<TITLE>13. Par 48-51</TITLE>L-48 And so about twelve o'clock, Billy Paul, my boy, had been out fishing. So he come in, and the old opossum still laying there. Next morning about six, I got up, looked out on the rack, see if anybody was out there. No one was there, so I thought, "Believe I'll go out, see about my opossum." I thought of her all night when we would wake up. I went out and looked. There she laid. I said, "Well, I guess poor old thing's dead." And I when out and took my foot, and kicked on her like that, and she didn't move, them little opossums still there.
And just then I heard the door slam and my little Rebekah, real spiritual little girl, saw her first vision just recently. And I believe the Spirit of God is on the child. She come out and she said, "Daddy, is that old opossum dead?"
I said, "I don't know, honey."
She said, "Daddy, what you going do with that opossum?"
I said, "Honey, I don't know."
She said, "Daddy, she's a real mother, isn't she?"
I said, "She sure is, honey. But I..."
She said, "You going to let him suffer, daddy?"
I said, "Honey, look. You oughtn't to be up. Run on back in the house with mommy."
And so I tried to get her in off the porch. And I kicked on the old opossum little bit. I seen her move her foot a little, and I thought, "Well, she's still laying there, no doubt suffering."

L-49 Well, I went into the den room on the side, and set down, kinda put my hands up like this, and begin to rub my head. I thought, "I don't know what to do with that opossum. Perhaps maybe... I don't want them to kill her, because she's a mother, and I don't know what to do about her."
I was rubbing my head like this, Something said, "I thought you preached about her yesterday. You said she was a real mother. And you made a text out of her."
I said, "I--I did do that."
And said, "Well, as a mother dying, as a real lady, she's laid at your door for twenty-four hours waiting her turn to be prayed for."
I said, "Well, I didn't..." I thought, "What's the matter with me? Am I talking to myself?" I thought, "Who was I speaking to? Why," I thought, "that must've been God."

L-50 Well, I opened the door and went out. I shook my head, and I thought, "Why, I was talking to Somebody, and Somebody was talking to me, and there's nobody here."

L-51 Now, you could imagine how you felt. And I walked out, saw the little opossum. I said, "Heavenly Father, I know You direct people, but animals are Yours, too. You spoke through a mule one day. You know ever sparrow that falls on the street. And if You, O God, sent that poor, ignorant opossum, a animal, over there, and the dogs has chewed her up that I might pray for her, and I didn't know it; forgive me, Lord, for not understanding." I said, "If she's a mother to be prayed for, with these little ones, so she can raise her little babies, and if Your love--her love of that brute has touched You, and You sent that dumb animal, who doesn't have a soul... If You sent that opossum here to be prayed for, I ask You O Lord God, let Thy will be done and heal the opossum."
Now, this is shocking. But when I quit praying, looked up, that old opossum was standing on her feet. She had her little opossums all gathered up; that tail twisted sideways, walked on that crippled leg just as straight as she could right down to the gate. Little Becky was standing there. I put my arm around her. The old opossum looked back as if to say, "Thank you, sir." Right down the road she went with her babies over to the woods.


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