Some of the people looked so very aristocratic that the enemy said to me, “You had better not give out tracts and Testaments on this boat, as the people will not listen, for they will think you are a fanatic.” But I felt I must let my light shine here as well as in other places. So I went to my stateroom to pray. I opened my Bible to read and saw in it a little tract, containing these words:
“Have you overcome the worldly opinions of the sect which is everywhere spoken against by taking your stand with it? What would Jesus have you do? Have you done that? If the world has nothing to say against you, Jesus will have nothing to say for you. His grace is sufficient. Ask Him.”
That was a message to my heart. I said, “Lord, I will go through this ship and give out tracts to everyone. Now, Lord, you bless every dear heart, and open to them the Gospel.”
As I passed around the deck giving out tracts, a man and his wife asked what church I belonged to. I told them I belonged to
“The Church of the First Born.”
Then I told them about the Pentecostal people, and how we had received the Baptism of the Holy Spirit, as the people did on the day of Pentecost, and told them that God was pouring out His Spirit on the earth, and that Jesus was coming again soon. They were Seventh-Day Adventist missionaries from Colombia, South America, coming home on furlough. They had been on the field four years, but had only been selling their literature. Nobody had been saved, but they thought that when, they went back again they would be able to do something, as the people would have an understanding of their religion and the keeping of the Sabbath Day. We could see their lives were empty, and that they knew nothing about worshiping God in Spirit and in truth.
We had many talks together about the law of Moses and the ten commandments. We showed them we are dead to the law through the body of Christ, and that we should serve in newness of Spirit and not in the oldness of the letter. Oh, how these dear hearts did respond to the Word of God! They had been reading the many different books of their denomination, but did not have a Bible. We asked them to read the Word of God that would bring Spirit and Life into their lives and we gave them a nice Bible. As we separated in New Orleans, they took my hand and said, “Thank God for sending you on this ship. We felt empty and dry, and now we know what is the trouble. We shall read and pray until we are filled with the blessed Holy Spirit, and when we return to our mission-field we can preach the Gospel to the people.”
A family coming from South America took tracts and Testaments and called for more. They said they were Lutherans, had been raised in that church, felt a lack in their lives, and wanted to have the power and glory of God in their souls. They believed that Jesus was coming soon.
Every time we went into the parlor and sat down we had a congregation, for the poor people were so hungry they would come and ask us to tell them more about this wonderful way.