Spellbinder Read Free Page B

walks with God. And we brought our TV cameras, and our transmitters, and our technicians, too. And then, friends, we had ourselves a good, old-fashioned prayer meeting. It was the same kind of a meeting we’d have if we went to Joliet, Illinois, or Little Rock, Arkansas, or St. Petersburg, down in Florida. And I remember, friends—” The voice trembles. In the monitor, looking again straight into the camera, Holloway’s eyes are misted with memory.
    “I remember that when I asked who it was that would come down the aisle to repent his sins and take the Lord Jesus Christ for his savior, why, the first person to come down the aisle of that mammoth soccer stadium was his honor the mayor of Santiago. And he was crying, friends. He was crying like a child, unashamed. And his hands were stretched up to heaven, reaching out. And he was only the first of hundreds, friends. Only the first of three hundred and eighteen souls, to be exact, who declared for Christ that day.”
    A long, heavy pause. Then:
    “And the most miraculous thing-about it was, friends—” Holloway shakes his head, overwhelmed. “The most miraculous thing of all, was that God’s work was done that day with an interpreter. Except for the first sentence, I didn’t speak a word of Spanish. And the audience, they didn’t speak English, of course. But that didn’t matter. It didn’t matter one single bit. Because God spoke through me directly to the hearts of those poor, simple people. He spoke, and they understood. And they believed. And they made their decisions for Christ. All three hundred and eighteen of them, following their mayor down the aisle of that soccer stadium.
    “That was in 1961, like I said. Then, in 1965, we took our ministry out to the Philippines, and we reached out to touch the natives there. Next came Africa, in 1972. When we told you that we wanted to buy a river steamer, and outfit it, and sail it down the Nile under God’s banner, to work for Christ among the natives of Africa, you heeded our call. We told you we needed a half million dollars. Yes—” A slow, grave nod. The beautifully barbered head remains momentarily bowed. Intently, the manager looks at the line where Holloway’s hairpiece meets his natural hair. The joining is almost imperceptible.
    “Yes, the mission to Africa was our most ambitious crusade for Christ. We wanted to go directly into the heart of that dark, savage land. And we needed your help. We needed money. Lots of money—a half million dollars, just to start. Just to get the boat, and to get it into the water.
    “So we asked you for the money we needed. Just like, so many years ago, my Daddy asked those poor, humble folk in Peoria for help to buy his tent. And you responded, friends. In only six months, you sent us more than a half million dollars. We bought our steamer, and we named it the Sister Katherine , after my helpmate and partner in the service of God for so many years. We sailed the Sister Katherine down the Nile, and we talked to the natives. And they listened, and they understood. And they believed.
    “That was in 1972. And the Sister Katherine is still at work, plying those dangerous waters in the service of the Lord.
    “But that was six years ago. This is 1978. Our missions in South America, and in the Philippines, and in the heart of Africa are still steadily winning victories for the Lord—still expanding those circles that the Apostles started, so long ago, when Jesus first cast that holy pebble of His gospel into the great pool of life.
    “But what victories, you may ask, are we planning for the future? You may ask whether we’ve decided that we’ve done enough—that we’ve decided to let others fight God’s battles, bringing His word to the world’s unbelievers.”
    Another ponderous pause, as Holloway looks out beyond the footlights. Then: “If some of you have asked yourselves that question, then I’m ready today with your answer. Yes, my friends, today I’m