgue, and went to the entrance to wait for his wife. A few minutes later, when Linda came rushing in the hospital, he stepped forward and said, “Mrs. Rogers, I am Pastor Bagwell; your husband is in heaven with the Lord Jesus.” Linda glared at him and responded, “Preacher, you are a liar! My husband is an unsaved man and he is in hell”. The pastor went on, “Mrs. Rogers, I have something to tell you. Yesterday afternoon your husband went to a pay phone and called the first church he could find listed in alphabetical order in the yellow pages. At 5:30 yesterday afternoon I led your husband to Christ.” Gong! I never heard a anything like it. By this time, Rosemary had gone through every napkin on the table crying and was read to blow her nose on the table cloth. Then Linda dropped the bomb. She said, “After the Lord took Jake, you and your family, replaced my husband in my heart. I have read every prayer letter you ever wrote. I have talked to any one who knows you or visited you in Japan, The first thing I do every morning when I get up is to pray for you. I have your family picture on the wall behind my sink and pray for you when I'm in the kitchen. I live with you all day and go to bed with with you all in my heart.” Crash! I didn't think she knew my name, and I never had heard such a testimony in my life. I turned to Rosemary and said, “If there is anything we do while we are in this town, it will be to spend as much time as possible with this sister.” And that was the last time I saw Linda Rogers. We never got together again.

The Lord is amazing. I thought the Linda Rogers story was the most amazing thing I ever heard, but Paul's mother is another level up. If it is this good now, I wonder what it will be when we see Jesus and He tells us the rest of the story.
                                                      bill


I have mentioned my friend Paul Almstead to you several times. I have known hundreds, perhaps thousands, of people over the years but Paul Almstead is one of a kind. When I first met him ten years ago I thought it was a waste of time to invite him to come to a Bible study, He was so far at the end of the line of people waiting to be saved that you couldn't see him from the front. But after he got saved, daily he would stop by the house sharing some of the most amazing testimonies I have ever heard. I believe Paul has shared more astonishing miracles happening daily than any man I have ever known. But yesterday he sent out an email that tops them all.

Paul is from New York, and has a horrible background. His mother was as bad as they get. He never had a close relationship with his mother, and it had been well over 20 years since the last time he saw her or knew anything about her. But after he was saved Paul began to pray that she might come to Christ. That would be like growing bananas in Greenland. Then three years ago when he was in the states, he learned that she was in Florida, and went to see her. She was 86, in nursing homes, and driving everyone near her out of their minds. The police station had a special place for her as she was constantly calling them reporting that someone was trying to kill her. She was totally neurotic and very violent. No nursing home could handle her more than a few weeks and she was jumping around from place to place like a frog on a hot rock. Paul tried to witness to her but when he would mention Jesus she would curse and go wild. Since then he had lost contact with her again and had no idea where she was, but recently wondered where she was living. Paul had been a detective and could do miracles in tracing down and locating people. Somehow he was able to learn that she had died in a nursing home in St. Petersburg, Florida last November. Paul was grief stricken to hear that his mother had died unsaved and was forever in hell. But the the Holy Spirit kept saying to him, “Call someone to see if she knew Me”. Miraculously Paul finally got a man on the other end of the line and asked him, “Did you know Phyllis Almstead?” The following is from Paul's email:

He said, "Yes, I knew her very well. She was my friend. I led her to the Lord." I was so struck down!!! I cannot stop crying. He said, "I am Pastor Ricky Plummer. I led your mother to Jesus 6 months ago. I tell you she is in heaven now." He told me how she prayed all the time. 

Everyday Pastor and his wife would come to her room in morning and fix her hair and put on her makeup and take her out. He said everybody loved her and called her grandma. She was laughing and smiling happy all the time. She really loved Jesus, he said, and prayed all the time. Truly a miracle of God. 

Another miracle. My mother was most racist person I ever met, but this Pastor and wife are black people and her best friends. I have never been more happy in my life. Pastor said he was with her when she died. She did not suffer. Just went to sleep. He said she talked about me all then time, but could not remember where I lived.

There you have it folks. That tops them all. That is the most astonishing thing I have ever read.


Compared to Paul, all my stories are insipid. I have told you this one before, but as close as I can come to what happened with Paul's mother was my experience with Linda Rogers.

