Moving Mountains
Doug Coe, who is a remarkable man of
faith, told this story about his
friend Bob Hunter. Bob was a new
Christian searching to understand
what it all meant. One day Bob asked
Doug, his good friend, "Doug, do you
really believe what the Bible says
about moving mountains when we pray?"
Doug thought about it and answered,
"Sure."
Bob was rather incredulous and
asked him, "Do you mean to say that
you believe that if I prayed for a
mountain to move, that it would
move?"
Doug thought for awhile and
the conversation went something like
this:
"Let me put it this way. I not only
believe it, but I will make you a
bet. A $500 bet. Bob, what do you
know about Africa?"
"Nothing."
"What do you think about when you
think of Africa?"
"I think about monkeys swinging
from trees."
"Then here's the bet. I want you to
pray for 45 days, 'God help Africa.'
You can't miss a single day. And
that's all you have to pray: 'God
help Africa.'
At the end of 45 days,
you be the judge on whether any
mountains have moved. If you think a
mountain has moved, you pay me $500.
If you don't think a mountain has
moved, you just tell me, and I'll pay
you $500, no questions asked."
Bob, being an astute businessman,
rather liked the odds. He accepted
the bet. And he began to pray daily,
"God help Africa."
Just a few days later, he was at a
dinner and sat next to an elderly
lady.
In the course of the
conversation, he found out she lived
in Uganda, and ran an orphanage
there.
He began asking her a number
of questions about Uganda and Africa.
After a while, she finally asked him
why he was so interested in Africa.
To which he responded, with some
embarrassment, "You'll never believe
this, but I made a bet with a good
friend," and proceeded to tell her
about his bet with Doug Coe.
By the end of the evening, she
invited him to return to Uganda with
her in a few days to visit the
orphanage. He accepted the
invitation.
You can guess that when
he visited the orphanage in Uganda,
his heart was touched by the orphans.
After coming back to the U.S. he got
a few friends together and b ought a
load of toys and clothes, and sent
them to Uganda.
The following week,
he got a phone call from the woman at
the orphanage.
"Mr. Hunter, the
children are so grateful for what you
did, they would love if you could
come again so they can make a special
presentation to you to show you their
appreciation. Can you come?" He
accepted the invitation, and was off
to Uganda again.
After a very heart warming ceremony
at the orphanage, there was a phone
call for Bob. From the President of
Uganda.
He had heard about the gifts,
and called to thank him personally
and on behalf of his country, for
what Bob had done for the orphans. He
also invited Bob to visit him that
afternoon.
When Bob arrived that afternoon for
his appointment, the President was
just in the middle of rushing out of
his office.
He apologized that he had
to go off to some appointments, but
invited Bob to come along, so they
could get acquainted in the car. Bob
accepted.
Along the way, at one of
the stops, Bob looked out the window
to see what appeared to be a
stockyard; only this was a stockyard
not filled with cattle, but with men.
Bob asked the President what he was
seeing.
The President responded that
it was political prison, and those
men were his political enemies. The
conversation went something like
this:
"But Mr. President, that's not
right to have men living in such
horrible conditions. You must let
them go."
"But those are my political
enemies; men who have tried to
subvert my authority. I cannot let
them go.
That would be foolish."
"You have to let them go; it's not
right that human beings would have to
live in those conditions."
The conversation did not last long,
and shortly thereafter Bob was back
in the U.S. About a week after
getting back, he received a phone
call.
This time it was from the State
Department, asking him to come to a
meeting with the Undersecretary for
African Affairs.
Rather puzzled over the purpose of
such a meeting, he nevertheless went
to the appointment.
At the meeting,
the Undersecretary of State for
African Affairs and Bob had a
conversation along these lines:
"Mr. Hunter, on behalf of the
Government of the United States, I
want to thank you for what you have
done in Uganda."
"What? The US. Government is
thanking me for sending some toys to
some orphans in Uganda?"
