THE FELLOW - TRAVELLER

In the seventies I often made journeys , using a VW bus . I equipped the bus as a camping car , and there was enough room to hide literature between bed , cupboard and cooker . TIME AND AGAIN I TRAVELLED TO COUNTRIES BEHIND THE IRON CURTAIN . So it was advisable to take BIBLIES AND OTHER CHRISTIAN LITERATURE to many different places . I also carried along many suit cases and boxes filled up with food , which were supposed to be welcome gifts for friends . That's why I used to pray , "LORD , PLEASE CLOSE THE EYES OF THE FRONTIER GUARDS !" When I made the journey I am going to tell you about now it was quite different : GOD OPENED (!) THE EYES OF A FRONTIER GUARD ! This was a very impressive experience .
THE WALL THAT DIVIDED BERLIN DID NOT EXIST THEN , NEITHER DID THE DEATH ZONE BETWEEN EAST AND WEST GERMANY . On the frontier there was a control sentry box with some police men who were controlled by the Russian military . At that time travellers from the west hardly ever met with difficulties . DEEP IN MY HEART I KNEW THAT GOD WAS WITH ME AND WOULD PROTECT ME .
On a Saturday morning I left the Netherlands with the VW bus , which was totally loaded up . Late in the evening I left the motorway and looked for a small private hotel for an overnight stop . On Sunday morning I covered the remaining distance of 50 km until the frontier . A short look ay my passport and my visa was enough for the frontier official to let me drive slowly to the next control sentry box , where I was to report to the Russian frontier guard .
A RUSSIAN OFFICER CAME OUT OF HIS SENTRY BOX AND WENT TO THE MIDDLE OF THE ROAD . HE COMMANDED ME TO STOP AND DEMANDED TO SEE BOTH MY PASSPORT AND MY VISA . HOW STRANGE ! I gave him both. He looked at each page of the passport and said contentedly , "PLEASE , GIVE ME THE PASSPORT OF THE FELLOW TRAVELLER !" I WAS QUITE ASTONISHED BECAUSE I WAS ALONE (!) IN THE CAR . I looked at him surprisedly . The man repeated his question . "All right , if you don't ask him , I'll ask him ." He spoke German quite well . He went around the car , opened the door and SAW THAT THERE WAS NOBODY (!) . We looked at each other in great surprise . "WHERE IS THAT MAN , SURELY I'VE SEEN HIM BEFORE !?" He entered the VW bus and realized that because of the many pieces of luggage there was no room for a fellow traveller . What was astonishing was THE SILENCE AND PEACE IN THE CAR BETWEEN THE OFFICER AND ME . Then he went back to his office . After a little while he came back and asked me where I was going . I replied , "To the next town . There I'll be in the big church at ten o'clock , and afterwards I'm going to another country , as I have only a transit visa for this country . "What sort of information I gave him ! I did not speak about such things normally . The Russian officer nodded to me friendly and wished me a pleasant journey . I thought like Jacob , "SURELY THE LORD IS IN THE PLACE , AND I WAS NOT AWARE OF THIS !" ; Genesis 28:16 .