Bricks in the Burlap Bag

JULY 3, 2023   |   1.5 MINUTE READ
DR. BURNIS H. BUSHONG, RETIRED MISSIONARY & HQ STAFF

This story appeared in The Best of the Story: Miraculous Answers to Prayer by Burnis H. Bushong. 

At the WGM mission station in China, a local youth named Azure worked as the gate boy. One day, WGM missionary Cecil Troxel (who served in China with World Gospel Mission in the early 1900s) gave Azure an urgent assignment. The missionaries needed cash for expenses, so Cecil sent Azure to a nearby town with a check to cash.  

Before Azure left, Cecil warned him of the dangers involved, since he would be walking through an area where bandits were known to hide in the cornfields. The boy responded, “I will bring the money home safely as I will pray to God. Do not be anxious in my absence. All will go well. God will help me.” 

Tung Chang Fu, Shantung, China 1934 (caption from original photo)

Azure reached his destination safely, secured the money, and was ready to start home. Before he left, he knelt down to pray for safety. While praying, he felt led to pick up a few bricks and drop them in on top of the precious money in the bag. He had not gone far before bandits emerged from the tall corn. Azure stopped in his tracks, slipped the bag from his shoulder, and smiled. 

“What do you have in that sack?” yelled one of the bandits.  

“Money,” Azure said, smiling, not wanting to lie. 

“Open up! Let’s see!” the bandit said. 

With clumsy hands, Azure opened the burlap bag and the leader peered in. “Bricks!” he said. “We can’t waste time or bullets on such a worthless one.” The bandits melted into the cornfield and disappeared.  

Eventually Azure reached the mission station and reported, “Pastor, I almost despaired when I saw the bandits coming. But God heard our prayers, and they could not hurt me.” 

ACTION STEP

PRAY: God often prompts us to action during times of prayer. When you pray, listen for what the Holy Spirit is saying, as Azure did before heading home. 

Author Bio: Dr. Burnis H. Bushong served with his wife, Thelma, first on the Texas/Mexico Border, then in Honduras and Bolivia, and finally as a Vice President at the WGM headquarters in Marion, Indiana, for a total of nearly fifty years. He served as field director of multiple ministry locations and authored several books during his lifetime, contributing both to the impact of World Gospel Mission and the preservation of its history. Burnis went to be with the Lord on May 17, 2020.