• By Steve Shadrach

• He was certainly no looker. His tall, gangly body and squeaky voice caused his friends to turn aside in embarrassment when in public together. But, in spite of his physical drawbacks and chronic shyness, he was a leader. There was something about this farm boy that others wanted to know—and follow. Maybe it was his penetrating stare or warm smile; it could have been his unwillingness to compromise his beliefs in the face of opposition.  

• Yes, there was opposition—plenty of it. It seemed like the whole campus had been polarized by this radical young freshman who wanted to infect everyone with his brand of religious zeal. Threats, mocking, and practical jokes found their way to his dorm room on a daily basis. To be his friend meant you had to share in his suffering and it turned out that just four would go the distance with him: Hiram, Joseph, William, and Thomas. Little did they know that their life would be permanently changed the day they decided to hook up with their classmate, Samuel Mills.          

• In was the spring of 1806 when these five made their pact of loyalty to one another. Although they were all just finishing their freshmen year at Williams College in Massachusetts, Samuel had emerged as the point man. After becoming a Christian, he read a little book by an English cobbler turned missionary named William Carey that supercharged him. It was like Samuel had a one track mind. Everything took a back seat to his passion to pray for the world.  Because of the intense persecution that plagued them, Samuel would often round up his faithful four to trek to an off campus farm where they would read a chapter out of Carey’s book and intercede for the nations. But there is no way this band of prayer warriors could know what God was going to do in their lives the afternoon of August 6th.          

• They had just finished the last chapter of William Carey’s book. It included some crude maps and statistics of how many people in the world were without Christ. It concluded by giving a stirring challenge to take seriously the Great Commission to evangelize the world. Just as Samuel suggested they begin to pray, the dark clouds that had been gathering suddenly burst forth. They ran for cover to one of the nearby haystacks, now shaped like a giant mushroom thanks to the cows incessant munching. It was there that they began to pour out their heart before God like never before. They agonized in prayer over country after country. They were praying prayers and dreaming dreams that no American college student had ever even considered. When they finished all of them simultaneously looked up into the burning eyes of their leader. No one said a word, but the air was thick with spiritual power. Suddenly the rain stopped and Samuel slowly stood. They would never forget the seven short words he uttered that moment. 

• Samuel’s heart was beating so fast he could hardly contain himself. God had given him a vision during their prayer time and he was about to explode. He fixed his gaze on his young disciples, slammed his fist into his hand and exclaimed, “We can do this—if we will!”          

• “What do you mean, Samuel?” asked Hiram.          

• “We can reach the world for Christ is what I’m talking about.”          

• “But Samuel, we’re just college students”, countered Joseph.          

• “Men, if we commit ourselves to God and this task, nothing will be impossible.”          

• Samuel spoke with such conviction that the other four could just nod in agreement. He meant business and there would be no stopping him. Later that week he began the very first mission agency ever to originate in North America. It was designed to reach out to the Indians in different parts of the United States. Over the next few months Samuel and his team mates would start five more agencies, created to send missionaries around the globe with the gospel. Their role as students seemed to pale in comparison to their new found purpose of world evangelization. After college, each of the them continued to recruit workers, raise money, and visit the mission fields to encourage the workers. Who could have known that one particular boat trip across the Atlantic would drastically impact the future of their missions’ movement.          

• It was now 1821 and Samuel had so wanted to get the mission to the African slaves established. He had made trip after trip to different West African countries to try to place workers and exhort them to evangelize and disciple. This trip felt different though. He had been dragging himself around like a wounded dog the final week of his stay in Ghana. His associates had to carry him to the ship for the ride back to the states. He coughing was accompanied by high fever and the shakes. Samuel was dying and he knew it. He had contracted malaria in Africa and it was just a matter of days before he went to be with the Lord. Before he breathed his last, he recorded a final prayer in his journal. With a heavy heart he wrote: In Thee O God, my soul will find rest. I fear, though, that our enterprise will not proceed. Preserve it for Thy sake. My cup is poured out. I come. 

• God did use Samuel Mills during his short 35 years on earth. This unlikely revolutionary ignited a movement that provided the impetus for hundreds of workers to take the gospel to the unreached. His final prayer, though, was prophetic. His zeal had provided the fire that fueled the cause. In just three years after his passing most of the original missionaries had come home and very few were being sent out. For all practical purposes it appeared the vision had died the day Samuel did half way across the Atlantic. Was his life and ministry all for naught? Only time would tell.

• Epilogue: February 17, 1877          

Young Luther Wishard had just graduated from Princeton University. He knew he wanted to serve the Lord, and the YMCA, the organization he had been a member of in college, wanted him to come on their staff. He would be paid $250 per year to begin YMCA chapters on different campuses across the country. He began thriving ministries consisting of prayer, bible studies, and witnessing. Everyone thought he was doing a marvelous job---except Luther. He knew deep in his heart there was something missing. Someone had told him about the “Haystack Prayer Meeting” that took place over 70 years earlier.