Many boys and girls came to us asking for a school and a home, but I am sorry to say that we could not possibly take them in, our house and means would not permit. But we are asking God to stir up the people in the homeland to give till there shall be a home and school opened in this dark city of Leon where these precious jewels may be gathered in and taught the Bible, and the way to God.
We were having precious meetings, and one day a man came saying he had walked a long distance to find the missionaries, to get them to come to his home and teach the Gospel. Husband and I went with him, going as far as possible on the little railroad, then walking the rest of the way. When we arrived we felt as if every drop of our blood were boiling, we were so hot, walking so far under the tropical sun. We found the family gathered to hear the Word of God, and thought of Peter going to the house of Cornelius.
“Oh, the love that drew salvation’s plan!
Oh, the grace that brought it down to man!
Oh, the mighty gulf that God did span!
At Calvary.”
The Lord touched these dear hearts with His love in a mighty way. They wept, and cried to Him to save them. Even the little children were hungry to seek the Lord. Far away from all Christians, in a dark land, filled with idols, where the powers of darkness fill the very air, were those precious souls, just waiting for someone to come and tell them of a Savior’s love. There are many thousands just like them. Dear reader, what will you do to get the gospel to them? Ask the Lord to show you what He would have you do.
I shall never forget the scene when we started to leave these people. They clung to us, begging us not to leave them. But there were our own dear children at Leon, in a foreign land, far away from all loved ones, and with no one to protect them, and the shadows of night were beginning to fall. We had to pull ourselves away from those pleading, soul-hungry people, and say good-bye. We promised to come back when we could, telling them we must go back to our little ones, and the work in Leon. The father and mother had seven bright-faced boys, and asked us if we would take them into our school, and we told them we would if we could but we were not able for lack of means.
Returning it seemed as if the slow train would never get to Leon. We were tired, and our feet were blistered from the long walk in the terrible heat. But as we looked to the Lord to refresh our bodies and heal our sore feet, the Holy Spirit came sweeping through our beings, so refreshing us that we hardly knew we had gone through such an ordeal.
In a few days there came a call to another home far away in the mountains, where the people were begging that the Gospel be brought to them. I took a native woman with me and we traveled on the train as far as we could go. We purposed going to the home of some native Christians who lived in that town, and who had been in the meetings at Leon, where we thought to rest until the sun went down, as the other trip had taught me not to walk far under the hot sun. As we passed down the street I heard the people calling out in Spanish, “Hay una Evangelista!” (There is a missionary!) But I thought nothing of it, knowing they were not accustomed to seeing foreigners walking through their streets.