It is summertime in America, a time when families often get together for a vacation, memories are revisited, and stories are shared with the next generation. So I thought, for a change, I would use this Langstaff Letter to share a few interesting and even funny experiences Dorothy and I have had over the years in life and ministry. I hope you enjoy!

THE RACCOON STORY

Moving to America, our family was introduced to animals that we did not have in Australia. One such animal was the raccoon. I was already in bed one night when Dorothy and I heard noises from the study. We ventured down the hall to see what was happening. Opening the study door, we realized that there was a raccoon on the shelves in the corner of the room. Neither of us knew much about raccoons, but we did know that we needed to get this guy out of our house. There was another door to the study near the front door. We had the idea that we could open both doors and encourage the raccoon to leave via the front door. Unfortunately, the raccoon had a different opinion, and instead of heading outside, he came straight towards us. I immediately stepped backward, closing the study door behind me to prevent the raccoon from entering the rest of the house. This, however, left Dorothy alone in the study with the raccoon. The raccoon ran into the living room and started to climb up a beautiful set of open shelves, which held Dorothy’s heirloom china. As china fell to the floor, this was too much for Dorothy. She took to the raccoon with a broom, trapping him in the corner while I called the police, who came and caught him. It seems that he had come down the chimney. Dorothy, in turn, told the story at a Women’s Conference, and I was on the end of a well-deserved roast for leaving her in the study alone with a raccoon.

THE FLYING WIG

Our family traveled to California to attend Melodyland Charismatic Clinic. At one of the evening meetings, the speaker Mario Murillo was ministering, and the Spirit of God was moving. A lady in the row in front of us stood up in response to the speaker’s call. Suddenly, she got hit by the Holy Spirit and collapsed back into her seat, which was directly in front of our daughter Beth. As she fell, the wig she was wearing flew off, landing in my daughter’s lap. The look on my young daughter’s face was priceless as she sat there wondering what to do. Eventually, we gave the wig back to the lady. You never knew what might happen in a Holy Spirit-filled service, especially at Melodyland.

WATER BAPTISM

Earlier in our ministry, we ran a Monday night Charismatic meeting in Bondi Junction in Sydney, Australia. This meeting was open to people of all different denominations. A number of people wanted water baptism. One young man could not wait. So, he baptized himself in his own bathtub, which was not really a proper baptism. An elderly man, who came, also asked me to baptize him in water. He belonged to a prestigious church in downtown Sydney. I told him I would be willing to baptize him, but only if his pastor agreed to it. After his pastor agreed, the man wanted to be baptized as soon as possible. So even though it was the middle of winter, I took him down to the Pacific Ocean to baptize him. As he was quite elderly, I remember myself praying, “Lord, don’t let him die in the cold water of the ocean.” Praise God, he didn’t. He survived the cold and rejoiced in receiving water baptism.

VACCINE EFFECTS

In 1979, before leaving for a trip that would take me to Hong Kong, China, and Korea, I was required to have some vaccinations. At the time, Dorothy and I were leading a bible college where we lived on-site. After returning home from my appointment, I started to have hallucinations. Even though Dorothy put me to bed, some of the bible college students were aware of what was happening. Laying in bed, I pulled the sheet over my head and sang, “From the rising of the sun to the going down of the same, our Lord’s name is to be praised,” in a loud, awful voice. To the students, it was hilarious.

PATIENT IN A PSYCHIATRIC HOSPITAL

While in college in the 1960s, studying to be a Methodist Minister, we were required to spend a week in a psychiatric hospital which involved lectures by the staff, etc. This was a very interesting experience.

That particular week was a busy one for me, and on Friday morning, as I was getting dressed, I was putting on my tie. In those days, you wore a suit and a tie. Bending over, my back, which I had injured some years earlier, went out. I could hardly stand up straight. Knowing that I had to finish the course to get credit, I drove my small car over to the psychiatric hospital. Unfortunately, my back only got worse all morning, and eventually, they put me on a bed in the hospital, giving me some pills, which didn’t help. The question then became how I was going to get back home as I could no longer drive my car. Another minister offered to take me home, lying down in the back of his station wagon. So, they loaded me in the back of his wagon, and I lay there, waiting outside the hospital while the minister collected his things. It must have been a sight to people walking past as here I was, all dressed up, lying flat out in the back of a station wagon. They must have thought, “Boy, he must be a case.” Anyway, I got home and went to bed. The pain got worse, so in the middle of the night, my doctor came and gave me a shot of morphine, after which I felt euphoria. At that moment, I understood how people could get addicted to drugs.

