Chapter 7 - Stand Still and Let God Move

“…Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord,…”

—Exodus 14:13

On a cool November day in 1982, we were

driving home from Chattanooga after a visit
with our mission board. Little did we realize a test
of faith lay ahead.
    Still on deputation, Linda and I and our three
children (nine-year-old Angie, six-year-old Jr., and
two-year-old Joy) were headed across Interstate 81
through Wytheville, Virginia, before turning south
toward our home in North Carolina. We had run out
of money sometime earlier when I had used the last
of it for gas, and now our fuel was very low.
    Not wanting to run out of gas on the interstate,
We decided before reaching Wytheville that we
would stop to see a pastor friend for whom I had
preached a revival and who supported our ministry.
This friend owned a cattle farm and had a big gas
tank at the farm. When I preached for him earlier,
he had filled up our tank. Our plan was to ask him
to let us have enough fuel to make it home; then we
would send him the money to pay for the fuel.
    We arrived at his home, but to our dismay, no
one was there. Our hopes melted away as quickly as
a snowball in a hot oven. What to do now was the
dilemma we faced. We did not want to get back on
the interstate and run out of gas. We discussed our
problem for a while and decided to head down the
service road. Soon we saw an Esso (Exxon, now)
service station, but although we had located gas, we
still had no money to pay for it. We parked the car
and just sat there, wondering what to do next.
    Even if we had no money, we certainly did have
prayer, which was the best possible avenue in the first
place. So pray we did. After prayer it was decided I
should go in and talk with the owner of the station
to see if he would help us. Never having been in this
particular situation before, I wasn’t quite sure what
to say, but I headed in anyway. Haltingly asking the
woman behind the counter if I could speak with the
owner, she said he was not in. My heart sank, but
I will admit I was also a little relieved as I headed
back to the car.
    Not knowing what else to do, we waited and
watched for the owner. About an hour later, a man
whom we thought might be the owner went into
the station. My hunch was right, and I related my
story to him and asked if he would allow us to have
enough gas to get home. I even offered to leave
my license with him until sending him the money.
Praying all the while that he might help us, but he
refused.
    Well, it was back to the car and the old drawing
board to see if we could come up with another plan.
We were in a bind and certainly needed help. We sat
there for a while; everyone coming out of the store
seemed to look our way. We prayed again, and this
time the Lord brought a verse to my mind:

“Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the

LORD,…”

Exodus. 14:13

    Knowing right then that the Lord was going to

do something.
    After this verse came to my mind, the store
owner exited the station and walked toward us. I
told Linda and the children that he was either going
to run us off or offer to help us. I did not get out
of the car but rolled the window down a little, not
knowing what to expect. Walking up to the window,
he asked, “Do you know Pastor Clayton?”
    “Yes, he is a pastor friend of ours.” Now getting
out of the car, I knew something was about to
happen.
    The owner then continued, saying, “I was in the
store and wondering if what you were telling me was
true. I told everyone who came into the store your
story, and asked them what they thought should I
help you or not? While I was telling one man your
story, he looked out the window and said, “I know
those people. They are missionaries to Africa.”
    Then the storeowner explained that the man
was Pastor Clayton’s son and he had said for us to
fill up with gas, then go inside, and get some food
and drink. He said he would pay for it all. We were
praising the Lord and as happy as birds singing on
a spring day. We did what the storeowner instructed
and then walked over to the pastor’s son. Giving
him a big thank you, we were all smiles. With a full
gas tank and full bellies, we headed back onto the
interstate, praising the Lord for what had transpired.
Our faith had taken a giant leap forward as we stood
still and watched God move.

Standing on the promise of Christ my King!

(Copyright by Jay B Ayers)

Chapter 6 - I Cannot Believe It!

“To everything there is a season, and a time to every

purpose under the heaven: . . . a time to weep, and a
time to laugh;...”

