Teleporting

A preacher is told by the Lord to go preach in Africa. He doesn't have any money, but he knows that God will provide. He goes to the airport, but when approaches the ticket counter, he still has not received any money from God and so he cannot buy a ticket.

Discouraged, he goes into the restroom and enters a bathroom stall to pray. When he opens the stall to leave, he finds that he is in a different restroom. Leaving the restroom, he discovers that he has been supernaturally transported to an airport in Africa. He leaves the airport and spends several days preaching. Finally, he receives word from God that it is time to return home. He goes back to the airport, enters the bathroom stall, and is magically transported back to his hometown airport.

Leaving the airport, he discovers yet another miracle - the entire trip has taken no time at all. He returned back home on the same day and even the same hour that he left.

Teleporting myths are somewhat common in Pentecostal circles, and there are many variations. In some versions, people are magically transported from one location to avoid some serious danger, but most often to preach in distant lands.

Pentecostal preachers are always looking for ways to boost their reputations. Sometimes they get a bit ahead of themselves in proclaiming that God has called them to preach the gospel all around the world in far continents.

The Pentecostal teleporting myth is the perfect way to appear to have carried out 'God's will'. The preacher sets off for the airport, and returns two hours later claiming to have been magically transported by God to preach for several days--no ticket to pay for, no passport stamp, no troublesome travel plans, and not even a time lapse. The story deflects inquiry from all angles. It also strains credulity, and so this myth is commonly used only among preachers with miracle-working reputations whose followers who are willing to believe just about anything.