Sad news from England

Original Post Date:  November 24, 2010

I had some sad news from England today. 

The wife of a man that I had spent several hours debating with on the beaches of Cuba called me to let me know that he had passed away this morning. His name was Bob Atkinson. He was 52 years old. The sad news really ends there.

For the past three or four years after I returned from Cuba, I continued correspondence with Bob. He lived in Scarborough, England, on the Yorkshire coast. Bob vowed that he would never be converted to Christ. However, he was asking me too many questions for me to take him seriously. When Pauline and I returned from Greece in October I had a letter from his wife awaiting me. 

Bob had cirrhosis of the liver and had only a few weeks to live (although nobody had told him). I wrote to him and made it clear that none of us are in the long-term parking lot on this earth. If the symptoms were as bad as I had heard, Bob better get ready to make his last journey. A week or two later I prayed with him over the phone that he might know peace with God through Jesus. A few days later I followed my call with another letter.

Today I heard that it was this letter that was read to Bob when he lay dying in his hospital bed.

I am so glad that one night when I was tired, I forced myself to keep awake and penned a few lines to a fellow man. These words were perhaps his last comfort as he passed through the valley of the shadow of death to meet the Lord.

Never underestimate your testimony, my friends, nor the power of personal witness. We will be surprised who we meet in Heaven because we opened our mouths and told someone about Jesus.