A young man had been called to the foreign field. He had not been in the habit of preaching, but he knew one thing, how to prevail with God; and going one day to a friend he said: "I don't see how God can use me on the field. I have no special talent." His friend said: "My brother, God wants men on the field who can pry. There are too many preachers now and too few pray-ers." He went. In his own room in the early dawn a voice was heard weeping and pleading for souls. All through the day, the shut door and the hush that prevailed made you feel like walking softly, for a soul was wrestling with God. Yet to this home, hungry souls would flock, drawn by some irresistible power.

Ah, the mystery was unlocked. In the secret chamber lost souls were pleaded for and claimed. The Holy Ghost knew just where they were and sent them along. --J. Hudson Taylor

Call unto Me, and I will answer thee, and show thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not. --Jeremiah 33:3

It seemed I was at the beginning of a great future as an evangelist. I'd seen many evangelists rise quickly as flaming stars. But just as quickly as they had risen, they were gone. I didn't want to be in that category. But something was bothering me. My ministry had grown larger than my character.

I realized that God loved me and wanted to conform me to the image of His Son. Though difficult for me to admit, somewhere in my ministry I had ceased to grow.

During the summer of 1977, I led a team of young people witnessing and preaching throughout Europe. Then my family and I spent a week camping on the Mosel River in Germany. It was great to relax with my wife, Tex, and our son and daughter, Dave and Renee. It gave Tex and me a lot of time to share our deep feelings with one another. God was speaking to me.

I'd just read The Life and Diary of David Brainerd. I was so unlike that humble servant of God. I felt a tremendous tendency toward pride. And I knew nothing of the depth of prayer Brainerd had experienced.

I told Tex I wished I could pastor a little country church where no one had heard of me. Then perhaps I could have the time to develop a deeper walk with God. We prayed and placed our lives at God's disposal.

Within a year, I was invited to become pastor of the Hahn Baptist Church near Hahn Air Base in West Germany. The church was made up primarily of American military personnel stationed in Germany. It was about as deep in the country as one can get. Hahn comes from the German word Hahnchen, which means "chicken." In essence, I became the pastor of the Chicken Baptist Church.

Within three years, I experienced a tremendous work of the Holy Spirit in my life. I developed some to the sweetest friendships I had ever known. But most important, I emerged from that pastorate with the touch of God on my inner being. I came to know a more intimate fellowship with God than ever.

Some could not understand my decision to leave my evangelistic endeavors to pastor this small congregation. But I wouldn't exchange the experience for anything. God had much to teach me. The first lesson was in the area of prayer. God had to teach me that every victory of eternal value has to be won in prayer.

One Sunday I announced that I would meet on Thursdays at 6 a.m. with any men eager to develop their walks with God. About twenty men began meeting with me, but the number eventually dwindled to about twelve.

I told the men that if we didn't learn anything else, I wanted us to learn how to pry effectively. As I reflect on those meetings, tears come to my eyes. The awesomeness of and goodness of God was revealed to us.

Prayer partners were formed, and each of us began to develop a quality time alone with God. The more we learned to pray, the more we saw the provision and power of God.

We were beginning to learn how to communicate with the Father. I wanted us to learn how to communicate with men. I taught the men a simple four-step outline to share the testimony of what Christ had done in their lives. They were to practice by sharing it with their wives.

The next Thursday we prayed for opportunities to share with someone who didn't know Christ. Later during that morning I received a call from one of the men, Ken Leeburg, an attorney in a great position to witness of Jesus. Every person at the base who had a legal problem had to see Ken.

"Sam, can you be in my office at ten thirty? It's very important."

I arrived to find a man sitting across from Ken. He was an alcoholic, being discharged from the military because of alcohol-related problems. After Ken had advised him, he had asked, "Are you getting help for your alcohol problem?"

"I've tried all the programs but nothing seems to help."

Ken took out his little four-point outline. "This is off the record, and you can tell me to stop any time. But, let me tell you what happened in my life."

We prayed together, and the man gave his heart to Jesus. Later, Ken told me, "You didn't tell us what to do if someone wanted to invite Christ into his life. And I didn't think God would answer my prayer so soon." Later, we would laugh about that.

The new convert's squadron commander was impressed. He asked if he could send more people to Ken. The following Sunday there were six new families in church, all a direct result of Ken's testimony.

Every man in our Thursday morning gathering had similar experiences. The church began to grow and eventually went to multiple services on Sunday mornings. The church won to Christ and baptized more people than ever in her history, and it was not because of some church growth formula. It was because men had learned to pray.

My wife mobilized the women in prayer and discipleship. Our goals were to establish small group prayer and discipleship meetings, to help every believer have a prayer partner, and to develop in each a private prayer life.