“I really believe she enjoyed making and giving those little things more than any other part of Christmas,” said Miss Alice. “I suppose it made her feel as if she was in the Christmas times.”
Marty never enjoyed any Christmas season so much as this one, when she worked so hard to give happiness to the poor. She had her temptations to overcome, too; for when the stores were filled with beautiful things that she would like to buy for herself or her friends, it was very hard to keep from entrenching on the money she had saved up for a special Christmas missionary offering. But her year's training in missionary giving had not gone for nothing, and she was able to make a missionary offering a part of her Christmas celebration.
The members of the band had not forgotten the talk they had had over Mrs. C——'s letter, when they resolved to try very hard to double their usual amount. The most of them were trying, and the sum was “rolling up,” the treasurer said. Whether or not they would succeed in what they were aiming at, remained to be seen, but Miss Walsh encouraged them by saying that they would certainly come much nearer success by making continual efforts than by making no effort at all.
One morning when the holidays were over, and the little girls were on their way to school, Edith had a great piece of news to tell.
“What do you think!” she said. “Rosa Stevenson's grownup sister is going away next month to be a missionary!”
“Is she really?” exclaimed Marty.
“Yes; going to Japan, and Miss Agnes has asked her to come to the meeting next Saturday and tell us about it.”
The news spread, and the next Saturday every one of the Twigs was there, gazing with wide-open eyes at the fair young girl who was going so far from home to carry the gospel to her ignorant sisters. Sitting there with tearful Rosa's hand clasped in hers, she told the girls that when she was studying in college, God had put it into her heart to carry the tidings of his salvation to the people who knew him not. She said that though it was very hard to leave home and friends, she felt it was her duty and privilege to go, and she was thankful that the way was open for her.
Then she showed them on the map what city she was going to, and told them something of the school in which she was to teach. She promised to write to the band some time, and in closing she earnestly appealed to them to do all they could for missions.
“Even be ready to go yourself if God calls you,” she said. “When I was a little girl in a mission-band, saving up pennies and learning about these foreign lands, I never thought that one day I should be going to teach the girls of one of these countries and try to win them to Christ. So there may be some among you whom God will call to this work, and I hope none of you will slight his call, but be ready to do his will in this matter as in all others.”