Story of how LESTER SUMRALL met with HOWARD CARTER

LESTER Sumrall was a 20th century giant of faith, and worldwide missionary statesman, who demonstrated the power of the gospel in his pastoral and evangelical ministry. He also had a personal relationship with Smith Wigglesworth. And travelled widely with Howard Carter. This, culled from Dr. Sumrall's 'Pioneers of Faith', is the story of how he met Mr. Carter. It was 1932. Brother Lester was 19, and brother Howard was 41:

I was sitting in a little church in Tennessee looking at the young man who was leading the music. Suddenly, the scene before me vanished, and I saw thousands of Japanese, Chinese, Lndians, Malaysians, Indonesians, Indians, Africans, Latin Americans, Europeans and people from the ocean islands on one road going one direction ...Trembling and crying, I asked, "What shall I do?" God said, "You have to go to these people." I said, "I don't like those people. I have never seen a Japanese person in my life. I don't know those people. I cannot do that." God said, "You have to do it, or their blood will forever be on your hands."

WHEN I came back into awareness of the mundane life of Tennessee earth and the building, all the farmers had gone home. The young man who led the song service had gone home. There was no electricity. They took the lantern with  them. The shutters over the windows were nailed together and bolted shut, so I was in total darkness. All I could see was Japanese, Chinese, Koreans and other nationalities.

I was out among the pine trees walking and praying early one morning not long after that, when God spoke to me: Close this meeting. Go to Eureka Springs, Arkansas, to the Tri-State Campmeeting. My sister was traveling with me at that time, so I said to her, "Leona, park the car. Put all of our clothes in it. We're leaving right now."

When I told the pastor that God had spoken to me to close the meeting and go to Eureka Springs, he was very unhappy with me. He called me "unstable" and said he was not giving me any collections that had been taken during the meetings. He promised not only to never recommend me but to ruin my name as best as he could with other preachers.

I said, "Sir, I must obey God."

WHEN we arrived at the Campmeeting, we learned two foreigners were speakers. One was a German, and the other was Howard Carter from England, who spoke on the gifts of the Spirit. After the meeting I was standing on the sidewalk outside the auditorium, and as he passed by to go to his hotel, I reached out and got a hold of his hand, I said "Sir, I will go with you over the highest mountains, I will go with you over the broad plains, I will go with you through every desert and I will go with you through the tempestous waves of the seas. When you are old, I will succor you, love you, and bless you."

When I realised what I had said, I shook my head, and said, "Sir, I wouldn't do that at all. I don't know you and you don't know me. Would you just excuse me? I'm sorry I said these things. I want to assure you, I have never said them before." He smiled, and said, "Come to my room." I went to his hotel room. Carter and Stanley Frodsham, who was in his room, began talking in one corner of the room and looking through the pages of a black book. I was sure they were talking against me and were going to rebuke me for saying those silly words. In a few minutes, Howard Carter walked over to me, and asked, "What do you think about missions?"

I said, "Oh, I love missions."

He said, "Have you ever thought of being a missionary?" I said, "I am a missionary, I just haven't got there yet, but I am going." When he asked me what country of the world I was most interested in, I said, "All of them. When God spoke to me, I saw the whole human race." He said, "I prophesy and write it down in a book so everyone will know what I've said. In London, almost two years ago, I was kneeling down in prayer when God told me to go to the nations of the world and teach on the gifts of the Spirit."

THEN GOD told me, "I will prepare a companion for you. He shall come from afar. he will be a stranger when he comes, and these are the words he will say: I will go with you over the highest mountains, I will go with you over the broad plains, I will go with you through every desert, I will go with you through the tempestuous waves of all the seas," and he continued to quote all of the words I has said to him out on the street. My eyes bugged out. I had been in  the Full Gospel business all of my young life, but I had never encountered God telling a man in London and a man in Arkansas identically the same words. Carter said, "Would you like to travel with me? God promised me a companion. I don't know you, and if God knows you, that's sufficient for me. I am going to the West Coast from this meeting, and I'll meet you there."

I said, "Thank you," and ran out the door.

Over the next two years he and Sumrall traveled by faith 150,000 miles through about 30 different countries without any visible means of financial support. And Sumrall continued to relate with Carter up until his death in 1971. 

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