When the call came from Bro.Ewald Frank, Bro.Lawrie was away in North India. God again wonderfully provided for the plane fare to Europe. A check for 300 dollars was received from Bro.Avacola, U.S.A. He had been keeping away the tithes for quite some period, not knowing to which address to send. This money came in the right time for Bro. & Sister Lawrie to proceed on their European Tour. A series of meetings were to be held at Germany, Austria and Switzerland, beginning April 30, 1967. Bro.Frank who had been with Bro. &aomp;Sister Lawrie in India attending and addressing several meetings, took the opportunity to invite his Indian hosts to his country. The meetings in these countries continued several months. After that there was a short stay in England where again Bro.Lawrie preached. In Germany Brother Lawrie preached and gave his testimony in more that 30 cities such as Krefeld at the home Church of Bro.Frank, and at large halls, and Churches in Dusseldorf, Essen, Koln, Wuppaktal, Doathund, Bielefeld, Bremen, Hamburg, Kiel, Hannover, Berlin, Kassel, Frankfurt, Nurenberg and Muchen. In Austria he addressed meetings at Salzburg, Wine, Graz and Linz. Zurich, St.Gallen, Basel, Geneva, Konoflingen and Lausonne were the places he preached while in Switzerland. This series of meetings lasted for nearly four months, ending September 10, 1967. In England he spoke at London and Stoke-on-Trent. From there God moved him to go to America.
Wherever they had to address the meetings, deep end-time truths were preached by Bro.Lawrie. He warned them severely of the sins, and exhorted them to repent. Even some of their customs that were not appropriate to the Word of God was severely condemned by him.
The Lord was moving wonderfully in these meeting in all these countries. People who had been chained to evil spirits were made free by the prayers. Sick people were healed wonderfully. God healed a lame man in Germany whose leg was in plaster for a broken heel. He could not wear shoes and was hobbling about in crutches. When Bro.Lawrie prayed for him in the name of Jesus, he could stand up without support, walk and jump to demonstrate that he was made perfectly all right.
At another place, a choir master who was suffering from pain in his heart, was relieved of the pain by prayers. A lady who had swelling all over the body due to kidney disorder was healed by the power of prayer. At another place, a lady who was suffering for seven years due to a tumour in her lower abdomen, was miraculously healed.
There was a farewell meeting at Krefeld in Germany on the eve of their departure from that country. There were many people at this function. Those who were touched at the meetings and those who organized such meetings attended it. Believers from Bro.Frank's Assembly were also present. During the farewell and thanksgiving services, all of them wept when Bro. & Sister Lawrie told him, "We shall meet at Jesus' feet". They could hear deep sighs all around. After this meeting, the sisters gathered around Sister Lawrie, lifter her up and smothered her with kisses. In the same way it was a sight when the brothers gathered and shook hands with Bro.Lawrie and bid them farewell with tear-filled eyes.
From Germany Bro. & Sister Lawrie went to London. On completion of their European tour, Sister Lawrie returned to India, as her husband had appointments in the countries across Pacific. The plane that took her back to India touched Moscow en route for an hour's halt. Sister Lawrie made use of this opportunity to carry the message into the country. She sowed the seed of His Word by placing on the seats of the airport and the airline bus, tracts in Russian language with Bible Verses. She prayed that the nation should come out of the darkness and march into the light. This was a bold act, considering the fact that proliferation of God's Word in any communist country is an offence punishable under the law of the country, and that Moscow is the Headquarters of World Communism.
Obedient to God's commands, Bro.Lawrie arrived in New York City in September 1967. There he struck acquaintance with Bro.Coleman and Bro.Hunte, who were jointly pastoring a Church in downtown New York, under the shadow of the Empire State building. Bro.Lawrie was invited to preach there and to give his testimony, which was received heartily by the congregation. He again preached in that Church after returning to New York, following an extensive travel in the United States.
When Bro.Lawrie was returning to New York to prepare for his trip to the West Indies, it was the writer's rare privilege to accompany him there with another brother from Ohio. We were welcomed upon arriving by Brothers Coleman and Hunte. An apartment had been prepared for us. For about one week we were blessed with the opportunity of becoming acquainted with this "Great Person", as he had been referred to by Brother Branham. (Of course Bro.Branham was not permitted to reveal his identity at that time since he had to come "as a thief"). At New York while he was preparing visas and plane tickets for Jamaica, Puerto Rico and other points in South America and the Carribeans, we were favoured by hearing first hand, the stories of his interesting life.
