Dr Lesley Sumrall : A TRUCK LOADED WITH WHEELCHAIRS 🦼😳 I first met Raymond T. Richey, the first of all these pioneers whom I knew, when I was almost ten years old. He came to Laurel, Mississippi, where we lived at that time and held a meeting at the Courthouse, the largest auditorium in the city. At that early age, I witnessed my first healing revival and never forgot it. He was a master of the stage, although he was a man of small stature and had no deep or commanding voice. However, he was a master of words. Unlike Dr. Charles Price, his sermons were short, but people were miraculously healed in his meetings. When he said, "Come to Jesus," people literally ran down the aisles. I saw people get so excited about giving to God that they literally ran down the aisles and threw their money on the platform until it was covered. Richey did not "beg" for anything, but when the miracles began to take place, an atmosphere of praise would come upon the people, and they would give to the servant of the Lord. We had seen people healed in our church one by one, but we had never seen people healed in such numbers in one service. The first introduction into such a ministry is exceedingly exciting, especially when you have been taught that the New Testament is true and the things that are reported in it were real. My first exposure to Richey's healing services was like seeing the New Testament literally come to life. Raymond T. Richey was a loveable person. I hardly remember anyone who truly disliked him. He knew how to get along with people, particularly people in leadership such as governors and mayors. He spoke with such sincerity, telling of his own healings, that people felt a sympathy and a love for him. He accepted an invitation to come to my father's house for dinner after the meeting in Laurel. You cannot imagine how honored we felt with this man of God at our table — talking, praising God, rejoicing in the Lord, and loving us. We thought it was the greatest day of all our lives. I sat very near him, and joy seemed to flow from him. One of my older sisters, Anna, was not well at that time, and he asked, "May I pray for her?" Anna was healed immediately when he laid hands on her, and as a result, she developed a strong relationship with the Lord. Our home was a brighter place after the visit of Raymond T. Richey. I lost touch with him then until after I began to preach. In 1930, when I was about seventeen years old, I conducted a meeting in Tulsa, where Richey had just completed a mighty revival. The healings in his meetings were so numerous that there were great trucks loaded down with wheelchairs, walking canes, crutches and other types of medical appliances removed from people when they were healed. Once again, as a young minister, I was as touched and influenced by his ministry as I had been as a youngster. - Dr. Lester Sumrall ( The Pioneers Of Faith )