Dear Eric and Group.

A few years ago, 1996 to be exact, I began to be very depressed about myself and the negative turns that had recently taken place in my life and Ministry back then. Up until that time my life had been entirely wrapped up in the Ministry, so they were ONE as it were. I was facing some real problems with people whom I had mentored and helped to train up in the Ministry who began to do and say things against me that were just awful. It proved to be more than I could bear at the time, so I decided to take my own life.. I know this sounds very carnal and perhaps selfish to some, and perhaps it was, but at the time it seemed the only way out for me. I took a massive overdose of barbiturates, enough to kill me several times, and I wound up being pronounced DOA at Merle West Hospital in Klamath Falls, OR. This just so happened to be on the first day of the Feast of Tabernacles, 1996; to make a long story short, I must have moved or something happened after they placed me in a body bag to await the Coroner's arrival. After being pronounced 'Alive' again I continued to be in a coma for 3 1/2 days (Until the 4th day of the Feast, or 'middle of the week'), but during this time the Doctors never gave me much chance of being anything more than a "Vegetable" - my body had been starved for oxygen too long (About 45 minutes). My skin had completely turned black until I looked like an African American before they found me and loaded me into the ambulance for the 30-min. ride to the Hospital. As everyone knows, the brain can only survive a few minutes without oxygen before the cells begin to decay rapidly. My poor wife was just on pins and needles during this time; she never left my side during these 3 1/2 days, but stayed with me, praying constantly for my recovery.

My memory of that time was that I was with the Lord; I don't remember any "Light" or going through a "Tunnel" like many report happening to them, I only remember being in a large, circular and dome-shaped room with a large round table in the center of it.. Around the table were seated what seemed to me to be Ministers; although I never took a head count of them, I am sure that they were the 24 Elders. The Lord was taking counsel of them concerning what should be done with me; One would say "Lord, remember when Moses did such and such" and another said "Remember when David did such and such.." In other words, they were making pleas concerning how the Lord should deal with my case. Up until this time I had never given any thought to the operation of the four and twenty "Elders" in the Heavenlies, now I understand much more of how the Lord uses them in cases which deal with earthly "Ministries." He sat quietly across the table from me and listened to each one tell a different story, and make suggestions about how my case should be handled. The decision was finally reached that I was to be sent back to earth. In addition, the Lord was to give me some 'tools' to work with that I had previously lacked in order to get the job done that He had originally called me to do. During all this time I said nothing, but I sat in silence and listened to each one make their various comments and suggestions about me to the Lord. The last words I remember hearing the Lord say was "I am going to send you back, and I will give you more to work with than you had before, just don't ever do this again." Soon after my being sent back and eventually regaining consciousness, the Lord began dealing with me about a "Half hour of silence" in my own "Heaven." He made it clear to me that the 3 1/2 days I was unconscious would be parallel to a 3 1/2 year period of time in which I would be "Spiritually Unconscious," or in a "Spiritual Coma." This 3 1/2 year period of time was a "Wilderness Experience" which lasted from the Feast of Tabernacles of 1996 until the Feast of Passover of the year 2000. I cannot tell you what that was like for me to not have any contact with God in a close, personal way for that length of time; It was like a sentence for what I had done, I know there are probably some who won't receive this, but I had to reap what I had sown in this case, if for no other reason than to ensure that I wouldn't try to do it again.. Secondly, I suppose that often times we take the blessings of the Lord for granted; I am sure that I did at one time, but not any more..

About two weeks after leaving the Hospital I heard that an old friend and Prophet was to Minister that night in town, and I went to the meeting; The man's name is Larry Wise (of Covelo, California), he had just gotten into town shortly before the service began and knew nothing of what had transpired in my life lately, but in the middle of the service he stopped preaching and pointed to me and began to Prophesy.. He said "Brother Burgess, the Lord has shown me that you were a "Dead Man," but He has raised you up to finish that work which He has called you to do.. He is going to heal you, and restore your faith and Power in the Holy Ghost.. He will equip you with things you never had dreamed of before - with the kind of Spiritual "Tools" that will accomplish many more things in your own life and in others." He went on to say "I will stand by you and bless the work of your hands abundantly; I will even bless and bring prosperity upon those who stand with you in the work of the Lord - but woe to any who attempt to hinder or prevent you from doing what I have called you to do, for I will stand against them, and will not permit them to prosper in the things of my Kingdom. Thus Saith the Lord.."