During his travel in the U.S., after leaving New York he came to Chicago where he visited again the Henry Avacolas. At this time Bro.Leagh Vayle, having heard from others about Bro.Lawrie, went to Chicago to meet this man personally, who was so highly thought of by the New York and others of Branham followers. He was also so impressed with the godliness of the man that he brought him to his home in Ohio. From this point he was introduced to a number of the Branham groups in this area, near Dayton, Lima and Columbus where he was received wholeheartedly. From there he was taken by Brother Vayle to New Orleans, Texas, Tucson and other places in Western and Southern U.S.A. appearing before the Branham people in the those centres with much acclaim. After this he returned to the Ohio locality and again met with other groups there.
From New York he flew to Jamaica, and at Venezuela he preached in Bro.Oscar Galdona's Church and then on to Puerto Rico and other West Indies Island localities. These included Surinam, Venezuela, British Guyana, Jamaica and Puerto Rico in South America and Carribean Islands on invitation, according to the Holy Spirit. He was a great witness to the Lord in those cities among the white and Indian people. In Trinidad there are large number of Indians who had gone there and settled centuries before, and they were happy to hear an Indian, one of their kith and kin, to come and give the Word of God. The sick were healed, many were saved, filled with the Holy Spirit and took water baptism in the name of Jesus Christ.
On return from the trip abroad, the Lawries concentrated their work in and around the Manujothi Ashram. There were meetings to attend to in Kolar Gold Fields, Bangalore and also in the Kerala State. They went over to Baghalpur in Uttar Pradesh in North India and also to Bareilly.
Again in 1969 Bro.Lawrie had to go to the United States by the hand of God.
THE THIRD TOUR ABROAD:
Bro. & Sister Lawrie elaborate plans for 1969, among other things, to visit various countries around the world. The Lord, however, had His plans for Bro.Lawrie and took him to the United States of America instead. Bro.Lawrie, by this time, had a clear conviction that the "Bride Age" is already in, and that God will transform the vile human bodies of the Bride soon and clothe the elect with His glory, to have personal fellowship with Him. He also firmly believed that the time has come for Him to take His Bride to the place He has prepared (John 14:1; Rev. 3:20).
The trip, beginning in June 1969, was Bro.Lawrie's third Missionary journey abroad. The call came as an invitation for him to attend the Kanuga Conference (Hendersonville, North Carolina) by a group of Bro.Branham's followers. Bro.Leagh Vayle and some others included Bro.Lawrie's name as one of the speakers in the series. He was received at the airport by Bro. & Sis. Roger Gerard, my daughter Mrs.Susie Baker, Sis.Biren and myself.
On reaching New York, Bro.Lawrie could feel the indifference of some of his friends. Many of them were in favour of hearing the tapes of Bro.Branham and nothing else. It can be remembered, that earlier during his second visit to the States in 1967, he was not allowed to preach in Bro.Branham's Tabernacle, even though he was baptised there in 1960. Bro.Lawrie was called upon to preach twice in these meetings. The Lord blessed Bro.Lawrie abundantly this time. He came across many old friends and made many new ones. Even the people he casually talked with were filled with the Holy Spirit, and many were healed of their infirmities.
When the meetings were over, we took Bro.Lawrie over to our place, Troy, Ohio. One evening he was invited to address a small gathering held at the basement of Bro. & Sis.Yingst's home on June 18, 1968. It would interest the reader to know that exactly three years and six months had lapsed on that date, since Bro.Branham met with that fatal accident.
