Let us make a little chamber, I pray thee, on the wall; and let us set for him there a bed and a table and a stool and a candlestick. And it shall be, when he cometh to us, that he shall turn in thither.” 2 Kings  4v 10

I gave a copy of my proposed itinerary with a list of towns I was going to visit, to Brother Rodney Cruse in Hailsham.  He had kindly offered to arrange hospitality for me.  We were saddened to learn that some Pastors did not want me to preach the Gospel in “their” towns.  Others were more encouraging.  Pastor Locke in Corfe Mullen, Dorset sent a lovely letter.  He was unable to help with accommodation because most of his flock were elderly and infirm but he recommended Brother Fred Andrews, who he knew, would give me a warm welcome.  He warned me the amenities of his railway cottage were primitive but Fred and Gladys would receive me with love.

Dick Woods had joined me in Winchester.  We had sung, witnessed and testified together in Portsmouth, Southampton and Bournmouth before going on to Corfe Mullen.

The old railway cottage was old, really old.  A small narrow building suffering from neglect and was almost derelict. 

The garden was decorated with all kinds of junk and jumble.  Several rusty, partially dismantled, cars with doors hanging off at crazy angles, together with wooden pallets and old broken furniture entangled up with undergrowth left a scene of desolation.

We reached a wooden porch which led into a tiny front room, barely ten feet by eight, dominated by a large table, three chairs filled with newspapers, tracts and letters which spilled onto the floor.  More old letters and a cassette-radio filled the window sill.  Dozens of tapes were scattered around.

The fireplace had pictures of Jesus and texts of various sizes on its mantle piece.  A low door led into a scullery with a shallow stone sink with one tap – cold water only!  A door at the end of the scullery led to the outside toilet.  It was a culture shock!

Fred’s welcome more than overcame the lack of amenities.  He was overjoyed to see us and made us feel at home.  He walked with a limp but radiated joy and enthusiasm. 

Looking at Dick he pointed upstairs, ‘If you sleep upstairs Dick,’ he turned to me, ‘then you Tony, can camp in the van on the old railway track.  It’s not used anymore, the rails were taken up years ago.’  He led us outside to show us how to get to it. 

Gladys, Fred’s wife, cooked a lovely meal, a real fry-up, eggs and bacon, sausages and fried bread with lashings of hot tea followed by bread, butter, jam and cake.  A fire roared up the chimney, we talked and shared our testimonies.  Dick had been a “Busker” in his youth and related how he had visited Corfe Mullen many years ago.  He had been tired, dirty and hungry and was walking out of Wimbourne when a woman kindly offered him a meal.  He had gladly accepted the invitation.  Over tea the woman witnessed to him of Christ.  Her message and testimony were effective and so powerful  that Dick was saved then and there.

‘Did you know the woman?’ Dick asked.

‘No, I hadn’t been there before.’

‘Do you know if she still lives there?’

‘I don’t know but we could go and look for the place later.’

He drove us into Wimbourne, sadly the woman had moved to Axminster.

We returned to Railway Cottage.  Fred kept us enthralled with stories of evangelism and sermons he had preached.  His eyes filled with tears and deep emotion as he told us how on one Sunday, after taking the Sunday-School children home in the mini bus, he had seen a “Vision of Jesus” in the sky.  He tried to convey the wonder and glory he’d seen.  It had had a remarkable effect on his life.  Since then he had witnessed boldly, giving out tracts and Gospels, preaching a the transport fair and constantly telling forth the glad tidings – “Jesus Saves.”  Fred would stop his car in a narrow lane and give a Gospel tract to a startled pedestrian.  He was well known everywhere as an Evangelist.  Soon the evening was gone, it was time to retire for the night.  I slept well, waking up only when I heard Fred calling me at 6.45am. as we had arranged to go to the prayer meeting at 7am.  Several other brothers, including Pastor Locke joined us.  We poured out our hearts to the lord in supplication and intercession.

Returning to Railway Cottage we sipped steaming cups of tea while Gladys cooked breakfast we listened as Dick related how he had been disturbed during the night by a visitation of something evil in his room, he thought it was the devil himself. He cried out ‘Jesus, Jesus,’ and prayed but he was visibly affected by this experience.  Later, I was to realise the attack of the enemy had been to upset Dick because the Lord was preparing him to preach out the Word in Axminster. After we had said our ‘good byes’ we set off once more, heading west.  The Lord helped us as we sang and testified in Weymouth before going on to Chessil Beach and camping for the night.  The next morning we travelled on to Axminster where the narrow road curls around the church in the graveyard where John Wesley preached from under the old oak tree.  I stood amazed as Dick was led to preach from the graveyard wall. The noise of the traffic was loud at times (Pre by-pass days).

Dick’s  voice did not carry well but I was thrilled to see him preaching the Gospel for  the first time.  I busied myself giving out tracts to everybody, who would accept them, while Dick was speaking.  I got into conversation with a lady who inquired where the preacher came from.  I told her of Dick’s conversion, I was excited when she told me she knew the woman who had been kind to Dick.  After he had finished speaking I introduced her to Dick and she gave him the lady’s address.  Leaving Axminster we set off to seek a place to camp.  However, we found nothing suitable and drove on to Honiton arriving there just before three in the afternoon.