—Ecclesiastes 3:1, 4

We arrived safely at the mission board in

Chattanooga, went through candidate
school, and were approved as missionaries to Africa.
Needing monthly support, I then phoned some
pastors to set up meetings to present our ministry
in their churches. The Lord blessed us and gave us
several opportunities.
    Our first meeting was in Virginia, and we were
supposed to be there for the next church service. We
piled into our Suburban pulling the travel trailer and
headed for the church, excited but nervous because
this was our first time to do anything like this.
    Finally, we arrived at a church somewhere in
the Virginia mountains, a place that seemed to be in
the middle of nowhere. After entering the church, I
set down our equipment and looked for the pastor.
Finding him, I excitedly announced, “We’re here!”
    The pastor looked at me in a puzzled way and
replied, “You are? And why are you here?” His
remark caught me off guard, since I had called and
set up a meeting for this service.
    The pastor then said, “Let me see your appointment
book,” and after studying it, he remarked,
“The name of the church is right, but the address
you have is wrong.” This did not sit well with me
because this was our first church to visit, and I was
already looking like I did not know what I was
doing—which I did not!
    The pastor continued, “The church you’re
looking for is two hours away.” With that we all
went outside, and the pastor gave us directions;
“You go down that road and over those mountains,
and in about two hours, you’ll be there.”
    I looked at those mountains and then turned and
looked at the Suburban and the twenty-seven–foot
travel trailer and thought to myself, What a way to
start deputation!
    Moreover, I was determined not to let the devil
win. I thanked the pastor, loaded our equipment,
and took off over those mountains as fast as I could
go to find the right church.
    Just as we had been told, it took two hours to get
 there, and we were, of course, two hours late for
the service. The pastor from the first church must
have called and told them the “dumb missionaries”
were on their way, because when we arrived, the
people were waiting for us. I suppose they had a
good laugh at the new missionaries who went to the
wrong church on their very first meeting.
    Surprisingly, the pastor of the church was not
there. But as the speaker, I presented our ministry
and preached a short sermon. Despite all the problems
in getting there, we enjoyed a great time of
food and fellowship. The next day we headed out
for our next meeting, and this time we made it to the
right church at the right time.

I have a song that Jesus gave me!

(Copyright by Jay B Ayers)

Chapter 5 - A Bag, A Boom, and a Holy Hush

“Every man according as he purposeth in his heart,

so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for
God loveth a cheerful giver. And God is able to
make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always
having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to
every good works:”

—2 Corinthians 9:7–8

Ever since we had first heard Brother

Lester Roloff  preach and share about his work,
we had wanted to go to Corpus Christi, Texas, and
stay a month to help in his ministry. It was now
June of 1981, and although we had to be back at the
mision board for orientation in August, we decided
to go help Brother Roloff. We had prayed about the
trip, and we believed the Lord wanted us to go, but
we had no money. The Suburban needed tires, the
travel trailer needed tires, and the plumbing in the
trailer needed repairs. Much was needed to be provided
if we were to make the trip.
    It just so happened that my dad was a plumber.
He fixed the plumbing in the trailer and put new
tires on it, and we were praising the Lord for that.
A few days passed and then Dad observed, “It looks
like your Suburban needs tires.”
    “Yes, Dad, and we’re praying that the Lord will
supply that need,” I answered.….Dad replied, “Take
the Suburban down to Sears and have them put new
tires on it, and I will pay for them.” Rejoicing, I
did what he said, and the bill was approximately six
hundred dollars, a considerable amount of money in
1981. I had not known that my dad had that much
money to spare, but we praised the Lord that He had
again used my dad to supply our need.
    I had consulted with our pastor about the trip,
and he agreed we should go. As our needs were met
one by one, everything fell into place for the trip to
Brother Roloff’s—everything, that is, except for the
funds. It was now down to the wire. We set the date
for departure even as we continued to pray for the
necessary funds.
    Soon it was our last night at Woodland Baptist
Church before our departure date, and we continued
praying and waiting. Our pastor preached a
great message. An invitation was given and the last
prayer was prayed. The pastor dismissed the service
but then suddenly said, “Wait a minute. We have
missionaries going down to Brother Roloff’s for
a month to help, and they need some funds to get
there. Let us take up a love offering for them.”
    What a relief! All my stress and fears just melted
away, and I praised the Lord for His provision. They
handed us a brown paper bag full of money, and it
amounted to eight hundred dollars! God is so good,
isn’t He?
    With our last need met, we headed toward Corpus
Christi, and what a great trip it was! At night, we
slept in our trailer at rest areas, since campgrounds
were hard to find and too far off the main route.
Going through Atlanta, Georgia, was a challenge
because of the heavy traffic and speeding cars. In
Houston, Texas, We had a frightening experience
like never before.
    We were driving along beside a cement truck
when suddenly there was a loud boom as the cement
truck blew a tire. Our windows were down because
of the heat, and rubber from the tire started flying
everywhere, even into our vehicle. Needless to say,
that woke us up, but nothing was damaged except
our already strained nerves, It’s not easy driving a
Suburban while pulling a twenty-seven–foot travel
trailer in traffic that seems to be going 90 miles per
hour in a 55 miles–per-hour zone!
    Finally, we arrived at Brother Roloff’s and
parked our travel trailer. The very next day I was
ready to go to work. My job was to help two other
men put a roof on a house. It was hot enough to fry
an egg on that roof, and I wasn’t accustomed to such
heat. I went home for lunch, and there I stayed for
three days, sick, overheated, and perhaps suffering
from a slight heatstroke.
    After recovering, we was assigned to do some
cleaning up. Suddenly the man I was working with
started screaming; I quickly ran to see what was
happening. There were red ants everywhere, and
they were biting his hands and arms. We brushed
them off, but he started swelling. He was allergic to
the ants and had to be rushed to the hospital. A few
more minutes and he would have been dead.
    Brother Roloff had a church, and we attended
every service. We heard some great preaching from
the Word of God. As the month of July drew to a
close, it was time for us to return to Chattanooga for
orientation at the mission board. But all our money
had disappeared, and once again, we were in need
of funds. The last service before we were to leave.
Brother Roloff announced he was going to host a
first-time workers’ supper at his cabin by the water.
I turned to my wife and commented, “Honey, that
sounds good to me. You want to go?”
    The next evening we boarded the bus, eagerly
anticipating fresh fish, hushpuppies, and coleslaw.
The food was delicious, the fellowship was sweet,
and Brother Roloff’s preaching was great. After the
meal, all the newcomers, including me, shared a testimony.
Brother Roloff preached and then asked if
anyone had anything to add. No one responded, so
he closed with a word of prayer. A holy hush seemed
to fall over the entire room, and no one said a word
for a long time. Then a man in the back spoke up
and said, “There is a missionary family leaving
tomorrow to go back to their mission board for orientation,
They do not have the funds for the trip.”
    Brother Roloff quickly responded, “We need to
do something about that. I will give two hundred
dollars out of the general fund. Everyone else give
whatever the Lord lays upon your.”
    We, of course, were those missionaries, we
praised the Lord for helping us again. That night
seven hundred dollars was collected for us. The next
day we headed back to Chattanooga. Our hearts
overflowing with praise, we thanked the Lord for
all the needs He had supplied, as well as the privilege
He had given, in allowing us to visit the Roloff
ministries and help one of the greatest men of God
we had ever known.

