(CN 250, T1) for the Billy Graham Center Archives
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This is a complete transcript of the oral history interview Robert Carlton Savage (CN 250, T1) for the Billy Graham Center Archives. No spoken words which were recorded are omitted. In a very few cases, the transcribers could not understand what was said, in which case [unclear] was inserted. Also, grunts and verbal hesitations such as “ah” or “um” are usually omitted. Readers of this transcript should remember that this is a transcript of spoken English, which follows a different rhythm and even rule than written English. Three dots indicate an interruption or break in the train of thought within the sentence of the speaker. Four dots indicate what the transcriber believes to be the end of an incomplete sentence. ( ) Word in parentheses are asides made by the speaker. [ ] Words in brackets are comments made by the transcriber. This transcript was made by Bob Shuster and Kirk Haywood was completed in November 2005. Please note: This oral history interview expresses the personal memories and opinions of the interviewee and does not necessarily represent the views or policies of the Billy Graham Center Archives or Wheaton College. © 2017. The Billy Graham Center Archives. All rights reserved. This transcript may be reused with the following publication credit: Used by permission of the Billy Graham Center Archives, Wheaton College, Wheaton, IL. BGC Archives CN 250, T1 Transcript - Page 2 Collection 250, Tape 1. Oral history interview with Robert Carlton Savage by Bob Shuster on June 3, 1983. SHUSTER: This is an interview of Reverend Robert Savage by Robert Shuster for the archives at the Billy Graham Center at Wheaton College. This interview took place at 3:30 in the archives of the Billy Graham Center on June 3, 1983. Dr. Savage, how did.... After you left Wheaton and you had mentioned you were a pastor for some time in Washington [D.C.], how did you then come into missionary service? SAVAGE: Okay, Bob. We were in Washington, D.C. for two years, and then I was assistant pastor there in Metropolitan Baptist Church, a very, very fine church, and a big church, about 2,000 members on Capitol Hill there. And then after two years there I felt I wanted a pastorate of my own, and accepted an invitation from a church in the suburbs of Detroit, in Romeo, Michigan. And it was there at that time that I felt the call and my wife felt the call. In fact, as I mentioned in the other tape there, my wife really was used of the Lord in a great way to get me to pray about my personal relationship to the mission challenge. I remember in that church in Romeo, we had a missionary conference. A missionary from Africa, M. D. Christianson [?] was the speaker that particular night, and at the close of the message, he said ANow I want all of you to bow your heads in prayer, and I want each one of you to pray this way: >Lord, what do you want me personally to do about the missionary challenge?=“ And so we bowed our heads and as pastor I started praying for Mary and Art and Bob and John, AOh, Lord lay it upon their hearts, lay the missionary challenge upon their hearts, test them, and call some of these fine young people that I=m pastoring here into missionary service.” And then M.D. Christianson [?] says AWait a minute, wait a minute, I believe some of you are not praying in the way I suggested. I believe some of you are praying for others, and I wanted you to pray for yourselves.” Well, that=s exactly what I had been doing. So I started praying for myself: ALord, is there something you want me to do about the missionary challenge?” I...I really didn=t think in those terms at all. I had my long-range instructions from the Lord, pastoring churches here in the homeland. Well, that and an experience my wife had (I=m blending them together) forced us to our knees. ALord, perchance, do you have something for us in the mission field?” And the Lord said AYes I do.” And about that time my wife wrote a song that really summarized our...our feelings. It is entitled AOh, send Me.” I=ll just quote a little bit of it: AOh, send me, oh send me forth I pray, the need is great, thy call I will obey. Thy love compels me, I must go. I am willing, ready, longing to go.” Those three words, willing, ready and longing, are key words as far as our mission call was concerned. I had been willing to go for a long time. I certainly went on record with the Lord, AI...I=m not going to buck your will, Lord. I=m willing to go to any part of the world