thA Story from my mother's book.... 1970's rural area

My children were going to Dauphin Island, a beach resort near Mobile, for a picnic and to swim.  My oldest daughter, Sandra, was driving, for at that time I could not drive.  She wanted me to go with them to watch the two small children, Olivia and David.  I took my chair and sat by the water, watching Olivia and David playing along the edge. I was able to watch them and pray to myself all day. I was asking Jesus the reason for all the visions and dreams, and when was I going to do more for Him.  I prayed that God would give me something encouraging as I was becoming more and more impatient to do a greater work for the Lord.

We Were late getting home, and as we drove in the yard, our neighbor, Linda Carter, came running excitedly to me.

"Mrs, Yates," she said, "will you come and pray for my husband?"  I had my shoes off and I didn't even stop to put them on.  As we started to her house, I asked if she was sure he wanted me to pray for him.  I didn't know him very well, I only knew her.  She answered, "I don't care, for I think he is dying."  He's burning up with fever, and I tried to get a doctor, but he wouldn't come.  I also called my family but they didn't come either, and I have been to your house several times.  Your husband told me where you had gone, and I have been waiting for you to get back.

On arriving, I saw that he was completely out.  Mrs. Carter stated he had been out like that for a long time.  I began to pray for him, and turning to her I said, "Help me pray."  We both prayed for about five minutes.  Then Mrs. Carter said she was going to get me a chair and went to the kitchen for one.  Before I sat down, I saw Mr. Carter had begun perspiring---the sweat was just pouring from him.  I told Mrs. Carter that the Lord had answered our prayers.

He opened His eyes, and looking at his wife,and said, "God Loves this woman."

"He is talking about you," she said.

He then raised his hand and pointed to me. "You, God loves you." While we both stood looking and listening, he began to talk to me.  Remember this was not a religous man.  After he said "You, God loves you," he said, "So many people in the world, and such a few have their mind on the Lord, but you have.  You are going to tell them, but your time is not God's time, and you have to wait a little while longer.  There is no death, you must tell them they will live forever."

About this time, Mrs. Carter excitedly said that it was not him talking, for his teeth were out and he couldn't speak plainly without them.  Every word was plain.  Every word was plain even though normally he couldn't understand him without his teeth.  She was convinced there was something very unusual happening.  While she was talking, he had stopped talking, but when she stopped he began again.  All the time sweat was pouring off him.

"Tell me about the Sabbath,"  he requested.

I didn't know much about it except they used to worship God on the Sabbath on Saturday instead of Sunday.  He then ask me, "Show me in the Bible where it was ever taken out of the way." I said that I would see what I could find out about the Sabbath and let him know, as I had never thought much about the Sabbath.

He continued with, "A little faith is all you need; you will tell the people, for they must know.  Your are very soon going to stop blood, and then you will know that God has spoken to you." 

This startled me, for I thought I had been talking to the man.  It had not occurred to me it wasn't him, even after his wife said it wasn't.  GOD WAS TALKING TO ME THROUGH THIS MAN!  Dazed, I asked, "what do you mean, I will stop blood and then I will know God has spoken to me?"

"This is a sign to you, for very soon you will stop blood," he replied.  "Then you will know God has spoken to you." I was stunned by the message and had no strength left.

The Carters did not have a Bible in their home, but I had been witnessing to Mrs. Carter and she had become very hungry to know more about God.  Just a day or so before Mr. Carter became sick; someone had come by their home selling books that were supposed to help explain the Bible.  Mr. Carter told his wife that he thought it was a good idea to buy them.  He was thinking that by reading the books they would understand the Bible better.  So, agreeing together, the Carters did go ahead and buy a set of the books.

But now Mr. Carter turned to his wife and said, "Burn the books that you just bought.  Get a Bible, for the interpretation in the books is not right."

"But he wanted the books," Mrs. Carter said to me.

By that time, Mr. Carter had closed his eyes and seemed to be asleep.  We felt him, and he was wet all over; even the sheets and mattress were wet, but he didn't have a fever.  The extreme magnificence of this was astounding.

"Mrs. Yates, this has been very strange." She repeated, For he really can't talk without his teeth, and every word he spoke was very plain.  I can't understand his telling me to burn the books; that is os unlike him." He seemed to still be in a peaceful sleep. I asked her, as we looked at him if she could change the sheets and him by herself or did she want me to help.  She said she could do it all by herself, so I told her I would go home, and to call me if she needed anything.  I fairly floated home in delight.

Remembering the prayer I had prayed all day, I knew the Lord had spoken to me and answered my prayer I had prayed all day.  I had to wait a little while longer, but I wondered how the stopping blood would be.

The next morning, a lady came and told me about a crippled man who was bedridden.  He had begun to bleed internally and the doctors couldn't find where the blood was coming from.  She said that she knew when she got up that morning she must come and tell me about him and ask me to go and pray for him.  This woman came to my house before I had my breakfast dishes washed, and I remembered what had been said--that I would soon stop blood.  I knew that when I prayed he would stop bleeding, and he did.  The doctor never found the cause of the bleeding, but it did stop; that was my sign that God had spoken to me.

Mr. Carter didn't remember anything he had said to me; he didn't even remember my being there.  His fever never came back; he was weak the next day, but that wall all.  I later said something to him about the Sabbath. "What are you talking about?" His wife asked him if he still wanted her to burn the book.  He answered, "Burn what books? I never told you to burn any books."  Mr. Carter never remembered anything about that evening.

God does work in mysterious ways.  He can speak through a man or donkey, like He did in the Bible, just as it pleases Him.  I then knew it would be in God's time when I would tell the people.  I believe the Lord put this man down especially to talk to me, and that it was God that kept Mrs. Carter family or the doctor from coming.  There was no sleep for me that night, as I thought on all my Lord had said to me through Mr. Carter and how the sign that it was God talking to me had come to pass.  While I prayed all day at the beach, God had heard and answered.  I have been blessed so greatly by my Lord Jesus. Oh, that I could be worthy of His grace in every way; that I might do His will always, and that His way would be my way.  Hear my prayer, oh, Lord my God!