Little is much when God is in it!

(Copyright by Jay B Ayers)

Chapter 4 - Graduation and Beyond

“…but as for me and my house, we will serve the

LORD.”

—Joshua 24:15

The day was beautiful in Chattanooga.,

Tennessee. The auditorium of Highland Park
Baptist Church was filled to the brim. All the days
and nights of studying, cramming for exams, and
sometimes staying up all night had paid off. It was
graduation day and the pressure was gone away!
Praise the Lord!
   When we had first arrived at Tennessee Temple
University, I had set the goal of walking across
the platform to receive my diploma from Dr. Lee
Roberson. The long-awaited day had finally arrived,
and I was a time for rejoicing. My name was called,
and I felt like a million dollars as I walked up on
stage having Dr. Roberson award me the diploma
for which I had worked three long years! The glory
goes to the Lord for that accomplishment because
without Him, it would have never occurred.
    That day was only the beginning. We did not
know what lay ahead for us but we did know the
One who held the future in His hand. After graduation
I talked with some men at the mission board
about what the Lord had impressed upon my heart
to do. They sent me to talk to the field director for
Africa, Dr. Dan Truax He was a very pleasant man
and we discussed the possibility of our working in
Ghana, West Africa. However, that country was
closed at that time because of war. The director suggested
we go to Ivory Coast, West Africa, and work
with Ghanaian refugees until Ghana opened. We
prayed about it and believed that the Lord would
have us to do that.
    The mission board owned a twenty-seven foot
travel trailer that they sold to us on payments. We
planned to use it for our deputation to the field.
It needed much work but we bought it anyway,
trusting the Lord would supply the need for the
repairs. We owned a van but did not think it would
pull the trailer; we traded the van for a Suburban
with a 454 engine in it. The fuel mileage on this
vehicle was only 5 miles per gallon until I installed
a Holley carburetor on it, boosting its yield to 10
miles per gallon.
    We hooked the trailer to the Suburban and headed
to our apartment at Battery Heights. We sold everything
except what we could fit into the trailer, which
was not much, and prepared for our deputation.
    Our first goal had been accomplished. By God’s
grace, I had received my degree in theology, and
Linda had received her degree in “Pushing Hubby
Through.” We were now ready for our next adventure
for the Lord. If it was anything like the first
three years, it was going to be a grand adventure!

We'll work till Jesus comes!

(Copyright by Jay B Ayers)

Chapter 3 - Lord, My Wife Will Never Go

“Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom

shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I,
Here am I; send me.”