you want me to, but I=m certainly not anxious to.” And then through this time of prayer while I was pastoring Romeo Baptist Church, the Lord gave me not only the willingness, but a readiness and a...a longing to go. I said ANow Lord, let me be a missionary, permit me. I would feel honored.” And the Lord through giving us peace in our hearts and through other circumstances, said, AYes, I will permit you to be a missionary.” And we quickly applied. It wasn=t too long before we applied to the mission board and by October of that same year, 1944, we were on a ship...a Chilean ship out of New Orleans, called the Copioco [?] headed for Panama, and then Panama by BC-3 over Barranquilla, Colombia, and then interior into Colombia to Pamplona. [The Savages really sailed in 1942.] © 2017. The Billy Graham Center Archives. All rights reserved. This transcript may be reused with the following publication credit: Used by permission of the Billy Graham Center Archives, Wheaton College, Wheaton, IL. BGC Archives CN 250, T1 Transcript - Page 3 SHUSTER: Was your congregation surprised when you... SAVAGE: [Chuckles] Yes, they were very much surprised, uh-huh. But they were a missionary-minded church, and they quickly rejoiced with us and picked up a substantial amount of our support. And the churches in Washington, D.C. were our main contributors for support all through our missionary...missionary career. SHUSTER: What kind of reactions did you get from friends and colleagues when you told them you=d become a missionary? SAVAGE: Well, I=ll tell you Bob, I [chuckles] I...I...I all of a sudden became almost a missionary fanatic. I mean, I...I had been cool toward the call of missions and Moody Bible Institute and Wheaton College. And once I decided to become a missionary, I thought everybody should be missionaries! Really, I thought anybody with good health and consecration and under thirty years of age should apply to a mission board. I was...I was very extreme. And I=d give an invitation at the close of my messages AHow many are willing to go on record with the Lord, >Lord I want to go to the mission field.=“ And I just felt everybody under thirty with good health and consecrated should come forward. Well, [chuckles] I...I...I=m not too apologetic for that feeling, but I...I now feel that a...a missionary is not so much a matter of geographical location as it is a condition of the heart. And some of my close friends, they said AWell, hold on Bob, you=re getting a little extreme here, you know?” But mainly they were...they were very encouraging, and helpful, and... SHUSTER: Rejoiced with you? SAVAGE: Uh-huh. SHUSTER: Now of course, in 1944, the United States was at war. Did that in any way affect your recruitment, or your travel, or preparation? SAVAGE: We were the last boat to sail on the Caribbean Sea without being blacked-out. It was a Chilean boat, and theoretically, it shouldn=t have been in danger from any German submarines, but after that trip even the Chilean line was blacked-out to avoid submarine detection. Yeah, it was in the years of the war. In fact [pauses] I confess that before we volunteered for missionary service, I had felt some strong tugs to apply as a...for a chaplaincy in...in the military forces, but then, when we got this call of the Lord to South America, that...that just took the priority, and so I guess that=s about the only comment I would have as far as the relationship to...the war was concerned. But we had to follow the...the progress of the war from Colombia and...and South America. SHUSTER: Was there any problem getting visas or priority to travel? SAVAGE: No, except we were first of all denied entrance into Venezuela. And that wasn=t related to the war, it was just that they...they didn=t want any...any missionaries there. Once we got to Colombia, the fact that war was going on was reflected in any travel plans we had. Any foreigner traveling in Colombia was constantly questioned, maybe every fifteen, twenty miles. They=d have what we called El Palo. That would be a huge stick that would be lowered across the...the © 2017. The Billy Graham Center Archives. All rights reserved. This transcript may be reused with the following publication credit: Used by permission of the Billy Graham Center Archives, Wheaton College, Wheaton, IL. BGC Archives CN 250, T1 Transcript - Page 4 highway, and whether you were in a bus or a private car, you=d have to stop there and the...the police, AAny foreigners on this bus?” And so if...you had to go in and they=d copy down all the information about us.