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would not have even tried if I didn't have faith that Ciod wanted it
done and that He had clothed me and Mr. Armstrong with a special
cloak of protection, if you please, that would guarantee that things
would turn out well and that our goal would be accomplished. Because
truly, some of the things that we have done have been literally
impossible -- not only were they improbable, but they were impossible.
A few years ago I tried to see if I could transfer that feeling to
someone else in order that he too would be able to succeed in
accomplishing the impossible. South Africa is further away than any
other inhabited part in the world. And I didn't have time to fly
down there and personally make preparations. It took a lot of work
and preparation of a type that I say literally was impossible.
What I did was to send a long memorandum to the man who ran the office
in South Africa for the church. And without even indicating at all
that any of what I had asked him to do was impossible, I told him to
do it. Now he had never done anything like this before, and I had
given him a list of things to accomplish that would have been
impossible for anybody to accomplish considering the expeience that
he didn't have, and considering the background and expertise that he
didn't have. But you see, he didn't know any better. He didn't know
that it couldn't be done. He didn't know that he didn't know. And
he just assumed that because we said this is what we want and this is
what we need that it could be done. And lo and behold, we arrived
in South Africa for the first time �na. it had all been accomplished.
And every trip that we had thereafter in South Africa was even better
than the first one.
And one day I was talking to Mr. Fahey, who was our South African
representative, and he said, "You know, I was absolutely overwhelmed
when you sent me that first memorandum. I didn't know what to do.
And no one knew what to do. No one knew how to begin. No one even
knew how to get past the first door, no less accomplish the list of
things that you had requested, such as meetings with the Prime
Minister, meetings with the President, press interviews on television,
press interviews on radio, press interviews with all of the press
local , and distant; banquets in communities sponsored by other
persons to hear Mr. Armstrong." And I said, "What did you do?" He
said, "Well, I went into a closet and prayed."
Faith does break down opposition. Faith releases or generates energy
and drive and power. And of course, ·we all know it can turn dreams
also into reality. It literally is transforming and it certainly can
lift us, each one of us, out of the ruts of despair and out of the
ruts of discouragement. I'm sure you all know, as I do, that most
of those ruts are self-made ruts. If you turn to God and you have
faith, you'll be pulled out of it. Faith prepares us for abundant
living, as well. It helps us to enjoy life rather than to face life
with trepidation or fear, anxiety and apprehension.
And yet we know that we should pray for faith and we should pray for
that faith each day, if necessary, to meet the needs of that parti
cular day.
Now pilots often have to fly.blind. Last time I went into the Los
Angeles area, we had an instrument landing. And pilots have faith in