It is a source of never-ending wonder to me that God should so use me in His service. When I was ten years old, I had a very godly Sunday school teacher who planted the Word of God in my heart. But we moved to a wild western section where I learned wicked ways, got expelled from school, and finally at 18 became first a cowboy, then a drunkard, then an outlaw. I loved to fight, especially when I was under the influence of liquor. While not a pugilist, I offered to fight a man much larger and more experienced than I. He nearly killed me, but my mother, by the grace and help of God, pulled me through. Then God sent me a wonderful wife, and two years after I was married, we were saved. My life was so transformed that I immediately took an interest in the salvation of souls. This led to the bottle ministry and other unique methods by which God has enabled me to reach lost men. For instance, in 1946, when I was on an evangelistic tour in Texas, I saw some huge balloons lying on the floor of a filling station. They were cheap and I bought two, tied smaller balloons to them, to which I fastened gospel bombs and released them. It gave me a great thrill to see that huge balloon taking off with the Word of God. Soon we will have 13,700 T-10 balloons in the air. One church sent up thirty of them. They are often used in Youth rallies. We put up a large balloon called a T-35, launched with an anchor line near the church. This is let up about 500 feet with the, American flag below the balloon to keep some crook from shooting it down. When the rally is all over, this large balloon is pulled down and everyone at the rally puts his address or whatever they want to in the line of a tract or Sunday school paper, then this is inflated and let go. It will burst at around 34,000 feet, many miles away from where it is launched. We have reached 1500 miles so far with the T-10 balloon. Many a “ Flying Saucer” throughout the USA has been a balloon! Now the bombs that we sent along with the balloons are not very heavy so that they would not even cause a mark on a plane if hit. This bomb has a rubber cover, a 524 airship balloon tied at the upper end and a string tied around that above the knot and fastened to the larger balloon. This waterproofs the bomb. We use mostly red balloons so that they will be easily found. Some at first place have been thought by forest rangers to be a fire in a tree or in the grass, but on the second look with their glasses they have seen it was a balloon. The only difficulty we have is to get the people that find these bombs to send in the return card in the bomb. We give a ball point pen to those who find these bombs out of the State of Washington. A beautiful folder of Tacoma and a book of Everlasting Safety Matches is given to those who happen to find one in Washington. The Tacoma Chamber of Commerce has supplied us with this beautiful folder for many years. We have sent them all over the world to those who have found our bottles with the bombs in them. Therefore, Tacoma is known in many parts of the world, because of the work. God has sent us wonderful friends, especially my valuable co-worker, Walter E. Bindt, a former navigator, who calls himself an “ Ocean Evangelist.” He has tossed thousands of bottled Gospel Bombs into the sea. The Navy Department has furnished me a fine harbor map, showing all the harbors of the world. Tom Olson of Le Tourneau, Inc., has furnished free tracts for years. People who love the Lord all over the world are interested. We do not sell anything, not even our time. I have not been able to work for thirteen years, but my dear wife is employed, and God has met our needs. Will you join your prayers with ours that our ministry may continue for the glory of God and the salvation of souls? It would do your heart good to see our missionary room with its walls covered with maps and pic tures of people whom we have reached in so many parts of the world. “ Brethren, pray for us.” J A N U A R Y , 1 9 5 2
The Lord enabled Mr. Phillips to invent a roller which makes the preparation of the gospel bombs an easier task.
Pictures from all parts of the world tell the story, of the far- reaching aspects of this labor of love for Christ.
Young people get a thrill out of sending the gospel by way of balloons. Page Fifteen
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