OPERA HOUSE VISIT

Benson Idahosa from Nigeria visited us after ministering with Harry Westcott in Canberra. Arriving at my office, he presented me with a beautiful Nigerian robe. He told me to try it on, which I did. As I was about to take it off, Benson insisted that I keep it on while we went for a trip downtown to see the Sydney Opera House. So, there we were, walking around the Opera House: Benson, a black Nigerian wearing a suit and tie, and me, a white Australian, wearing a Nigerian robe. To anyone passing by, it must have looked as though we had both put on the other’s clothes that morning.

THE NAKED PREACHER

I have shared this story before, but I need to share it again.

In 1980, we moved to America. During that year, I would spend one month in America and one month in Australia while I handed over our ministry to others. Since we had left much of our personal belongings in Australia, each time I went back, I would take two large suitcases, one packed inside the other. Then, at the end of the trip, I would fill both suitcases with goods that we wanted to bring to America. In late September 1980, I decided to bring back some of my library books. I placed the two suitcases on the floor, spread my clothes out evenly in the two cases, and filled both bags with books. Together they weighed 230 lbs, but since there was no weight limit at that time, the airline accepted the heavy bags. A friend Scott McKinny drove me to the airport and helped me lug the heavy bags to the airline counter. After a long flight, I arrived in San Francisco, where I was to spend the night. At the airport, I called a nearby motel, and they sent a van to pick me up. It was not the greatest motel I had ever been in, and they required a cash payment for my room. I hauled the 230 lb bags up to the second-floor room, dumped my wallet, loose cash, and camera on the table, and prepared to go to bed. I suddenly thought, “Where are my pajamas?” I couldn’t remember which bag they were in, and I remembered that they were somewhere under all those books. Besides which, I was tired, and I didn’t want to unpack right there and then. I just wanted to go to bed. So, I decided to go to bed like Eskimos do, without any clothes on. I was hot and sweaty after the long flight, and the next morning I planned to get up, shower, put on clean underwear, get dressed, and head back to the airport.

At about 5:00 a.m., I woke up with a start, alarmed to discover there was a man in my room. I realized it was too early for room service, and I quickly concluded it was a thief. Not being able to get the air conditioner working the night before, I opened the window to get some fresh air. Somehow, he climbed up through the window, even though it was on the 2nd floor of the motel. My heart was pounding as I jumped out of bed. He saw me coming towards him, scooped up my wallet and cash, and headed for the door, pursued by a naked preacher. Suddenly, I realized, to my dismay, that I was not dressed to chase a man around the motel, although a friend of mine commented later, ‘So what, it was San Francisco.’ Desperately searching for my trousers, I kept yelling, ‘Thief, Thief!’

This was clearly a ‘bad ‘situation. Here I was in another city, and somebody had taken all my money! But that is when the ‘good ‘started happening.

When I finally got them on, I ran out the door to the top of the stairs, where I was startled to see the thief at the bottom of the stairs, flat on his face on the ground, being handcuffed by two policemen.

I couldn’t help but think, “What a wonderful country we have moved to. You call out ‘Thief, Thief’ and immediately the police are there!” The police asked my name and, after they checked my information, gave me back my wallet but kept the loose cash. After they arrested the man and took my statements, I returned to my room and had a praise meeting, thanking the Lord that He was there to rescue my stolen possessions. It was then that the Lord asked me a question, “Where were you last Sunday?” God, I find, likes to ask questions, even when He already knows the answer. I had a video replay in my mind. I was in a charismatic Methodist Church in Morwell, Victoria, Australia. Before the service, the pastor had asked me what scripture I would like him to read in the service as part of their liturgy. I mentioned that I was preaching from Isaiah 54:2-3 on ‘enlargement,’ so I suggested they read a few of those verses. Immediately though, I felt distinctly impressed by God to say, ‘No, read the whole chapter.’ The last verse, verse 17, reads, “No weapon that is formed against you shall prosper.” It was then that the Lord spoke to my heart and declared, “What you read last Sunday, I have proved for you today!” Ever since then, this has been a special promise that I continually claim and have found to be true; that God would be there to protect me.

One little postscript. A few weeks later, in my daily devotions, I was reading through the book of Revelation when I was startled to read this verse, “Behold I am coming as a thief. Blessed is he who stays awake and keeps his clothes on, lest he walk naked and be ashamed for all to see.” (Revelation 16:15) I didn’t know whether the Lord was rebuking me or giving me a word of practical wisdom. But no matter what, I wear my pajamas now wherever I am.