Take The Gospel To The Ends Of The Earth
When Tom Hamlin's evangelism at an Arabian village was cut short because he got stung by a scorpion and needed to get urgent medical care, a young boy who was his interpreter in that village, insisted on carrying on with the work to other villages who were in need of the gospel. And all alone, the 13 year old set out to do the Master's bidding.
Following excerpt from 43% into Under Their Very Eyes the astonishing life of Tom Hamblin by Deborah Meroff
Already the people were poring over the Scriptures with wonder. They pointed to verses and began to ask, “What does this mean?” and “What about this?”
It was wonderful to see their fascination with God’s Word. Then a thirteen-year-old boy came over to introduce himself.
“I am the only boy in the village who can read and speak English,” he said proudly, and then offered, “Can I interpret for you?”
Wow, I thought. God provided.
We spent the next couple of hours unfolding God’s good news to the villagers through this young boy. He was so eager, so excited. But then, suddenly, our visit came to an abrupt halt as I felt something sting my foot through the rattan mat we were sitting on.
The pain of a scorpion bite is indescribable. My foot began immediately to swell, and as soon as the villagers learned what had happened they tried to help, hurrying to apply some kind of home-made remedy to the sting. Then the men lifted me and carried me back up the mountain and down to where we left the four-wheel drive, so I could be taken to hospital. A scorpion bite can cause an array of severe symptoms including seizures, blurred vision, and difficulty breathing - sometimes even death.
I was already very ill. The boy who had been translating for us had followed us to the car. He came up to the window to speak to me.
“Sir,” he implored, his anxiety that others have an opportunity to hear the good news overcoming even his concern for me, “what about the other villages?” They too had listened to the radio broadcasts (Feba’s Love and Faithfulness programme), he said, but they had no Scriptures in Arabic.
I explained to the boy that I was very sorry that I was unable to take the books to any other villages, as I needed to get medical treatment urgently.
He didn’t hesitate. “Can I take them please?” he pleaded.
The last glimpse I had of this youth he was setting off towards another mountain, with the knapsack of Scriptures on his back. I have prayed many times that the Lord used him to fulfil His purposes in that remote, mountainous area of Arabia.
It was wonderful to see their fascination with God’s Word. Then a thirteen-year-old boy came over to introduce himself.
“I am the only boy in the village who can read and speak English,” he said proudly, and then offered, “Can I interpret for you?”
Wow, I thought. God provided.
We spent the next couple of hours unfolding God’s good news to the villagers through this young boy. He was so eager, so excited. But then, suddenly, our visit came to an abrupt halt as I felt something sting my foot through the rattan mat we were sitting on.
The pain of a scorpion bite is indescribable. My foot began immediately to swell, and as soon as the villagers learned what had happened they tried to help, hurrying to apply some kind of home-made remedy to the sting. Then the men lifted me and carried me back up the mountain and down to where we left the four-wheel drive, so I could be taken to hospital. A scorpion bite can cause an array of severe symptoms including seizures, blurred vision, and difficulty breathing - sometimes even death.
I was already very ill. The boy who had been translating for us had followed us to the car. He came up to the window to speak to me.
“Sir,” he implored, his anxiety that others have an opportunity to hear the good news overcoming even his concern for me, “what about the other villages?” They too had listened to the radio broadcasts (Feba’s Love and Faithfulness programme), he said, but they had no Scriptures in Arabic.
I explained to the boy that I was very sorry that I was unable to take the books to any other villages, as I needed to get medical treatment urgently.
He didn’t hesitate. “Can I take them please?” he pleaded.
The last glimpse I had of this youth he was setting off towards another mountain, with the knapsack of Scriptures on his back. I have prayed many times that the Lord used him to fulfil His purposes in that remote, mountainous area of Arabia.
Under Their Very Eyes the astonishing life of Tom Hamblin
by Deborah Meroff
| Genre: | Missionary biography |
| Subject: | Tom Hamblin |
| Publisher: | Monarch Books |
| Year: | 2016 |
| Location: | Oxford |
| Library: | Physical collection at walkingtogether.life |
| Purchase: | https://www.amazon.com/Under-Their-Very-... |
Scripture Testimony Index stories in this book
After a decade of missionary work in Singapore, the Lord reveals to Tom and Edna Hamblin, through identical prophesies and the scriptures, what He will have them do next.
Tom and Edna Hamblin, a Christian couple, pray for an unbelieving woman and she is healed. That marked a turning point in her family; she eventually raised all of her children as Christians.
Tom Hamblin is convicted of his unforgiveness, there and then he forgives. As a result, he experienced an instant special anointing in his preaching and teaching.
At a meeting with native believers in Borneo, Tom Hamblin and his companions witnessed the amazing expression of the gifts of the Holy Spirit, when a nursing mother, who had never been to school all her life, prophesied in perfect English. The following year, the prophecy she received from the Lord that night; came to pass.
It was Tom's practice to sow the seed of God's word in strangers by randomly handing them Bibles. And having shiped his grain across the sea, a great return came when one day, he was met a grateful stranger at a restaurant in the U.A.E., who had become a Christian by reading the Bible Tom handed him at a petrol station in Oman.
A believer visits his unbelieving cancer ridden friend at the hospital to pray for him and was met with fierce resistance by his friend. But as he made to leave, an Arabian in the same ward who also had cancer, having over heard their conversation called out to the believer to pray for him and he did. On the believer's next visit to the hospital, both men were gone but only one survived and left him an amazing note.
When Tom Hamlin's evangelism at an Arabian village was cut short because he got stung by a scorpion and needed to get urgent medical care, a young boy who was his interpreter in that village, insisted on carrying on with the work to other villages who were in need of the gospel. And all alone, the 13 year old set out to do the Master's bidding.
The government of Sudan is openly suppressing Christians and any attempt at promoting christianity is met with unyielding opposition. Bibles are getting confiscated and christians are pressured to convert to Islam or leave.
When a team of 8 Christians in the city of Malakal set up meetings and book exhibitions, they were attack by a group of radicalized Moslems who accused them of insulting Islam. They were arrested and upon their release, still went on to hold the meetings with many people coming to Christ.
For refusing to deny Jesus Christ, Vincent was flogged and imprisoned in the worst of places where he had to endure a very squalid living condition. But none of these was enough to break his resolve, instead he cheerfully accepted his fate and determined to continue preaching the gospel; even in prison.
Ali, who was a popular Somali Muslim, was confronted with the truth of the gospel by David, who also gave him the Injil to study. Soon after he started to read the rather 'disturbing' Injil, Jesus appeared to him in dream; an experience that led Ali to put all his faith in Jesus.
After his conversion to Christianity from Islam, David dedicated his life to the Lord; establishing evangelistic ministries among the Somalis in Yemen and Ethiopia. At a great personal risk David soldiered on with the Master's work, until his betrayal by his own sister, who gave him up to be heinously martyred.
Ahmed was a devout Muslim and lecturer, when in 1989 at Mecca, the Lord appeared to him in a vision and said to him "Where you are there is no life.’ This led Achmed on a search for truth and he found Jesus - and stuck with Him; even while he was threatened with the consequence of apostasy.
A woman who was possessed with evil spirits was prayed for by a man who spoke in an unknown language. Her deliverance was complete and she went on to become an evangelist sharing the testimony of her deliverance.
A man who had unclean spirit is discerned, he is prayed for and delivered. Thereafter he is filled with the Holy Spirit.