One man, who owned a gold mine in Mexico, and had been in the United States and was returning, told us, as we were giving out literature to the people, that we were the first missionaries he ever met coming that way. He said he had been in Mexico forty years, had made many trips back and forth, but had met no Christians in those parts before. He himself knew something of the Gospel, and was glad to have the papers, and told us of the great need among the people there.
Oh! shall not we who have received this great outpouring of the Spirit, cry, as did the holy ones in Isaiah, “Holy, holy, holy, is Jehovah of hosts!” till the whole earth be filled with His glory? As I write in the hot state-room of the ship, my soul is full of glory, and my hands are being moved over the typewriter by the power of the Spirit, while He tells me that Jesus is coming soon, that we must work fast, and open our souls to Himself until we are filled with His power and glory, so that the people with whom we come in contact will know we have been with Him, and learned of Him.
A young man came to me and said, “I heard you praying in your state-room this morning. May I come in next time when you have prayer? I want to know about the Gospel.” We had given him a Testament. The next morning he came and knelt with us and prayed to the Lord to save him. He arose, with his face shining with the glory of God, saying, “Won’t you come to my country and tell my people about Jesus? My mother has been making long trips to worship ‘The Black Christ’ in the great temple on the Honduras border, but she hasn’t found peace. Won’t you come and tell her of this wonderful salvation?” We corresponded with him later, sending him tracts and papers, and he is going on with the Lord. Won’t you pray that God will raise up someone who will go to them with the Gospel before it is too late?
As I have already said, Central and South America are opening their eyes, and fast turning from Romanism. They are accepting Spiritualism, New Thought, Christian Science, and all kinds of false religions, because the true Gospel is not being preached to them. Shall we not awake, rise up, go forth with the message of the cross, and reach these people before they are destroyed with these awful things?
A man from Honduras, who had been in the States studying New Thought, was returning with several boxes of books to sell to the people. This dear young man had never heard the Gospel. He said he found that Rome was keeping the people in ignorance. Having met some New Thought teachers in his country, he had been to the States and studied New Thought for a year, and was now returning to teach it to his people, who, he said, were anxious to have him do so.
We gave him a Bible, the first he had ever seen, and he read it every day. We talked and prayed with him until he was saved, for the dear old Word of God always wins its way into the hearts of men. He threw the New Thought books overboard and went on his way with tracts, Testaments and Bibles for his people, rejoicing that he had found the true God. Let us pray for this precious soul, that God will greatly use him. He is a finely educated young man, whose influence will tell on his countrymen.
Oh! how glad we were we had been led to take that boat, and had had the opportunity to give the Bread of Life to that hungry man! God had led us on that very ship, and certainly we were blessed as we cast the Word of God forth and saw many people running after it. There is a great ministry on the ships, not only to passengers, but also to the officers and crews. They spend all their time on the water, and do not have any opportunity to hear the Gospel, only as it is taken to them.
Another man, a Jew, was very sick, had been for a long time. He was traveling for his health. As my husband spoke to him about the Lord and told him God could heal him, he said, “Well, I will come right into your room now and have you pray for me. I am suffering so, I can’t live until I reach my destination if I do not get relief.” He came in and we prayed for him, and anointed him with oil in the name of the Lord, asking God to touch his body. Instantly he threw up his hands and began to say, “Glory! Glory! Glory!” The power fell on him, and he was saved and healed. As he left the boat he took with him some tracts and a Testament, and, best of all, the glory of God in his soul.
He declared he was going to preach the Gospel, and he began right on the ship. He was so filled with the power and glory of God he could not keep from telling it. Here was one more poor suffering soul who received the Bread of Life that was cast upon the waters, and who went on his way rejoicing, to tell the glad news to other suffering ones.
Let us not be weary in well doing, but rise up in faith and go forth in Jesus’ Name, casting our bread upon the waters, for we shall find it bringing forth life.