The White Tornado

                                   By

                              Phil Scovell



               I was born in  1952 in Des  Moines, Iowa.   I was saved  one
          night, at  the age  of five, following  a televised  Billy Graham
          crusade.   Mom was gone for the night.   She was camping out with
          several of the  teenage girls from the small  church we attended.
          I was home alone with dad.  Though he  worked a full time secular
          job,  he  preached  most  weekends  in  small  farming  community
          churches in central Iowa.

               Since I was afraid that night  to sleep alone upstairs in my
          own room, dad allowed me  to bunk with him.  "Dad,"  I said after
          the  lights were  out,  "what did  that preacher  on the  TV mean
          tonight about Jesus on the cross?"  I had, of course, heard Bible
          stories in Sunday school and had some  idea of what it meant when
          Jesus  died on  the cross.   What  had gotten  my  attention that
          night, however, was what Mr. Graham said might have happened when
          Jesus hung  on the  cross.  He  suggested that  circling buzzards
          might have landed  on the arms of  the cross and picked  the torn
          flesh from our Lord's bruised and lacerated body.

               My father explained to me  in simple terms what the preacher
          had been saying.   He then wanted to know if I  would like to ask
          Jesus into my heart.  I  felt strange.  Somehow I wanted to  know
          Jesus, this one who died on the cross  for me, even more.  "Yes,"
          I said in a little voice, "I want to ask Jesus into my heart."

               Climbing from bed, we knelt  and prayed; Dad helping me form
          the words.  I'm sure  some doubt the Scriptural comprehension and
          spiritual sincerity of a five year old.   I  understood, however,
          and was saved instantly and knew it.

               Since I had never heard  glowing testimonials of what it was
          like to be saved, I couldn't  have made up what happened while  I
          prayed.  Back during the late 1950's there were  White Tornado TV
          commercials.   It  was some  kind  of a  household  cleaner as  I
          recall.  When  I prayed and confessed  I was a sinner  and wanted
          Jesus as the Lord of my life, I felt, almost heard, a strong wind
          blow through me.   Later, when Mom came home and  I told her what
          had happened, I explained I  felt like a white tornado had  blown
          through my  body  and I  felt  clean inside  and  out.   I  still
          remember that feeling today  as though it just occurred.   I am a
          living  testimony that  children can  indeed be  cleansed by  the
          power of the  blood of Jesus Christ  as they confess Him  as Lord
          and believe in  their hearts he  died on the  cross and rose  the
          third day from the grave.


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