—Isaiah 6:8

Attending Tennessee Temple University was
no easy task, but a real challenge. After the
first year students could work as pastors in the
chapel ministry. We worked in a chapel in Benton,
Tennessee, until my wife was expecting our third
child, Alicia Joy. Because of the pregnancy, we
could no longer continue traveling to the distant
chapel. However, a closer chapel opened up in
Rankin’s Cove, Tennessee and we began working
there. With the help of the Lord and other couples
attending Tennessee Temple Schools, we had a great
ministry at both of these chapels.
    It was wonderful how the Lord supplied our
needs while we were in school. To bring in a little
money yet still have time for school, I worked a
paper route. Every week on Friday, we could also
expect forty dollars in cash in the mail from my
mom, which was a real blessing to us. Also, my
dad had a telephone installed for us and paid the
bill every month. He also paid most of the school
account for the three years I was in school.
    As the end of school drew near, I was praying
about what the Lord would have us to do next. I was
praying down by the river one night when the Lord
impressed upon my heart that He wanted us to go to
Africa as missionaries. At first, I dismissed the idea,
thinking, “This can’t be the Lord. Africa is a long
way off. Africa is very hot. Africa has many diseases.
You must fly in an airplane to get there. We
had never seen the inside of an airplane, let alone fly
in one! My wife and children will never go, Lord.”
After giving all the excuses I could think of, nothing
worked. The impression to be a missionary in Africa
would not go away, I finally said, “Yes, Lord, I will
go. You open the doors, supply all the needs, and we
will go.”
    I went to bed early that night and said nothing
to my wife about what I thought the Lord wanted
us to do. The next morning I prepared a delicious
breakfast for the family. There were homemade biscuits,
brown gravy, bacon, eggs, sausage, and grits.
On the table was a breakfast fixed for a queen, who
I prepared to awake. I’m sure she must have suspected
something, since it was unusual for me to be
cooking this early in the morning and cooking such
large amounts of food. Well, there was something
very important to tell her, and one doesn’t tell your
wife something like this on an empty stomach!
    We enjoyed a quiet breakfast. I knew what I was
going to say, and Linda was wondering what was
going on. We finished our meal, and then I began
to tell my wife—not knowing what to expect from
her—that the Lord had called us to be missionaries
in Africa. To my great surprise, she simply
walked over to me, gave me a big hug, and sweetly
said, “Wherever the Lord has called us to go, I am
willing.”

Onward, Christian soldiers!

(Copyright by Jay B Ayers)

Chapter 2 - A Move With Reassurance

“Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean

not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways
acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.”

—Proverbs 3:5–6

After my salvation we started attending a local

church in Winston-Salem, North Carolina,
and there I was baptized. Linda who was already
baptized at White Plains Baptist Church in Mount
Airy, North Carolina, began working in the church
bus ministry, which was led by John Shore. For five
months, we were blessed to work in this ministry. It
greatly prepared us for a future bus ministry that we
knew nothing of at the time.
    Soon after the Lord saved my soul and instructed
me to study His Word and preach, we place our new
house up for sale. From March to July of 1978, a
number of realtors came by and wanted to list our
house for us. We told them if the Lord wanted us to
move, then He would sell it for us; any profit made
would then be ours to help pay for the move. They
answered doubtfully, “You’ll never sell it.” Well,
we didn’t know whether we would sell it or not,
but we knew when the Lord sold it, then that would
reassure us that we were on the right track of doing
His will.
    Around the first of August, 1978, God sold our
house in King, North Carolina, and we made a
profit of five thousand dollars. Surely that would be
enough to make our move. We started packing the
next day, and it didn’t take long.
    Now we needed a truck.
    Truck rental prices were too high. A friend of
mine was in the trucking business. I asked him
where I could get a truck at a reasonable price.
Benny answered, “Right out there sits one.”
    How much are you asking?
    Benny said, “Take the truck and bring it back, it
will cost you nothing.”
    Praise the Lord, what a blessing! This surely bolstered
my faith. I thanked Benny and was off to find
a driver because we had a car and needed a driver
for the truck.
    I visited my sister, Gladys, and brother-in-law,
Ken, and was sharing with them my need for a truck
driver to Chattanooga.
    Ken quickly remarked, “I can do that. I’ll take
my vacation next week and we’ll all go.” Praise the
Lord! He was working everything out for this move
to Bible School to study His Word.
    Soon our belongings were packed into the truck,
and we were off headed for Tennessee to attend
Bible School, but not without a small delay. When
we arrived at the top of Black Mountain about three
in the morning, the truck quit running. The weather
was foggy and raining, not a good night to be
driving. My brother-in-law, a mechanic, soon determined
the fuel pump had gone out. At this time in
the morning, nothing was open. We decided to sleep
a few hours in our vehicles. Around eight the next
morning, we purchased a fuel pump, put it on, and
continued our journey.
    In Chattanooga we had rented an upstairs apartment
at Battery Heights Apartments. When we
arrived, the landlord would not let the truck back
up on the Grass; therefore, we had to carry all our
belongings quite a distance. It was hotter than a
two-dollar pistol on this particular day, and I began
feeling ill and had to lie down as the others finished
unloading the truck. Gladys and Ken left as soon as
we were finished and returned the truck to Benny.
Praise the Lord! We were now in Chattanooga preparing
to enroll at Tennessee Temple Schools to
study the Word of God!

