By Mrs. King.
SOME months ago a very wonderful thing happened in an African village at the foot of Kacengu Hill. There lived in this village a soldier called Ukok who served Satan and did all in his power to hinder the work of God. If he found anyone singing or praying he would get very angry with them; and he himself would not listen to the Gospel. This man suffered from tuberculosis and he suddenly became very ill and knew that he could not get better. He had little huts for sacrificing built in front of his house, and many goats were sacrificed to Satan there, and he implored him to heal him, but it was all of no avail. Finally, not long before his death he turned to the Lord Jesus and was saved. He was so happy then, and whenever anyone came to see him he always told what the Lord had done for him.
Then apparently he died. They dug the grave and prepared him for burial; but later when one of the villagers went in he was surprised to hear a voice say: “Take the blanket off my face.” The man did so, and Ukok began to talk. He told them that he had been to Heaven’s gate, but they would not let him enter until he had come back and torn down the little huts he had built for Satan, and warned his family that they should believe in the Lord Jesus. He gave orders that these little huts were to be torn down, and he pleaded with his wife and son to accept the Lord Jesus. He said that he saw two paths, a narrow one leading to heaven and a wide one leading to eternal punishment, and no sinful life could enter the narrow path.
The news spread and many people came to see him, including teachers, and to their amazement Ukok began teaching them. He told them that being a teacher would not let them into heaven, but that they must truly believe, and leave all the things of Satan.
Ukok lived just one more week. When he finally went to be with the Lord, he said to his brother, who was alone with him at the time, and who had accepted the Lord Jesus because of his testimony, “The Lord is coming for me; I am going to stay this time.”
And yet in spite of the miracle which he had seen, and his father’s earnest pleadings with him, Udota, the eldest son, failed to turn to the Lord. But one Sunday, about a month after his father’s death, when after the service an invitation was given for any who would, to take the Lord Jesus as their Saviour, among a large number of men and women and boys and girls who stayed behind was Udota. We could see that he was very distressed and agitated. Then he told us that the night before he had had a dream. He dreamed that his father came and called him, and he went out of the house to where his father was. His father said: “Udota, don’t you let my children continue in the things of Satan.” (You see when the father dies the elder brother is responsible for the younger children.) “If you continue as you are living you can never come where I am.” He then mentioned the name of a younger brother and told Udota to see that he attended services regularly.
When Udota awakened this dream was very real, and he was terribly agitated, for he realized that he was a lost soul. This, then, was the cause of his distress as he stayed behind that Sunday morning, but as some of the Christians prayed with him, he too entered into the wonderful Light.
Do pray for this young man that God will keep him and that he may be used in spreading the wonderful News of the Saviour to those who do not yet know Him.
Forward!