During the 1970s, in the midst of the Cold War, Herbert Armstrong was troubled at how the gospel message might more powerfully reach the most populous nations on Earth, such as Russia, China, India, Japan, Indonesia and Bangladesh. Already a fringe of these nations had been receiving the World Tomorrow program through radio, and the Plain Truth magazine in print. However, this was not sufficient. He had to reach them in person.

Such was the passion of this unofficial ambassador for world peace that he took the matter directly to the only source that could truly open doors to those nations: “I began then to pray earnestly, and specially, that God would show me how He wanted us to get in to those vast nations with His message!” (co-worker letter, Nov. 26, 1973).

God powerfully answered that prayer. In November of that same year, Mr. Armstrong flew to Dacca, capital of the then “new nation” of Bangladesh—formerly East Pakistan. At the time, the country was the eighth-most-populous nation on Earth. Mr. Armstrong recalled that two years earlier while in a meeting with India’s prime minister, Indira Gandhi, Mrs. Gandhi spent half an hour lamenting the crisis of thousands of eastern Pakistani refugees fleeing for their lives across her country’s border. They had no food, no money, no jobs. Many were starving, emaciated, with only the tattered clothes on their backs. The number of refugees reached over 10 million. Herbert Armstrong’s passion for reaching these persecuted people in their new country moved into high gear.

On his first visit to Bangladesh, Mr. Armstrong had a private meeting with a former justice of the Supreme Court and the head of state, President Aby Sabeed Choudhury. The president told him that he was well aware of Ambassador College, the worldwide work of the Church, and Mr. Armstrong’s noted reputation among international leaders. It was during this meeting that something miraculous occurred. The president asked Mr. Armstrong this question: “I want to appeal to you for your candid counsel and advice. I know of your contacts with so many leaders of government and their problems, your wide experience, your age and wisdom. You can see the colossal problems we have here, struggling with the reconstruction of this nation of 75 million impoverished people.”

Mr. Armstrong went on to explain the significance of the president’s question: “This was not the first time a head of a government over many millions of people has asked me for counsel and advice in trying to solve their virtually unsolvable problems. And I think our great God will show me a way to help—at least to uplift the morale, the spirits and the hope of those millions of poor, down-trodden people” (ibid). During this meeting, they discussed how the Church’s humanitarian foundation might cooperate with the Bangladeshi government in joint educational projects.

Two years later, Mr. Armstrong would soberly write, “… President Mujibur Rahman of Bangladesh was shot and killed in a military coup. Sitting with us, when I visited President Rahman (then prime minister but actual head of state), was Khandakar Moshtaque Ahmed, commerce minister. Ahmed led the military coup and took over as head of the government” (ibid, Oct. 8, 1975).

Amid the crisis and suffering of their country, the man they knew as an ambassador of peace remained committed to loving and serving the Bangladeshis through the delivery of the spiritual wealth of the message of the good news of the coming Kingdom of God.

During a five-week tour of the Far East in November 1984, Mr. Armstrong found time while in Dacca as a guest of the government—then headed by Prime Minister Mizanur Rahman Chowduhry—to write to members and co-workers who supported the Matthew 24:14 gospel witness to the world, including beleaguered Bangladesh. “It is a country about the size of Wisconsin in area, but with approximately 100 million population—almost half of that of the United States. It is one of the poorest countries on Earth. Less than 29 percent can read or write and many of this number can only barely be called literate” (Nov. 18, 1984).

He noted the progress of the country’s development, citing foreign aid from developed countries along with educational programs for its population. During this trip, he toured one such facility, a village elementary school. “I was driven in a government Mercedes, since I am here as a guest of the government. On the road to the village we had a flat tire. On the return we lost the muffler because of knotty tree roots protruding through the rough unpaved road. The schoolhouse was a dilapidated sort of shed built of old corrugated iron or tin, half rusted. One class of about 60 children were being taught in a shady spot outside this makeshift building. I visited a third grade mathematics class in a small room of 35 children. At least the country is beginning to teach many of the little children, although the minister of education told us many drop out because their parents can’t see any need for education” (ibid). Concluding his letter from Dacca, Mr. Armstrong urged all readers to more fervently pray as did Jesus, “Thy Kingdom come” (Matthew 6:10).

The president of Bangladesh asked the advice of Herbert Armstrong and received the very gospel message of Jesus Christ—which outlines the way of life which brings about peace, happiness, prosperity and true education for all. This makes the leaders of the nation at that time responsible for their failure to implement that counsel to the benefit of the masses.

Today Bangladesh, home to over 158 million impoverished, suffers from the results of broken law (1 John 3:4), lacking the leadership to recall and apply the sage counsel it requested from God’s representative. As the proverb declares, “Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he” (Proverbs 29:18).

Will you learn the lesson of Bangladesh and pray for God’s urgent resolution to man’s self-imposed chronic problems?

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