Where He leads me I will follow!

(Copyright by Jay B Ayers)

God Can! Chapter 1 - It will Pass

"Being confident of this very thing, that he which

hath begun a good work in you will perform it until
the day of Jesus Christ:”

 —Philippians 1:6

The date was February, 1978, and I was at work.

This would be the day that would change my
life forever, but, of course, I had no way of knowing
that at the time. I worked at a tobacco company. My
job was to add one particular ingredient to all the
tobacco that came my way. It was a boring job, and
me with spare time on my hands, inspiring me to
ask the boss if reading was permissible at work. He
remarked, “If it does not interfere with your work,
help yourself.”
    Not knowing Christ as my Saviour, I bought a
new Bible to take to work and read during my spare
time. On one particular day, my reading was in the
book of Isaiah, chapter 53 and I was memorizing
the chapter down to verse 6, where the Bible says,
“All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned
everyone to his own way; and the Lord hath laid
on him the iniquity of us all.”
    These words struck me like a bolt of lightning
and pierced me to the core of my being. Down on
my knees I went in an instant. A big hand seemed to
grabbed me and held me over a large fire. Without
a shadow of a doubt this was the fire of Hell. I did
not like what I was experiencing! What is going on
here?
    God was telling me something! This was for
real; I could feel and see the Flames Of Hell! Even
though I was at work and it was broad daylight, and
was fully awake and present on my job, I could not
see anyone in this fire. I could only see and feel its
intense flames! I definitely did not like what I was
experiencing. All of this occurred in just a moment of
time.
     Shaken, I cried out to Jesus, “Jesus, I know
without a shadow of a doubt that I am a sinner. I
believe that You died on the cross for my sins. I
believe that You were buried and arose again on the
third day. Jesus, I am asking You, the best I know
how, to forgive me of all my sins, come into my
heart, and be my personal Saviour. Lord Jesus, I
open my heart and give my life completely to You
for the remainder of my days here upon this earth to
serve You in any way You want.”
     Peace like a river flooded my soul in a way that is
unexplainable. Immediately Jesus impressed upon
my heart that He wanted me to preach His Word.
I said, “Yes, Lord. Yes, Lord. I will by Your power
and grace.” There at that very moment, before getting
off my knees, I knew that I had been born again
and was a preacher of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
     Amazed at what had taken place, I walked over
to a co-worker’s station and shared my salvation
experience with him. He said, “Give it a few days
and it will pass.” I did not know what he meant,
but I knew what had happened, and I could not get
away from it. Jesus had forgiven me of all my sins
and I was rejoicing! Praise the Lord!
     All this was new to me. What about preaching?
I did not know much about the Bible except what
I had just read and experienced. Thinking about
that for a while and concluded the need to study
the Bible in order to know what to preach. That
night I went home all excited and eager to tell my
wife, Linda, about what had happened and what I
thought the Lord wanted us to do. Honey, the Lord
has impressed me to sell our home and move to
Chattanooga, Tennessee, to enroll in Tennessee
Temple Schools, known today as Tennessee Temple
University, to study God’s Word.
      Linda remarked, “That is what the Lord wants
you to do—not me. I like my new home. I like you
having a good job and I like security.” I understood
from where she was coming, because I liked
those things, too, but the Lord had changed my life
and vision for the future. Everything was different
now—at least to me.
    We were married when she was only seventeen.
She had grown up in a Christian home and
had known the Lord since she was fifteen years old.
When we met, her mother told her that I would be a
preacher some day. I think that may have been the
reason she let Linda marry me at such a young age.
   After my salvation experience we started
attending Church; she made things right with the
Lord. She eventually had perfect peace about what
the Lord wanted us to do and was willing to follow
God’s calling on my life. Praise the Lord for that!
      It is now more than thirty-one years since my
Salvation; by His grace, it has not passed!

I can hear my Saviour calling!


(Copyright by Jay B Ayers)