hospital. I went to St. Petersburg, Florida to rest and seek God’s face. I was there just a short itme when the pastor of the Bap tist Church in Gulfport asked me to speak. I said, “But, sir, I haven’t spoken for over a year.” “ Just tell them what the Lord Jesus means to you,” he replied. I shared my testimony that Sunday morning. Afterwards, a businessman came up to me. He said, “Brother Lappen, what do you plan to do with your life?” I said, “ Sir, I plan to finish bus iness college and take a secular job.” He said, “God has more for you than business college.” I could hardly wait to get home. I went to my room and began to pray. “Lord, could it be possible that You have more for me than business?” After so many hospi tal experiences, I had more or less given up the idea of full time Christian service. But there in my room I promised God that if He could use a body wracked with pain, it would be all His, how ever He saw fit to use it. While I was in Florida, I start ed a Junior Church which grew in attendance to 90 in only three months. I also was a guest teach er in the Florida Christian Day School a few times. The principal suggested that if I had a college degree, they could use me there. On the basis of this I decided to go back to college. I entered Bob Jones University in 1953 at the age of thirty. I gave my testimony before the stu dent body on Thanksgiving Day, and through that met my wife, Lee Etta, from Dallas, Texas. We married sixteen months later, fol lowing graduation. Although I was quite a bit old er than my fellow students, and I had constant pain, I consistently made the Dean’s Honor Roll. I was in the upper 10% of my class, when Jesus took over. Dr. Bob Jones used to say, “When you gave God your heart, He took cobwebs out of your head.” Shortly before I graduated from Bob Jones, I met Bill
Mr. Lappen directed this Laymen’s Institute of Evan gelism in Mesa, Arizona from a wheelchair.
or five months. The day they took me out of the casts I screamed like a baby. There was so much pain. I learned to walk again for the fourth time. Someone has said, “God will never lead you where His grace will not sustain you.” I found this to be true over and over again during my 22 years of constant pain and suffering. Truly, “His grace is made perfect in weak ness.” The knowledge of the Word o f God gave me strength and continuedjto kindle my love for Christ and others. Even while I was in the hos pital I found an outlet for ser vice. During the week I would go from bed to bed collecting fruit, candy, and cookies which I saved for the children’s ward. On Sunday I would take my collec tion of goodies to them and from my wheel chair to their wheel chairs teach them scriptures and gospel songs. I was again released from the
er with very little improvement. Had God forsaken His child after three years in the hospital? No, “ you can trust God when you can not trace Him.” I was entitled to continue my education under the GI Bill of Rights. I talked to some govern ment men, and after looking over my medical records, they said, “Mr. Lappen, you will never be able to do any type of religious work.” I thought it through and realized my condition. I was then recommended to go to Pierce Bus iness College in Philadelphia, where I attended for two years. I studied many things of business and received good grades. But I really did not enjoy it, because I had such a longing to serve Christ and give my life to Him. In 1952 I entered the Univer sity of Pennsylvania hospital for the second time. This was my fourth hospital experience. They put both of my legs in casts, in which I stayed for about four
THE KING 'S BUSINESS
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