Well, you could hear a pin drop in the building that night, because there were many who knew about my recent suicide, and there were some Ministries present who had even been responsible for my low mental and physical state that brought it on. Everyone there knew that Brother Larry had just rolled into town a few minutes before and no one had any time or opportunity to "Brief" him on me, so it was a genuine Prophetic Utterance from the Lord.. I knew in my spirit that my recovery wasn't going to be immediate, even though when the Lord spoke Prophetically it seemed to be what he was intimating at the time. When God speaks like that we always seem to assume that it is going to be right now, and oftentimes people get discouraged and start to give up when the Word of the Lord doesn't come to pass immediately. But I believed it was something futuristic, and held onto the promises until I began to see some definite changes taking place..

But what were the 'Tools' the Lord spoke to me about? I immediately began to wonder about the kind of tools that the Lord had promised to give me. Ever since the outset of my ministry I had operated in the 'Gifts of the Spirit' all of them from time to time, so what were these 'Tools' that I had lacked to get the job done? I found out they were 'People' these were the 'Tools' in the hands of God, Instruments of His good pleasure that I had lacked in those former days. These 'Essential Tools' could be compared to Arron and Hur, who stood beside Moses in the day of battle against the army of Amalek. Why, if it hadn't been for these two faithful men Ministering effectively to Moses, then the Nation of Israel would have been soundly defeated, and blotted out on that day. All memory of Israel would be nothing but a few vague notations in some ancient history book. There would be no Bible, no Saviour, no Church, no Christianity, no Salvation, no anything so far as the knowledge of God is concerned in this world. So you see how important these kinds of 'Tools' are today, in the hands of a Mighty God like ours.

You see in those days I had become very guarded and suspicious of people trying to get too close to me - as I had been stabbed in the back on several occasions by ministers and churches who were jealous of what I had going for me in the Lord. I had a miracle ministry following me everywhere I went, but the Word I was preaching didn't always agree with the 'Politically Correct' stance of the denominations, so I became branded by them as a 'Renegade' - a 'False Prophet,' etc.. So you can see why I became somewhat of a 'Lone Ranger' to these elements.

Beginning about December of 1999 I began to "Wake Up" Spiritually speaking, although I didn't regain full "Consciousness" until about the Feast of Passover of the next year. In February, 2000, just before I moved to Castle Rock, WA. I had an experience where I was taking my little dog out for a walk one night around midnight; We walked out in the woods for a ways and I suddenly heard a little "Rustling" in the brush, like the sound of the wind blowing.. There was no moon that night and the wind was not blowing at all; My hair stood up on end all over my body, I said "Lord, is that you (I suddenly felt His Presence so strongly)??" There was no sound.. I stood there for a minute feeling the undeniable presence of the Lord and said again "Speak Lord, for thy servant heareth.." Still no voice of the Lord came to me, but I still felt His presence so strong; I stood there for a long time quietly, basking in His wonderful presence but still there was no voice or manifestation of Him beyond what I could feel in my Spirit..

On the way back to my little trailer I asked the Lord "Will you ever appear to me again like you did when I was first saved??" He spoke to me in the confines of my spirit and said "I will appear to you again, but your not ready for that yet." I remember thinking "Isn't that strange?? He appeared openly to me when I was just a baby Christian, but now He says I'm not ready for that yet!" I didn't know what to think about it, but I believed Him 1000% About 3 days later I was sitting in my trailer thinking about that experience when I just felt a "Nudge" in my spirit to take my little dog for another walk; So I did.. We went back out to that same place where I had felt the Lord so strongly a few nights before and lo and behold there was His presence again; This time it was so strong I began to weep uncontrollably before Him, as I was weeping and wiping my eyes I happened to see something lying on the ground under the brush.. It was exactly in the same spot where I heard the little "Rustling noise" a few nights before; I bent down to pick it up, wiping my eyes, and here it was an Arrow some hunter must have lost. This was no practice Arrow, but a "Broadhead" hunting arrow; I stood there looking it over for a moment, wondering how I had been able to see it at all because of my poor eyesight (From the Diabetes) and besides that, my eyes were just so full of tears I couldn't see anything clearly.. Then the Lord spoke to me and said "I have given you an Arrow," I said "Thank you Lord;" I knew what He meant..

"And a certain man drew a bow at a venture, and smote the king of Israel between the joints of the harness: therefore he said to his chariot man, Turn thine hand, that thou mayest carry me out of the host; for I am wounded (2 Chr 18:33)." The Arrows of the Lord are both His Messages and Messengers, His Words sent out to dispatch the enemies of the Kingdom of God; Each one has a purpose, and will always find it's mark, not one ever returns to Him void, but will prosper in the things whereunto He has sent it.. The Lord requires so very little of us really, only to be like that "Certain man" who by faith placed an Arrow in his Bow one day and let it fly.. Where it lands is not in our power to decide; The Lord will always watch over His Words to perform them.. Love and Blessings to all; Love and Blessings to all;

Robert Burgess 07/06/2006