I remember the night like it was last night. Laying on my bed and heavily contemplating life’s meaning and the purpose for my life. I didn’t know it at the time but God was listening. It was only two weeks after that night that I was miraculously placed in a nearby town in the second pew of a foreign church building and after a brief introduction the Major began to expound on the Holy Scriptures. I listened intently to every word spoken and what truths that failed to be comprehended by the Major’s words, were communicated by his hand language which luckily I was fluent in having grown up in an Italian- American home.

 

I attended every night time meeting that week and my Mom even let me skip a bit of school and drove me to two of the morning meetings. I had taken to the Good News like spaghetti and meatballs and I believe the Major had a keen sense of it and so on the second to the last night I had my first real personal encounter with the Major. He invited me to sit with him in a quiet place of the church and upon questioning I summarized all that I had heard to wanting to be a friend of God’s just like all the saints of the Bible he had talked of that week. The Major then took my hand and led me in a simple prayer of thanksgiving to the Lord for His death on my behalf and for His gift of new Life in me.

 

 I didn’t sleep but an hour or two that night so excited over what the next days and years united with God would bring. My Mom and three sisters also came Alive that week. We’re all so grateful for the Major. I was thirteen back then in October of 1980 when Revival came to town. And the Major continued to rear me in the faith with devotionals every night for a month while touring the Torchbearer centers of Europe one summer, oh those wonderful devotionals…, through a gifted winter school term at Capernwray, and through his books and tapes and videos. I don’t think a week has gone bye since our first meeting that I’m not mindful of the Major.

 

The Major is my Elijah. And when I think of the Major I thank God for him. Starting in two weeks a small class of young adults will meet the Major for the first time as my church facilitates the twelve week video series of ‘Rediscovering Christ’. And so the grain of wheat continues to multiply.

 

 Praise God!

 

Thank you so very much Thomas family for sharing the Major with the world!