A few years later, while preaching in Mobile, Alabama, Lester discovered what had really happened in the heavenlies that day. The pastor of the church in Mobile, who was also a longtime friend, and his wife shared a strange story. They had been warned by the Holy Spirit one evening that Lester was dying somewhere on the other side of the world.
They had fallen on their knees, crying out to the Lord, “Save him. Save him. Don’t let him die.”132 Later that evening, when Lester checked his diary, he discovered that their prayers on his behalf had been offered at the exact time he had been struggling for his life. He shared this with his friends, and God’s faithfulness once again brought them to their knees in thanksgiving!
Roberts Liardon tells us that the mortal dangers in China came from outside sources, as well. The Communist Chinese were creating havoc throughout the nation as they “persuaded” people to accept their Communist doctrine—using brutal tactics. Just a few weeks before Lester and Howard arrived in China, two young missionaries, John and Betty Stam, had been martyred for their faith, with only their infant daughter surviving. Lester and Howard were now traveling in the same area near the Tibetan border by mule, going from village to village to preach salvation through Christ.
On more than one occasion, the fact that Lester’s life was in God’s hands became immediately obvious. Once, Lester’s mule panicked and ran away from the caravan, stranding Lester fifteen hundred miles away from Hong Kong in the midst of a crowd of laughing Chinese people with no interpreter and no idea where Howard had gone. Lester gave a frantic plea to the Lord for direction and assistance.