Bro.Lawrie took the Verse, Psalm 23:1 and began to speak. The anointing was great that night. Bro.Clarence Holsinger, one of those invited, but who had never been initiated into the experience of Holy Spirit, had gone out for a smoke. He came back to the basement and was hearing Bro.Lawrie expound the scriptures, when he saw suddenly two flames of reddish-orange fire leap out of Bro.Lawrie's eyes with the intensity of thousands of candle-power. When he stood there stunned by this sight, he saw Bro.Lawrie disappear and a figure more dazzling than sunlight appear in his place. Bro.Holsinger recognized that person as Jesus Christ, when He talked to Bro.Holsinger, " I will not allow you to turn your head till you accept me as your Saviour". On hearing that, Bro.Holsinger tried to shift his head but could not move it until he accepted Jesus as his Saviour!
When, after the meeting, this was known among those that were assembled, Bro.Vayle invited Bro.Holsinger over to his house to testify his recent experience. When Bro.Holsinger concluded his testimony, Bro.Vayle made the suggestion that since what he saw was real, he should obey the Lord and get baptised in water. To this Bro.Holsinger agreed and was baptised by Bro.Lawrie in one of the creeks. He was filled with Holy Spirit and also was cured of a tumour he had. The immediate effect was that he had a distaste for cigarettes and gave up smoking. The cigarettes he had on him, he threw into the dustbin instead of giving them to someone and spoil him. Another unusual thing was that Bro.Holsinger's dog came in and chewed the ash tray up - a thing it never did.
Bro.Lawrie spent a sleepless night pondering over the strange incident Bro.Holsinger had reported. He tried to recollect whether such a thing of flames of fire spurting from one's eyes has ever been recorded or reported. Over and above, how to explain this transfiguration! The voice of God, however, was pointing to the Bible Verses - Rev. 1:14; Dan. 10:6; Rev. 2:18; 10:1-4; 19:12; and for Bro.Lawrie the Bible is always and ever true. He felt the presence of God in such a way as never before in his life. Writing about his experience in a letter, in his characteristic humility he says, "I am writing this humbly that you dear ones who have been standing with me against odds, being on the Word of God, will reverently seek God with me and especially pray for me and my household of faith to stand worthy of our calling!
One week-end we drove Bro.Lawrie to Columbus, Ohio where he was to speak in a Church. On the way, the car we were driving developed some engine trouble. That being a Sunday, we could not get any mechanic to attend to it. Bro.Lawrie in the meanwhile, had walked into the Pastor's house nearby after saying a silent prayer. Soon after, the car was perfectly all right, which was nothing short of a miracle.
Returning home that night, we had to drive all the way in a thunderstorm. It was so unusually terrific, that we thought we would not be able to reach home. The lightning was strange and frequent, and continued for nearly two hours. Many in Ohio died that night of this thunderstorm.
Few days after, there was a call for Bro.Lawrie from Los Angeles to go over there. Bro.Roger who put this call through, had already bought the plane ticket. Bro.Lawrie went over there and had "many new experiences". Bro.Gerard and his wife were very kind to Bro.Lawrie. They took him around Los Angeles. They were trying to locate a Jewish friend. They could not get the address, but as they were driving through the city, the Spirit directed Bro.Lawrie to look right, and there was the address and also the man. He was standing on the main road. From Los Angeles, they drove to Tucson and preached there in the Tucson Tabernacle. Then too thunder shook the place. Instead of the usual crack of thunder, it was a steady roar for some good time. When everyone was witnessing this phenomenon, suddenly a bold of lightning struck the place where Bro.Lawrie was standing. But no harm came to him. The thunder was so unusual that even if Bro.Lawrie opened his mouth to any one, there would be a peal, so that he decided not to speak. This persistent presence of lightning and thunder everywhere he preached baffled Bro.Lawrie.
With Bro.Roger Gerard, Bro.Lawrie went to Phoenix, Arizona to attend a Binai Shalom meeting whose leader was Bro.Tom Tate. They were received there enthusiastically. According to their preaching, they believed that one person should come from India, and they treated Bro.Lawrie as the messenger from India.
After meeting the many saints of God in these parts of the country who had been a "great inspiration and comfort", they drove to Canada. On the way for nearly 300 miles an unusual sight greeted them. On both the sides of the road they were driving, tall pillars of whirling dust were encountered almost at every furlong, as the Lord was visiting them with whirlwinds! At a place called Sunrise Inn, they saw a bright rainbow with the Pyramid Mountains as a back drop. It was a nice and exhilarating sight.
