W.F.P. Burton (1886-1971) was born and raised in England. From a child he heard the wonderful truth of the Gospel. His parents dedicated him to God’s work in Africa even before he was born. As a boy his one desire was to be a missionary. In 1905 he came under deep conviction of sin at an R.A. Torrey Evangelistic campaign in London. A few days later he experienced salvation. At once he contacted various African mission societies but there would be a delay of eight years before he was able to step out and pursue this calling. In those intervening years he was on hand for his aging parents while working for an Engineering firm. During this vital period he grew in the study of the Word of God, in prayer and in winning souls to Christ. He also established the habit of rising early and of spending at least two hours in Bible study each morning.
All his friends had received the Baptism in the Holy Ghost and were speaking in tongues but to his great disappointment he had prayed, believed and claimed but still had not received. During a meeting at the Preston Pentecostal Convention in 1910 he felt a deep sense of his own utter vileness before God, but then he looked to the utter worthiness of Christ's sacrifice at Calvary. A new deep revelation of the Blood of Jesus broke upon him in these meetings. The Spirit was poured out upon him and he began to praise God in a new tongue that he had never learnt. In confirming his missionary call, God answered prayer by miraculously giving him a third set of teeth which was recorded in scientific magazines.
Finally in 1914 he arrived in South Africa where he laboured for one year. He then travelled north with his good friend Jimmy Salter to the Congo. These early days were marked by fighting sickness (malaria), encountering cannibal tribesmen, learning the language and making the first maps of the country. Their first convert was a young boy called Nyuki. For a radius of 40 miles around them a quarter of a million souls awaited the Gospel. A new church was planted and evangelism commenced. In 1920 160 of their converts experienced an outpouring of the Holy Spirit. Again in the 1930 the Lord sent an outpouring of the Spirit amongst them and worked mighty miracles. Over these years their were many very real times of terrible discouragement but by faith he persevered. In 1960 when Willie left Congo there were 75 missionaries, 14 mission stations, over 1000 assemblies and 43,000 Believers. He spent his last days living out of a suit case, travelling and preaching and died a very happy man.
Taken and condensed from Pentecostal Pioneers Remembered by Keith Malcomson
All his friends had received the Baptism in the Holy Ghost and were speaking in tongues but to his great disappointment he had prayed, believed and claimed but still had not received. During a meeting at the Preston Pentecostal Convention in 1910 he felt a deep sense of his own utter vileness before God, but then he looked to the utter worthiness of Christ's sacrifice at Calvary. A new deep revelation of the Blood of Jesus broke upon him in these meetings. The Spirit was poured out upon him and he began to praise God in a new tongue that he had never learnt. In confirming his missionary call, God answered prayer by miraculously giving him a third set of teeth which was recorded in scientific magazines.
Finally in 1914 he arrived in South Africa where he laboured for one year. He then travelled north with his good friend Jimmy Salter to the Congo. These early days were marked by fighting sickness (malaria), encountering cannibal tribesmen, learning the language and making the first maps of the country. Their first convert was a young boy called Nyuki. For a radius of 40 miles around them a quarter of a million souls awaited the Gospel. A new church was planted and evangelism commenced. In 1920 160 of their converts experienced an outpouring of the Holy Spirit. Again in the 1930 the Lord sent an outpouring of the Spirit amongst them and worked mighty miracles. Over these years their were many very real times of terrible discouragement but by faith he persevered. In 1960 when Willie left Congo there were 75 missionaries, 14 mission stations, over 1000 assemblies and 43,000 Believers. He spent his last days living out of a suit case, travelling and preaching and died a very happy man.
Taken and condensed from Pentecostal Pioneers Remembered by Keith Malcomson
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