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One day in
1898 Willis Hotchkiss, serving as a missionary in the Kenya Colony of Africa,
was in dire straits-so dire, in fact, that the messenger of the Cross stood
between two rhinoceroses and a lioness who guarded her three cubs. Missionary
Hotchkiss had gotten himself in this strange position since near-starvation
stalked the compound. There had been little food, due to a drought, and
little money to purchase it. So one day Hotchkiss decided to go hunting for
meat. |
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On this
particular day he and a native had hunted for many hours and had not killed anything;
and, strange as it may appear, though they did not realize it, there was only
one bullet in either Hotchkiss' gun or that of the native who was with him.
Late in the afternoon Hotchkiss saw a lioness and her three cubs go up a
ravine that cut through the veld. For a short while Hotchkiss and his
companion debated just what would be their best procedure. They had no desire
to face that angry lioness who was protecting her cubs; so they started, as
they thought, toward safety. Immediately they were faced by two rhinoceroses.
They stood still for a moment, not knowing which way to go. They realized if
they went to the right they faced the lioness, and to the left of them were
the terrible beasts that could crush their bodies at a moment's notice. So Hotchkiss
prayed a short prayer and waited for a while, wondering what would occur. He
knew that the lioness was the most dangerous animal in the veld when made
angry while protecting her cubs. |
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Suddenly,
to Hotchkiss' utter amazement, the lioness did not run true to her lioness
background or instinct of veld training. She stopped, after she had stalked
her prey, within a very few feet of the two men who stood as though riveted
to the earth. Hotchkiss for the instant knew that it would be futile to run, for
running would throw them into the rhinoceroses; so they stood still and asked
God to protect them. They watched the lioness as she bellied down on the
earth and made ready for the final spring. They were amazed to see the
lioness tremble throughout her great body, as though a serious fear had
unexpectedly gripped her angry frame. Then she turned, magnificent beast that
she was, and raced over the veld back to her cubs. And thus Hotchkiss and his
companion were saved. |
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Weeks
later the missionary received a letter from a small band of supporters who
had promised to pray for him regularly. This letter told a strange story. It
said in effect that on a certain day when the band had gathered for a
meeting, there seemed to be a strange sense settle upon the leader that their
missionary, Willis Hotchkiss, was at that instant facing a strange danger.
The leader called the band to prayer. They prayed until the skies seemed to
clear and God answered that Hotchkiss was safe. |
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As
Hotchkiss read that letter his heart rejoiced; and when he checked the date
of that meeting and the date of this strange event which he had experienced
before the lioness, he discovered that the two matched identically. |
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God, in the
moment of his need, had laid a burden of prayer upon his friends in |
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From:
ANSWERED PRAYER IN MISSIONARY SERVICE By Basil William Miller, Beacon Hill
Press, Kansas City, Missouri. First Printing, April 1951 Second Printing,
July 1951 Printed in |