TITLE PAGE:
AUTHOR : Amber Wallace
BOOK TITLE : Russia’s Underground Hope
SMASH WORDS Website
Book Cost: FREE
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*This Book has no chapters, it’s just a personal story
which is being shared with you. I hope you enjoy,
now let’s get our “mudd boots” on and head over to
The Knowles’ farm. *
Russia’s Underground Hope
Crowds cheering, people speaking in diverse languages, perspiring arms waving, and
prayers being uttered across a stadium are sounds all to familiar to Johnathan
Knowles. He is not a football or baseball player, can you guess his occupation? Yes, he
is a traveling evangelist. Johnathan Knowles had been raised by a small-town farmer named Frank and his loving wife Abbey.
He experienced something wonderful and somewhat supernatural when he was a child. From early childhood it was understood the family farm came first. He would stretch his arms into the warm, summer sun each morning. It seemed to kiss his arms gently by the old, distressed window pane. He rolled out of bed and brushed his teeth and hair before dressing in his “business overalls”.
Momma always had eggs and toast ready for him on grandma’s white and blue- etched china. Cows were to be milked first with the tin pail. He would go into the old, paint-peeling, wood barn and inhale the fresh, dairy, buttery scent. He took it to the tubs and poured it for storing. Next was helping dad on his John Deere tractor.
Johnathan always felt like a man when he got to steer “old faithful” down the field. His father and he would putt “old faithful” down the outside edge of the perfectly planted rows of corn. His father told him they were “Checking for problems and watching for critters”, but Johnathan always felt he was admiring his own craftsmanship. One day stuck out in his mind that he will never forget; the day he met God.
The Knowles were a good, Christian family that respected God, but didn’t really have a close relationship with him. They knew him as the “Big man upstairs and the one who provided rain and sun for their crops”. Johnathan felt that there had to be a way to get closer to God, to seek him. He would go to the woods behind their home, past the fields, and humming of the local blacktop roads. He had a tree that grew its roots out of the ground and formed a bench-type seat.
He felt secluded, yet open to the world of imagination and limitless. He would take a bag filled with his mother’s homemade biscuits, a canteen with water, a pen, paper, his father’s compass, and a flashlight in case it was dark when he started home. His dog, Peru, a Dalmatian and Bartholemew, a cocker spaniel, were his guides. Resting under the old, crooked Maple tree and looking out to the endless green pastures was his slice of Heaven. He pulled out the crumpled paper, a pen, and began to write all his dreams and wishes.
Johnathan felt he had to write all his dreams and wishes down fast or they would escape out his ears, and fly to another young boy’s heart. He took a sip of water, wiped his mouth on his flannel, faded shirt, and shared a biscuit with his guides. This day was going to change his life at 12 years old forever. He didn’t feel like today was any different than the other. The same chores were done, same food was eaten, and he packed even the same things to go to his secret place.
Johnathan sat on his tree trunk seat and began pondering deep questions of life. Why are some people poor and others rich? Why do some people do great things in their life, while others waste lazily away? Did God really make the Heavens and Earth? Just then he fell asleep.
Johnathan heard a voice say “Johnathan come over here and sit with me, come and have something to eat!”
He felt the voice was familiar, but everything seemed to have a layer of fog around it. He tried pushing or waving it away, but it seemed to grow more dense. He decided to stop fighting the fog and embrace it; it then began to clear near the voice. He was a bit terrified that this voice had a radiating power to clear a thick fog and was not sure if he wanted to see what it looked like.
Johnathan had nightmares before that were deceiving and thought maybe the voice was to lure him in. He crept slowly as if almost floating near the voice and noticed he couldn’t stop. The voice was pulling him in at a slow and daunting speed. He saw these eyes that seemed to shine through the fog, piercing and yet kind. His curiosity was peaked and suddenly his feet came to a holt.
They stopped as if his feet were gripped with cinder blocks and tied with weighted rope. He kept his eyes locked on the radiating eyes that seemed to be a beacon calling him in.
The thundering voice said, Johnathan I have watched you and heard your questions and am happy to answer what your heart desires”.
Johnthan didn’t know if he should trust the voice or run, it was a bit intimidating. Just then the fog started to disappear and he could not believe what he was starting to see.
It was Jesus. He knew him from a collection of pictures he had seen as a boy. He didn’t look at all like some people had painted or portrayed him.
He thought, “Am I in Heaven? Why is this happening to me?”
Jesus knew his questions and answered him “ You are here because above all things you have chosen to seek me and desire to have your inner most thoughts answered by me”.
Jesus continued to talk while his brown, shoulder-length hair seemed to flow like a peaceful water stream. Johnathan started to feel light headed to faint and Jesus caught him. The power of being so close to Jesus had made him feel drained and weak.
Jesus said “I am the way, truth, and light, no man can come to the Heavenly father and ask questions or get help, but through me. I have stated this in the Bible at least once and it is important to know for all things.”
Just then Johnathan felt a surge of energy go through his body and he felt he gained the strength of ten men. It was Jesus breathing life into him to withstand being in a holy presence for the extended amount of time. He explained to Johnathan about the power of God and how mighty his presence is. Most mortals can not withstand the power and strength and would die from the magnitude. This is why he chose to talk to Johnathan in a dream and give him a supernatural experience.
“I have created all children on the earth to do great things for me and be a vessel of hope. Now go and tell the world what I have told you and remember these eyes of compassion, mercy, truth, and their piercing power.”
Johnathan woke up with the sun setting and darkness creeping in. How long had he been asleep? Was it a dream or was he in some sort of Limbo-like state? He ran home with his backpack in hand and guides to tell his parents of the incredible experience he had. When he arrived home his parents were winding down for bed and he told them everything.
They, not being strong, Christian people were skeptical at first, but then realized Jesus or God must have chosen their son for a special purpose. That weekend the Knowles started asking their minister questions about their son’s experience. The minister did not know what to think of it all because he had never had an experience like that; it all was a mystery. It was 1950 and Johnathan was graduating college. He was about to have another experience right after his graduation ceremony. Walking to his car he suddenly felt a bolt of lightning hit him and he slowly fell to the ground.
He was back in the same presence he encountered as a boy. The same fog, the eyes piercing , yet kind, and thundering voice.
He heard the voice say “Remember what I said to you, you were created for a purpose for me!”
Johnathan woke up on the ground as people were ap
proaching and they stared awkwardly at him. “Are you okay?” they asked.
Johnathan picked himself up, using his old nova as leverage.
“Yeah I’m fine, I…uh..must have fainted from the heat. I’m good now thanks for asking”, Johnathan said with a smile. He was still shaking from the experience and almost carved his key entry trying to escape the people. What could have triggered this to happen to him? He was a normal farm boy from Illinois graduating community college.
He drove off in his car and went to meet his friends at the bowling alley. When he arrived he started talking to his friends about their future plans. One friends said he wanted to be a “doctor and earn some bling. Another friend said work at a bank and become a manager some day.” He had friends from all walks of life, but they were not prepared for what Johnathan was going to tell them.
Johnathan spoke up with a crackle in his throat and said, “Um…I’m thinking about going into the ministry and traveling abroad.” The room seemed to freeze in time and his friends stared at him flabbergasted.
“The ministry and traveling? I thought you were going to take over your families’ farm? What’s your dad going to do?” said his friends sporadically.
Johnathan told them that he had made his mind up to study the Bible professionally, and he would