"No, Mr. Hunter. It is about
political prisoners."
"What about political prisoners?"
"The President of Uganda recently
released the political prisoners,
which is something our government has
been trying to get him to do for
years, without success.
He told us
after taking this action that he was
doing it because of what you said to
him."
"What I said to him?"
"Yes. What exactly did you say to
him?"
Needless to say, Bob Hunter was
flabbergasted. But the story doesn't
end there.
After the State Department
meeting, the President of Uganda
called Bob over the phone, and asked
him to return to Uganda to help him
form a new Cabinet for his country.
"But Mr. President, I don't know
anything about your country or the
people who best serve in your
government. I'm just an American
businessman.
How can I possibly help
you choose a cabinet?"
Bob went.
And did what he could to
help the President select his new
ministers.
And since that time, a
close friendship has developed
between Bob Hunter, American Business
man and the President of Uganda.
The
President even stays in Bob's home in
the D.C. area when he visits the U.S.
And you can guess, after those 45
days of praying "God help Africa,"
Bob Hunter sent Doug Coe a check for
$500.
That night in Gig Harbor, Doug Coe
proceeded to tell us that he told his
story later to a group of around
twenty very successful business
executives, all members of Young
President Organization, an
international association of business
people who have become the chief
executives or owners of companies
above a certain size by age 40.
After he told his story at this YPO
lunch, 13 of them came up to him and
asked him if he would take on the bet
with them. Swallowing hard, after
doing some quick math, he accepted
the bet. He laid out the ground rules
for them, that they had to pray every
day for 45 days.
They did not have to tell him what
they were praying for, and at the end
of the 45 days, it would be entirely
up to them to decide whether a
mountain had moved as a result of
their prayers.
After those 45 days, Doug received
12 checks for $500 each.
A while
later, he received the 13th check,
accompanied by a letter that went
something like this:
"Doug, my mountain didn't move. But
the discipline of praying every day
for 45 days has changed my life, and
so I feel I owe you this $500."
Doug Coe, who is a remarkable man of
faith, told this story about his
friend Bob Hunter. Bob was a new
Christian searching to understand
what it all meant. One day Bob asked
Doug, his good friend, "Doug, do you
really believe what the Bible says
about moving mountains when we pray?"
Doug thought about it and answered,
"Sure."
Bob was rather incredulous and
asked him, "Do you mean to say that
you believe that if I prayed for a
mountain to move, that it would
move?"
Doug thought for awhile and
the conversation went something like
this:
"Let me put it this way. I not only
believe it, but I will make you a
bet. A $500 bet. Bob, what do you
know about Africa?"
"Nothing."
"What do you think about when you
think of Africa?"
"I think about monkeys swinging
from trees."
"Then here's the bet. I want you to
pray for 45 days, 'God help Africa.'
You can't miss a single day. And
that's all you have to pray: 'God
help Africa.'
At the end of 45 days,
you be the judge on whether any
mountains have moved. If you think a
mountain has moved, you pay me $500.
If you don't think a mountain has
moved, you just tell me, and I'll pay
you $500, no questions asked."
Bob, being an astute businessman,
rather liked the odds. He accepted
the bet. And he began to pray daily,
"God help Africa."
Just a few days later, he was at a
dinner and sat next to an elderly
lady.
In the course of the
conversation, he found out she lived
in Uganda, and ran an orphanage
there.
He began asking her a number
of questions about Uganda and Africa.
After a while, she finally asked him
why he was so interested in Africa.
To which he responded, with some
embarrassment, "You'll never believe
this, but I made a bet with a good
friend," and proceeded to tell her
about his bet with Doug Coe.
By the end of the evening, she
invited him to return to Uganda with
her in a few days to visit the
orphanage. He accepted the
invitation.
You can guess that when
he visited the orphanage in Uganda,
his heart was touched by the orphans.
After coming back to the U.S. he got
a few friends together and b ought a
load of toys and clothes, and sent
them to Uganda.
