Living Water in the Desert: True Stories of God at Work in Iran, chapters 5 and 6

Chapter 5

Sowing Seed in a Desert Place (William Miller)

“Why am I here, Lord?” William Miller looked all around him at the barren region of Seistan.

The young missionary had come from America only two years earlier, in 1919, to start a mission in the holy Muslim city of Mashhad. But now, because enemy forces were threatening to invade, William and the other missionaries had had to walk or ride through the cold winter weather over five hundred miles to safety. For days and weeks they had plodded on.

And now, this was the safe place. A barren desert area, with a few sad-looking buildings left over from the Great War.

“The doctors and nurses can help sick people get well. But what can I do here?”

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This chapter was posted for about a week and then removed. Follow along to get the entire book for free week by week, and then purchase it when it’s published in 2015!

 

 

Chapter 6

Stone the Victorious One

“They’re hoping for a miracle. Well, we’ll give them one, all right!”

Twelve-year-old Hasan and his friends looked out over the milling crowds of people gathered at the shrine of Imam Reza. That shrine was what made this city, Mashhad, a holy city. They came with their prayers, looking for answers, looking for miracles. There were stories that at this tomb the blind would receive their sight and the lame would walk.

But those wasn’t the kinds of miracles that would happen today.

“Hey, you camels,” Hasan and his friends crooned, sneaking up on the weary animals. The camels had come a long way, and were now kneeling in a group, outside the milling throng of people, quietly eating. The keeper sat under a tree, asleep.

Each boy reached into his sack and pulled out a handful of burrs. Quietly and carefully he placed each one under the tail of an unsuspecting camel.

“Hey! Hey!” the boys called, stepping back and slapping the camels right on the burrs. Suddenly the camels were all leaping up, frantically racing in circles, trying to get the burrs out from under their tails. All of them raced out the gate and down the street, straight to the shrine.

“A miracle!” the gatekeeper called. “Camels have made the pilgrimage to the shrine!” And all the trumpets blared to show that even animals respected and honored the Imam Reza.

“Huh,” grunted Hasan. “Bunch of fools.”

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This chapter was posted for about a week and then removed. Follow along to get the entire book for free week by week, and then purchase it when it’s published in 2015!