Page 30 - Sword-Bishop - His Personal Development

«Tomorrow You Will Be My Priest of the Heart!»

adopted by the foreign newspapers and magazines and distorted even
more.

An awful, outrageous and deadly anguish now awaited Father
Nikolaus. By the hundreds they deserted him and the Children’s Prayer
Storm. They left without speaking to him or even asking him what was
true about these slanders. They gave him no opportunity for it. Many
who considered themselves very pious believed the worst papers and
magazines, without enquiring elsewhere, or asking Father Nikolaus
himself.

Worse was yet to come for him. During his short absence, “faithful”
came and fetched back what they had once donated. But the adver-
saries were still not satisfied with that. Now they wanted to liquidate the
Children’s Prayer Storm altogether so that Father Nikolaus should have
to give up entirely and travel home defeated. By GOD’s will they were
allowed to go so far as to let him know: «Listen, we can sell this house
(the Ark) for two million guilders. If you can buy it, all right. Otherwise
you will have to leave this house.» Father Nikolaus then tried to raise
the money, but this was no longer possible. The slanders of the press
had been so mean and terrible that the people did not believe any
more and rather demanded their donated money as well as the
material things back from him. GOD wanted to lead him into the
deepest depths.
In order to test him, it so happened that an approximately eighty-
year-old, well-to-do lady came to see him and explained: «I have these
two million. It is yours, but in return I would very much like to spend the
evening of my life in your house.» This in itself would have been
possible in such a large house, but Father Nikolaus answered despite
his overwhelming distress:

«Good lady, you are telling me this the wrong way. If you had told me
that you would love to spend the evening of your life in our house, and
that you would like to give me your savings in return, I would have
accepted it! But this way in my difficult situation it is blackmail! I am
sorry!»

And so came the day when he had to leave this house. O dreadful day!
Days before, more and more people came, swooping like hawks and

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