Dear Steve,

    Thank you for honoring God by sending out these stories of God's
miracles today. I would like to tell you one more story about a real miracle
in Guatemala.

    Bro. and Sr. Ray Bignell have been missionaries in Guatemala for more
than 40 years. They are very godly people, and their ministry has been
blessed by God in many remarkable ways. Mrs. Bignell was healed several
years ago when the doctors had sent her to US to have surgery. She never
needed the surgery. They have faithfully taught their people that God
answers the prayers of His people when doing so will bring glory to His name
and witness to the power of the Gospel.

    Bignells' oldest daughter and her husband returned to Guatemala after
their marriage. Donna Bignell has the same godly character as her parents,
and her husband is right behind her in God's work. They have 3 children who
are now in their teens whom they hope will help carry on God's work wherever
He may call them.

    Several years ago when Bignells' grandchildren were younger, the two
families had gone to the ocean for a day of relaxation. At least one family
of Guatemalan Christians had gone with them. The children were playing in
the surf along the beach. Suddenly the younger boy, who was about 9 years
old at the time, and a native boy of about the same age got caught in the
undertow and were carried out beyond the breakers.

    Bro. Ray Bignell is a strong swimmer, and he tried to rush to their aid,
but  the current was too strong for him. As the family on shore prayed, he
tried several times to swim out beyond the breakers to rescue his grandson.
Just as he realized that he would be unable to do anything to help the boy,
a young man strode past the loved ones on the shore. Without hesitation, he
plunged into the waves, swam through the breakers, and brought Eddie back to
shore. Someone else had managed to rescue the native boy as well.

    When Eddie was safely with his parents and grandparents, they turned to
thank his rescuer. There was no young man on the beach, and no one else had
seen anyone nearby! God had sent His angel to save the child's life.


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    I know that many stories about angels are popular today, and often I
think there may be some other explanation for the stories which have been
told. I have no questions about this story. I have known these grandparents
for as long as I can remember, and I know that they live so close to God
that He has answered prayer for them many times. I also know the younger
couple well, and their integrity is unquestionable. I can easily imagine
what fervent prayers they were sending up to God for a miracle to save this
child's life. God heard their petitions and granted their request, knowing
that He would get all the glory for this miracle.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

    Now I shall tell you another story which Bro. William Cawman told last
night about what God had done for him a year ago.

    In the fall of 2000, Bro Cawman had held a revival for the same church
where he is currently holding another meeting. At the time, he had two
herniated discs in his neck, and for some reason they really flared up
during that meeting. He had to ask the pastor to refer him to a good
chiropractor to try to get some relief so he could continue the revival.

    One evening during service, several people came to the front of the
church to pray for healing. Bro. Cawman started to go down to join them with
his own request for healing, but he felt God definitely check him. He obeyed
the check and kept his request secret.

    A few weeks after the revival was over, Bro. Cawman got into such pain
that it was radiating all the way down his arm. His doctor referred him to a
neurosurgeon, and the surgery was scheduled for a certain Tuesday.

    For several years Bro. Cawman has worked as a prison chaplain in a large
prison in New Jersey. Men are there for every possible sort of crime. Many
have been involved in drugs and promiscuity and are now suffering from AIDS.
Tenderly and faithfully he has tried to lead these men into a personal
relationship with their heavenly Father. It has been hard to teach them to
trust a heavenly Father when they have had no previous relationship with
anyone whom they could trust. Many have come from abusive and even violent
backgrounds. But under that hard exterior are heavy hearts who are longing
for someone who will love them and teach them a better way to live.

    Numbers of these men have gotten truly saved, and their lives have been
so changed that everyone around them in the prison knows that they are
different. The majority of the men are Black, but other nationalities are
also represented. They have found that God treats all men the same way. When
He saves them, they become brothers in the family of God. And their greatest
delight is to come to Bible study to learn more about this great God and to
find what He has to say to them from His Word. They love to sing and to
pray, and they are whole-hearted in their expressions of love to God and
also to their beloved chaplain.

    After Bro. Cawman had learned of his surgery date, he went to Bible
study on Thursday night. There he shared his need with these men.
Immediately they asked him if they could pray. In a moment, Bro. Cawman
found himself backed up against the wall with about 50-60 former criminals
each struggling to lay hands on their chaplain as they poured out their
petition to God for his healing. God heard the simple requests of their
ransomed criminals and healed their chaplain! The pain left him, and he was
able to cancel his surgery and testify to the neurosurgeon what God had done
for him!


**************************************************

    The sermon last night was taken from II Chronicles 20: 5-25. Jehoshaphat
had prepared his own heart to seek God and had also prepared the hearts of
the people of Judah to return unto the God of their fathers. He had also
placed judges in the land to help the people keep the laws of the Lord, and
he had restored the Levites to their places as priests before God, charging
them to serve the Lord faithfully and with a perfect heart. Thus he was
spiritually prepared when the children of Moab and of Ammon came against him
in battle.

    Then Jehoshaphat stood in the congregation and poured out his heart to
his God. "Art thou not  (vs. 7) the God who has done all these miracles for
us in the past? And if evil cometh upon us and we cry unto thee, dost thou
not (vs. 9) hear and help us? And now the children of Ammon and Moab (whom
thou wouldest not let Iseael invade) have come upon us. O our God, wilt thou
not (vs. 12) again help us? We have no might, neither know we what to do;
but our eyes are upon thee.  Do it again, Lord!"

    And God answered that prayer! "Ye shall not need to fight in this
battle: set yourselves, stand ye still, and see the salvation of the Lord
with you...fear not,,,for the Lord will be with you." The only time it is
safe for us not to fight is when God gives us this command!

    Then Jehoshaphat appointed singers to go out before the army to praise
the Lord.  And as they began to sing and to praise, the Lord went out and
smote their enemies. Not one of their enemies escaped! And........they were
three days in gathering of the spoil, it was so much!

    Oh, God! Art thou not..........dost thou not.............wilt thou not
do it again today for thy children?

   Notes from a sermon by Bro. William Cawman on October 2, 2001.

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    I write these notes partly to impress them upon my own mind and heart
and to strengthen my faith and trust in our mighty God. I trust the "crumbs"
may also be a blessing to someone else.

            Yours in Him!

            Florence