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The Day the Mountain Blew Its Top

The Day the Mountain Blew Its Top

SPRING/SUMMER 2020    |    2.5 MINUTE READ
BURNIS H. BUSHONG, RETIRED GLOBAL WORKER & HQ STAFF


Throughout WGM's history, the Holy Spirit has been at work in powerful ways, not only in our ministry locations, but also in the supporters at home. Those who spent time listening to the Lord developed a sensitivity to His Spirit's guidance and voice. When He placed someone on their heart, they learned to take time to pray for that person. Frequently, they were able to see the miraculous power of God in response to those prayers, a cycle that continuously increased the reliance of the global workers and supporters on each other but, more importantly, on the Lord. The miraculous survival of Jim Hord, who served with WGM along with his wife, Bobbie, for thirty-one years, is a perfect example of faithful obedience to the Holy Spirit's nudging. This story was originally recorded in The Best of the Story: Miraculous Answers to Prayer by WGM retiree Burnis H. Bushong and has been adapted for this issue. Burnis went to be with the Lord on May 17, 2020.

“Brothers and sisters, pray for us.” 1 Thessalonians 5:25 (NIV)

A lady in South Carolina approached Jim Hord with a calendar where a date had been circled. She said, “What were you doing that day? On that date I was awakened at dawn and thought that you were in trouble. I woke my husband, and we prayed most of the day for you and Bobbie.”

After thinking a moment, Jim recalled that July day in 1968. The Hords had been in Costa Rica studying Spanish before starting their ministry in Honduras. A man came to the language institute and announced that the volcano, Mt. Arenal, had erupted and many had been either buried or injured. Help was needed in the disaster area, so Jim volunteered his services. Near the eruption site, they met a volcanologist with a jeep, and he invited Jim and his two friends to travel with him in ascending the rugged mountain trails. At least twenty-five farms had been buried. They could find no survivors.


“Jim and his companions had gone only a few hundred yards down a dry riverbed when they heard the mountain explode.”


Being tired and hungry, they decided to eat their picnic lunch but discovered the food had been left in the van five miles away, so they started their descent in the jeep. The volcanologist feared the volcano would blow again shortly, since eruptions often follow twenty-four-hour cycles. As they made their way down the mountain, they met others on their way up to the summit. They told them of the danger, but the others said they were not worried and continued up the mountain.

Jim and his companions had gone only a few hundred yards down a dry riverbed when they heard the mountain explode. The driver floored the accelerator, and the jeep bounced down the stream, dodging boulders, at almost full speed. They could feel the heat of the volcano through the glass of the jeep as they tried to outrun the lava and landslides. The jeep soon collapsed from the sprint, but the men escaped, badly bruised but unharmed. Unfortunately, those who had chosen to continue up the mountain didn't survive.

Survival had seemed impossible for those observing from a distance. News reporters informed the public that the language students had been killed. This announcement was even published in Jim Hord’s hometown newspaper. The students had, of course, survived. Why? Two believers from South Carolina were praying the entire day for Jim and Bobbie Hord.

ACTION STEP

PRAY: Consider how you can pray for the global workers who might be facing challenges you know nothing of today. Remove distraction from your day and invite the Holy Spirit in. Allow the Spirit to speak so you can hear what you should be praying for.

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