Danny

AUGUST 1973

I met Danny on the U.S. Pawpaw - the ship I never wanted to be on. I talked to him about Christ and he gave his life to Christ.

I was very good at evangelism, but like Brian who led me to Christ, I wasn't the best with helping people in discipleship. There were two reasons I was not good at follow up:

1. Most of the people I led to Christ were hitchhikers, people I met on beaches and parks or in front of bars. I never saw them after I prayed with them.
2. I was never taught how to disciple others. Nobody discipled me when I became a Christian - so I put everybody in God's hands just like I was put in God's hands.

With Danny things were a little different. I lived on the same ship with him for four months so I got to help him grow, besides, he came to me regularly with questions.

The day I led him to Christ I prayed with him to be baptised with the Holy Spirit. I did that with everybody I led to Christ but nothing ever happened when I was with the others. Right after they prayed to receive Christ, I told them that they should pray to be baptised with the H.S. and I would pray with them to be filled with the Holy Spirit. I also told them that they might pray in an unknown language and not to be afraid of it, but no one ever did. I didn't worry about it either, because people don't always "feel" some powerful experience when they become Christian or feel like they receive a fuller experience - I never felt anything when I started my life of faith.

The day after I prayed with Danny, he came to me quite concerned because he didn't know what to make of an experience he had during the night. In the middle of the night he woke up with his arms in the air and he was praying in another language. I had never told him about the Pentecostal practice of lifting up hands to worship, but I did tell him about tongues the day before. I let him know that it was o.k. and what happened was good.