FAWCETT: So on the second, that was our normal time for our WCF cabinet meeting. Many of
us were preoccupied, I can remember, with spring break plans, getting ready to leave campus the
next day or Saturday, when [the WCF president] and Doug O'Donnell, both of whom were in Dr.
Beougher's History of Revival class, began sharing with us what Dr. Beougher had shared with
them, specifically about the...the revival and the great awakening taking place in Texas,
specifically as regarded Howard Payne University. And during that time they also mentioned that
Dr. Beougher had made the offer to personally pay for the two round trip tickets for two students
to come up and share at WCF, not necessarily on the nineteenth, which is when they came, but
possibly maybe a week or two later. And I can remember as Matt and Doug suggested this, the
reaction of most of the cabinet was...was really, I'd probably say, one of contained excitement
mixed with considerable amounts of skepticism [laughs], simply because of the red tape that
would be involved, the fact that there was already a tentative program planned for that evening,
several panel...possible panel speakers had already been contacted and requested to share that
night on the barriers to mission, which was the proposed topic. And we just...we were really
skeptical that that would...that this could ever come to be a reality. And as we discussed this
somewhat, Dr. Beougher walked in, [laughs] and we were...most of us on the cabinet were not
even aware that he had been asked to come or was even aware that we were meeting. And he had
a very calming influence, I think, on us, because we realized from his perspective that he had
thought...this was not a spur-of-the-moment shot-in-the-dark idea he had had. It had been
something he had thought through, and he presented the historical significance of it, simply that in
the past God had chosen to bring revival to pl...to new places by working through people who
had experienced personal renewal and revival in their own lives.
And at that point, suddenly for
me personally, this all began to take on the aspect of something that could conceivably happen.
And it was exciting to me. And I remember that we, after discussing it a little bit more, the pros
and cons, why would we have them come through WCF as opposed to going through the
chaplain's office and possibly sharing in chapel, and Dr. Beougher was very good in explaining
that it was not an attempt to...to get around the Chaplain's office, but rather just the...simply the
logistics of the fact that chapel is being planned at times years in advance. The practicality of
having students and there's just very little flexibility in changing chapel schedules, whereas WCF,
we experience a lot more flexibility, not only of [pauses] programming but also simply of
timewise. We can...we have the freedom to go over if...if that's the way the Spirit seems to be
leading. So we just sat down and just prayed it out. And we said, "Lord, if this is something that
you want to happen, you are going to have to overcome all the barriers or people who could
conceivably stand in the way," and basically left it at that, because we were all going off on spring
break, so we weren't even going to be around for a week to see if any of this would...to try to
help push this through or whatnot. So at that point, I think that was a key moment, because then
really became a point of faith, where it was thrown over onto God's shoulders completely,
because we had...there was no way that any of us would be able to see that through. And I
remember coming back from spring break. And I went...I went on spring break with three of my
housemates, and right at the beginning I shared with them this possibility and asked them to be in
prayer with me about it, that if it was definitely something that God wanted to do, he would do.
And at this point, I suppose I...I have to confess a real lack of faith, because when I came back
from spring break I was hoping that these students would be able to come, and yet at the same
time thinking they wouldn't. And I remember that Monday morning walking into the Office of
Christian Outreach and going over to check my box. And I remember the thing that was on top in
my box was just a very simple photocopied piece of paper written originally probably in magic
marker, some thick black pen that said, "The students from Texas are coming. Praise the Lord."
Or something to that extent. Very concise, very to the point. And I remember just being
incredibly excited, and I was literally jumping up and down and I ran into Kevin Engel's office,
and I just said, "Is this really true? Has this really happened?" And he said, "Well, yes it is." And
I...I still do not know all the steps in the process that went through to actually bring them to
Wheaton. I do know that Matt and Kevin were in contact by phone over spring break , and I
believe with Dr. Beougher as well, and then also Matt was in contact with Howard Payne
University, with the chaplain, I believe or a local pastor, I'm not certain which, maybe both. So
those are...those are some points that I'm still somewhat vague on and needless to say this last
week I haven't had a chance [laughs] to get caught up on all the details.
This excerpt comes from audio tape T26 in Collection 514. For more information about the Wheaton Revival click here.