I Saved the Master
JULY 31, 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.
Finding the proper word in accurately translating Scripture often is extremely difficult. This was especially true for Kenya missionary pioneer Dr. Willis R. Hotchkiss and is illustrated by the following incident.
In the glow of an evening campfire, Dr. Hotchkiss and some African friends rested after a long safari. The tribe’s leader, Kikuvi, began to tell a lion story. Another missionary and Kikuvi had been attacked by a lioness. After the missionary fired his rifle and missed, the lioness crunched the hardwood of his weapon, then bit into the poor man’s arm. When she crouched for a final spring, Kikuvi shouted. In surprise, the lioness turned half around, and in that split second, the missionary escaped with seven holes in his arm but with no bones broken.
In suppressed excitement, Dr. Hotchkiss waited to see if he could hear Kikuvi utter a certain word—a word for which he had been searching during the two and a half years he had been in Africa. Was he to be disappointed once again? Just as he finished the harrowing tale, Kikuvi casually remarked, “I saved the master.” There it was—SAVED! This was a sweet moment of discovery for the missionary.
Happily, Dr. Hotchkiss exclaimed, “Why, Kikuvi, this is the word I’ve been wanting you to tell me all the time because I wanted to tell you that…”
With face shining in the glow of the fire, the African man turned to Dr. Hotchkiss. “Why, yes, I see what you’ve been trying to tell us these many months—God so loved us that He gave His Son to SAVE us!”
ACTION STEP
PRAY: Sometimes God reveals His truth when we’re least expecting it. Ask the Holy Spirit to heighten your awareness during these times, so you can see what He wants to show you. And pray that you would have opportunities to share what you learn with others who are hungry for the truth!
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.