The Life Story of Lester Sumrall (Unabridged‪)‬

Born to Betty and George Sumrall of New Orleans on February 15, 1913, Lester Frank Sumrall's cold-hearted brawler father considered him an "accident", telling him bluntly, "You weren't supposed to be here." Reared in the Deep South he showed early in life the resourcefulness and leadership attributes that comprised his remarkable 83-year life and 65-year ministry of the Gospel of Christ. 

At 16, he contracted tuberculosis in both lungs, and for six months lay in bed, daily waxing worse, until one somber day in the fall of 1930 the doctor informed his parents he would die within hours. That night, Lester saw a vision of an empty, open casket just his size waiting for him on one side of his bed and "the biggest Bible in the world" that stretched from the ceiling to the floor on the other. A voice warned, “You must choose.” He responded, “God, if the only way for me to live is to preach - I’ll preach.” When he awoke the next morning he was perfectly well! 

Three weeks later, Lester left his parents' home in Panama City, Florida, "with no training, no formal preparation, and no guidance from an older preacher", to begin the preaching ministry that would take him to more than 110 countries and lead him to write more than 130 books and study guides. For sheer entertainment, he was unrivaled, but his spiritual depth was manifest in the myriad miracles and supernatural works God operated through this faith-filled and faithful servant of God. 

This autobiographical look at his extraordinary life and ministry is by turns funny, poignant, and inspiring, chronicling his hilarious beginnings as a teenage pulpiteer to his final work as director of a massive global food outreach to starving children. 

Dr. Lester Sumrall went home to be with the Lord on April 28, 1996, having labored tirelessly to the last toward his goal of reaching a million people for Christ and leaving behind a legacy and ministry that continues to reach forward with the gospel to millions around the world.