Before leaving for Canada to attend the Moose Lake Conference, Bro.Lawrie was asked to sleep in a certain place, but a timely warning by God made him change his mind and sleep in a different place. The next morning, he was surprised to find that the man who slept in the bed allotted to him was shot, and the police were investigating into the incident.
As they were proceeding to the Moose Lake Conference, the Lord blessed Bro.Lawrie abundantly. He was given the opportunity to pray for the sick. He gained many new friends up there. In the conference there was much dissension and difference of opinion among the members. When Bro.Lawrie was asked to give his testimony, he talked magnifying the Word.
During this Conference a Sister Hazel Opalka came to Bro.Lawrie to be prayed for. She was in far-advanced stage of pregnancy and, according to the doctors, the baby was not positioned properly (breach) and the birth of the child was fraught with grave danger to the mother as well as the baby. When prayed for, this was corrected and the danger averted.
GOD CAME DOWN:
On their way back from Canada, the Lord visited Bro.Lawrie in a special way and told him that one hour before man would land on the moon, He would descend to earth to take His Bride. He commanded him to rush back to Chicago and stay there for three days and three nights and give out messages in the Life Tabernacle. He also told Bro.Lawrie that he would have to leave for India immediately.
From that moment dark clouds covered them and rained in every place they stayed, lifting when they left that place. Many noticed a strange transparent white cloud above the dark clouds that moved along with them till they reached Chicago. Talking about this momentous movement, Bro.Lawrie said, "It (the cloud) did not travel along the road. It cut across the road and went and stood about the place where we should go. And when we came to Chicago at the proper time, we found out that the Lord was moving. We were preaching in the Life Tabernacle for three days and three nights, and on Moon-landing day I had a small television set in front of me. As man was about to land on the moon, one hour before, according to their announcement, I could see the sky open and a terrific power come into my heart".
Immediately Bro.Lawrie felt himself transformed into two persons - one Jesus Christ and the other himself - yet fused into one within the mighty presence of the power of God. This being a unique experience, Bro.Lawrie feels the inadequacy of words whenever he tries to express it, and he always fails. He attempts to explain it by standing close to some one and going through the motion of his hands to show people how it was, and again he fails. It is difficult for anyone to fully grasp the glorious act of God or fully understand the significance of it either. It is a godly act foretold by Lord Jesus when He walked this earth 2000 years back; and down the ages mankind had misconstrued it in their imagination, that when it did happen quite different to their pet conception, they are not able comprehend the superb act of God.
While within this glory-filled canopy of the Heavenly power, Lord Jesus broke open to Bro.Lawrie those secrets and mysteries of God kept away by Him for this end-time. Then the side of Jesus said in that awe-inspiring voice, "I am the Resurrection". To this the response from the side of Lawrie was, "I am the Life". Jesus' side continued, "He that believeth in me, though he were dead yet shall he live". The answering voice from Lawrie's side said, "He that liveth and believeth in me shall never die".
"I will not die" thundered Bro.Lawrie immediately when he came out of this glorious oneness with Jesus. It is evident that the people in the Bride-age, who believe in the Lord coming down on Bro.Lawrie and act according to what the end-time message says, will straight-away be transformed into life without tasting death.
Bro.Lawrie met the party at Chicago, and it was such a precious time in the presence of the Lord and the cloud always was resting with them as of old when God Almighty tabernacled with the Israelites in the wilderness. The thunderstorms never ceased all these days and Chicago never had experienced such heavy downpour for a single day ever in living memory.
According to the dictates of God, Bro.Lawrie cut his stay short and prepared to leave for India, immediately. So after the meetings at Chicago, they drove to Ohio, with the cloud guiding them. On the way to New York from where Bro.Lawrie was leaving for India, he could meet Bro. & Sis.Scott at Silvercreek, and had useful discourses on the Seven Church Ages and Seven Seals. Bro.Lawrie accompanied by Mr. & Mrs. Gerard were seen off at New York by some of their friends. The cloud followed them upto Rome and then on to Greece.
