I went to my husband and told him, and together we went to the Pullman ticket office. The agent said, “I have not a berth left. The train is full and leaves in fifteen minutes.” I told him the Lord had said we were to go on that train, and there must be a place somewhere for us. He said he knew he had not a berth left. I said we must have two upper berths, as we did not have sufficient money for lower berths. The $4 given by the little sister in Colorado Springs as our train was leaving and the $3.00 we had was all we had for the berths. Just then a man stepped up and said there were two upper berths left, as some people had decided not to go on that train. “Well,” said the agent, “I guess they are for you, but you will have to hurry, as the train is ready to go.” Entering the coach we found the two berths were together. How the Lord does plan for His children, opening doors which no man can shut. Hallelujah!
As we neared the California border the strike came on that paralyzed all street-car and train service for ten days. Three times the men were about to leave our train out on the desert. But we prayed, and God took the train through to Los Angeles. Other trains that started were forsaken by the trainmen and hundreds of people were left in the desert without food or water. Relief was sent to them by auto trucks, and they came through in that way. But God spoke to us, and we obeyed, and went on the last train that got through for over ten days.
How God does care for His own! We were going out as missionaries and He wanted to teach us lessons of faith. That is why He took us along with just enough money for one trip at a time. Many times we were without money or had but little. Then, He would tell us not to look at our little means, but to look to Him, with Heaven’s great storehouse full for all who would believe. “The just shall live by faith.” The new creature in Christ Jesus becomes heir to ALL His riches in glory. “O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are His judgments, and His ways past finding out!” Rom. 11:33.
We arrived in Los Angeles with seventy-five cents. The taxi man asked $4 to take us to the camp-grounds, and no street cars were running. We asked Father how we were to get out there. It was too far to walk. I was directed to a little lunch-counter across the street, to ask the man about a machine standing in front of his place. He told me he would take us out there, as he was carrying passengers since the strike was on. We asked him the fare and he said, “Seventy-five cents.” We laughed, for Father knew just how much we had, and would not let him ask more.
We reached the camp-grounds about nine o’clock. The Evangelist was preaching on faith, and how we should trust God. She stretched out her arm toward us and said, in a loud voice, “The just shall live by faith.” This was a familiar text to us, as it had been our motto for some three months, or more, but it is always new.
Brother Fisher came and said, “We have a tent up and ready for you, but we have made no arrangements for meals for you, as everybody makes their own arrangements for those.” We praised God for the tent and knew He would take care of the rest, for He had sent us there, so He would provide.
We were invited home with some friends that night, but returned to the camp to stay the next morning. Noon came. Everybody was going out to the stand to get lunch. We had to pray. So we went into our little tent, knelt down and told our Heavenly Father about our needs. He says He knows our needs before we ask Him, but we receive by asking. It is so sweet to tell Him about every little need. We had spoken to no one else about them, as that would not be faith. We went across the grounds to the big tent. A sister came, put her arms around me, and said, “Sister, are you a missionary?” I told her we were just going out for the first time. She said the Lord had laid it on her heart to open a dining tent for the missionaries on the camp-ground, and she wanted to invite me and my little family to eat with them. I need not say that dining tent was one of the sweetest places I have ever seen. We would gather there and sing and praise God and eat the food He had provided. It was Heaven on earth. I am sure dear Sister Craton and her sister, who worked so faithfully, will receive abundant reward when Jesus comes.
The meeting was wonderful. The Word was preached under the mighty anointing every afternoon and night. Hundreds were brought in and baptized in the Holy Spirit, and many were healed. One day they carried in a Jew. He was an invalid, had been sick for many years and did not believe the Bible or in God. We gathered around him and prayed. A great ball of fire came down through the tent, struck that man on the head, knocked him out of his chair and on to his feet, and almost knocked down all who were praying with him. He was healed and baptized in the Holy Spirit, and ran over the grounds leaping and praising God. Many things God did there that strengthened our faith and prepared us for the life of faith on the mission field.
After the camp-meeting we rented a little apartment where we might live and make ready for our trip, for there was sewing to be done and things to be made ready. We were expecting to sail about the first of October. But one day, as we were praying about when we should sail, the Lord said, “You will sail about the first of the year.” We thought that was a long time off, and did not understand why we were to wait so long. Going to the steamship office we learned that the port of Corinto, where we were to land, was under quarantine for yellow fever, and had been for several months, but the ban would be lifted about the first of the year, and it was.
They were precious months that followed. Everything that we needed had to be prayed in—trunks, suitcases, clothing, everything came in answer to prayer.