The following week,
he got a phone call from the woman at
the orphanage.
"Mr. Hunter, the
children are so grateful for what you
did, they would love if you could
come again so they can make a special
presentation to you to show you their
appreciation. Can you come?" He
accepted the invitation, and was off
to Uganda again.
After a very heart warming ceremony
at the orphanage, there was a phone
call for Bob. From the President of
Uganda.
He had heard about the gifts,
and called to thank him personally
and on behalf of his country, for
what Bob had done for the orphans. He
also invited Bob to visit him that
afternoon.
When Bob arrived that afternoon for
his appointment, the President was
just in the middle of rushing out of
his office.
He apologized that he had
to go off to some appointments, but
invited Bob to come along, so they
could get acquainted in the car. Bob
accepted.
Along the way, at one of
the stops, Bob looked out the window
to see what appeared to be a
stockyard; only this was a stockyard
not filled with cattle, but with men.
Bob asked the President what he was
seeing.
The President responded that
it was political prison, and those
men were his political enemies. The
conversation went something like
this:
"But Mr. President, that's not
right to have men living in such
horrible conditions. You must let
them go."
"But those are my political
enemies; men who have tried to
subvert my authority. I cannot let
them go.
That would be foolish."
"You have to let them go; it's not
right that human beings would have to
live in those conditions."
The conversation did not last long,
and shortly thereafter Bob was back
in the U.S. About a week after
getting back, he received a phone
call.
This time it was from the State
Department, asking him to come to a
meeting with the Undersecretary for
African Affairs.
Rather puzzled over the purpose of
such a meeting, he nevertheless went
to the appointment.
At the meeting,
the Undersecretary of State for
African Affairs and Bob had a
conversation along these lines:
"Mr. Hunter, on behalf of the
Government of the United States, I
want to thank you for what you have
done in Uganda."
"What? The US. Government is
thanking me for sending some toys to
some orphans in Uganda?"
"No, Mr. Hunter. It is about
political prisoners."
"What about political prisoners?"
"The President of Uganda recently
released the political prisoners,
which is something our government has
been trying to get him to do for
years, without success.
He told us
after taking this action that he was
doing it because of what you said to
him."
"What I said to him?"
"Yes. What exactly did you say to
him?"
Needless to say, Bob Hunter was
flabbergasted. But the story doesn't
end there.
After the State Department
meeting, the President of Uganda
called Bob over the phone, and asked
him to return to Uganda to help him
form a new Cabinet for his country.
"But Mr. President, I don't know
anything about your country or the
people who best serve in your
government. I'm just an American
businessman.
How can I possibly help
you choose a cabinet?"
Bob went.
And did what he could to
help the President select his new
ministers.
And since that time, a
close friendship has developed
between Bob Hunter, American Business
man and the President of Uganda.
The
President even stays in Bob's home in
the D.C. area when he visits the U.S.
And you can guess, after those 45
days of praying "God help Africa,"
Bob Hunter sent Doug Coe a check for
$500.
That night in Gig Harbor, Doug Coe
proceeded to tell us that he told his
story later to a group of around
twenty very successful business
executives, all members of Young
President Organization, an
international association of business
people who have become the chief
executives or owners of companies
above a certain size by age 40.
After he told his story at this YPO
lunch, 13 of them came up to him and
asked him if he would take on the bet
with them. Swallowing hard, after
doing some quick math, he accepted
the bet. He laid out the ground rules
for them, that they had to pray every
day for 45 days.
They did not have to tell him what
they were praying for, and at the end
of the 45 days, it would be entirely
up to them to decide whether a
mountain had moved as a result of
their prayers.
After those 45 days, Doug received
12 checks for $500 each.
A while
later, he received the 13th check,
accompanied by a letter that went
something like this:
"Doug, my mountain didn't move. But
the discipline of praying every day
for 45 days has changed my life, and
so I feel I owe you this $500."