The whirlwinds lashed the place in Greece as they prayed at Mars Hill, thanking God for the spread of Gospel to the Gentiles through St.Paul. They made their plea to God to make the Jews accept the Gospel in the same way. The next place of halt was at Tel Aviv where the cloud was still there travelling as fast as the 'Jet' plane they were flying in. Here they thanked and praised God for taking them to the Promised Land of the Word of God (Holy Bible) where they could meet the Bridegroom. They continued the journey to Bombay and then on to Madras. The cloud never left them all through the journey.
On his arrival in Madras, Bro.Lawrie visited the house of Bro.Thomas. As he was knocking at the door, his wife had a fleeting vision that a beggar was knocking at the door. When he opened the door, his wife again saw a vision of Jesus Christ standing at the door with flames of fire spurting out of His eyes. So Bro.Thomas was convinced that God has really come down and into Bro.Lawrie. This brother was fasting for 40 days and broke his fast on the Moon-landing day. Another brother, Bro.Jeevaputhiran, also undertook fast for 40 days, which ended the same day. The Lord revealed to him that he did come down on the Moon-landing day. Another woman in Chingleput was favoured with God's revelation of His coming down. As she was on the open fields collecting firewood, there was a fierce whirlwind and she heard a voice telling her that Jesus Christ has come down to earth on Moon-landing day. She wrote to enquire about it to the Ashram. The confirming news was passed on to her.
COVENANT WITH GOD:
Soon after their arrival, the Lawries, Bro. & Sis.Gerard and few others went to Nazareth where Bro.Lawrie spent his boyhood days. From there they went to Kanyakumari District and stayed in the Cape Hotel at Cape Comorin. They addressed some meetings there in the district. Wherever they went, God vindicated them with the cloud in a special way.
The band of people with Bro.Lawrie made a covenant with God promising Him to surrender themselves totally, to be reconstructed and be ready to be taken off any moment. Those who made the covenant are: Bro. & Sis.Lawrie, Bro. & Sis.Gerard, Rev.Jothipackiam (an ex-Anglican Pastor), Bro. & Sis.Evu Lawrie, Bro.Ravi Kumar and Bro.Jeevaputhiran.
Immediately before the covenant, they saw a circular rainbow around the sun, and after the covenant a circular rainbow around the moon, reminding them that God would make a covenant with them as he had done with Noah. God also gave them a new anointing which changed them completely - an experience they never had in all their lives.
It was then that they prayed for their two sons in colleges elsewhere for their full surrender. That the prayers were heard immediately was quite evident as their third son Deva Dayavoo left his studies to serve God fully. Their second son Devaaseer, who had just a few months to finish his Veterinary Doctor's degree, wrote to his father that he too was quitting studies to serve God.
In all his dealings, Bro.Lawrie had been backed by some unseen power that was awe-inspiring even to himself. When they were at the Cape Hotel (India), a person told him a deliberate lie. Suddenly some unseen power struck him down and he fell down, screaming and was carried out of the hotel unconscious. A believer told a casual lie, and that night, he was tormented so severely that he went running to Bro.Lawrie and confessed his fault.
A brother in the Lord was casually talking to Bro.Lawrie one dark night as they sat on a lonely bench. He was surprised to see a bright light on Bro.Lawrie's face as he looked up at the sky. The light was gone when he looked up again. This so scared that brother that he reconsecrated his life to God. These strange experiences made everyone get closer to God and the Bible.
There was a wonderful baptism service at Vellore after a series of meetings. A photograph was taken of a group of about 50 people after that service. The same cloud was there as usual, and a big a ball of light was seen right above the head of Bro. who Lawrie was in the picture, and it was photographically recorded.
Many youngsters and some families too were touched by God and have left all their worldly possessions to follow the Lord Jesus Christ. After the covenant, a cloud is always seen towards any of the corners of the residence or at the places Bro.Lawrie stays, and lightning sparkling without any thunder is witnessed at regular intervals. The phenomenon is noticed whenever particular people visit them in the nights - from six in the evening to six in the morning.
God has been revealing many things from the Bible these days. Recently we had a meeting, and as Bro.Lawrie was boldly giving out what the Lord has revealed to him and said, "God has come down to meet the Bride", a terrific thunder shook the place. It was daytime with no visible rain clouds. People present were awe-struck by the thunder which sounded as if it concurred with what Bro.Lawrie was saying, with its loud "Amen".