In 1973, when we were in the states, there was a fancy couple that used to sit in front of us in church. The man wore loud Hawaiian shirts and the lady had a huge stack of blond Marie Antoinette hair on her head. They were a vain as you get. I frequently said to Rosemary, “That couple aren't saved”. Eight years had passed and we were back in the states for furlough. We were attending a church supper in someone's home and Linda was sitting next to me. I said to her, “Mrs. Rogers, my name is Bill Cook, and this is my wife Rosemary.” She turned to me and said, “Bill Cook, I know more about you than your mother. I would like to share my testimony with you”. That took my breath away.

Linda said - like I had always suspected - they weren't saved, and after we went back to Japan they quit going to church altogether. After a couple of years, one day, a friend called Linda inviting her to go to church with her Sunday. Suddenly, Linda had an intense desire to go to church, and that week was the longest week of her life. After waiting an eternity, Sunday finally came. Linda got up early, and got ready for church; but it seemed that her friend had forgotten about her and was not coming. She was nearly in despair when her friend finally showed up. But then she never rode with such a slow driver in her life and every traffic light in town was red. At last they finally got to church, but it seemed like the service would never start. By the time the preacher finally stood up to speak, before he could tell his first joke, Linda had had the course and could wait no longer. Before a startled preacher and an amazed congregation of 500, Linda jumped to her feet, rushed forward, falling down at the alter crying, “Jesus, Jesus, save me!” Jesus everlastingly saved her and she got the whole nine yards.

Poor Jake. He had had a wonderful wife, but now she had lost her mind and was going bonkers for Jesus. There was no peace in heaven. Linda was on her knees every day storming the Throne of Grace, pleading with God to save Jake. Every time the Lord turned around, Linda was in His face pleading that He would save her husband.

Jake was a carpenter. About three months later, he was up on a roof with his crew. At 4:00 o'clock in the afternoon, he suddenly stood up, unbuckled his nail pouch, and told his crew, “I'll see you guys tomorrow”. Then he got on the ladder and claimed down off the roof.

The next morning Jake was on his way to work when he was involved in an auto accident and killed outright. The ambulance took him to the hospital DOA (dead on arrival). There was a pastor in the hospital who was never there at that hour of the morning, but had come in early to pray with a member of his church who was going in for surgery. He was walking out the entrance, when he heard an announcement over the PA system asking if there was any clergy in the hospital to please report to the administration desk. He turned around and went back asking what they wanted. The nurse explained to him that they had just brought a man in there dead, and they wanted a pastor to be there to explain to his wife that her husband was gone. The pastor asked to see the body, looked at Jake's face in the morgue, and went to the entrance to wait for his wife. A few minutes later, when Linda came rushing in the hospital, he stepped forward and said, “Mrs. Rogers, I am Pastor Bagwell; your husband is in heaven with the Lord Jesus.” Linda glared at him and responded, “Preacher, you are a liar! My husband is an unsaved man and he is in hell”. The pastor went on, “Mrs. Rogers, I have something to tell you. Yesterday afternoon your husband went to a pay phone and called the first church he could find listed in alphabetical order in the yellow pages. At 5:30 yesterday afternoon I led your husband to Christ.” Gong! I never heard a anything like it. By this time, Rosemary had gone through every napkin on the table crying and was read to blow her nose on the table cloth. Then Linda dropped the bomb. She said, “After the Lord took Jake, you and your family, replaced my husband in my heart. I have read every prayer letter you ever wrote. I have talked to any one who knows you or visited you in Japan, The first thing I do every morning when I get up is to pray for you. I have your family picture on the wall behind my sink and pray for you when I'm in the kitchen. I live with you all day and go to bed with with you all in my heart.” Crash! I didn't think she knew my name, and I never had heard such a testimony in my life. I turned to Rosemary and said, “If there is anything we do while we are in this town, it will be to spend as much time as possible with this sister.” And that was the last time I saw Linda Rogers. We never got together again.

The Lord is amazing. I thought the Linda Rogers story was the most amazing thing I ever heard, but Paul's mother is another level up. If it is this good now, I wonder what it will be when we see Jesus and He tells us the rest of the story.
                                                      bill

Posted by at No comments:
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)