Part 26

There is never an effect without a cause that produces the effect. In a certain congregation where I held several successful revivals for several pastors, there came a time when the work did not prosper as it had in previous years. By chance after twenty years absence, I stopped in there one prayer meeting night, having business in the town that day. They entreated me to come back and speak for them on a certain Sunday, which I did. The Lord gave us two precious services. They took up their regular Sunday evening offering. After that, they announced that they would take up an offering especially for Brother Susag, which they did, and set the basket in a position where I noticed the contents, which was in the neighborhood of fifteen dollars or a little more. Next morning when I was ready to take the train, I was handed four dollars with the remark, "This is our custom." No wonder the congregation did not prosper, and still these dear people had done their duty, but were unaware of what the hindrance was.

I know of other cases of that same kind, both with other ministers and myself. Once in a camp meeting a young minister was the evangelist, whom the Lord used mightily. One evening they were going to take up the love offering for the evangelist. A nice offering came in, not any too large, and they gave the evangelist seventy percent.

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Once at the Grand Forks, North Dakota Camp Meeting, Brother P. Pederson of Hoboken, New Jersey was to preach. He read his text and related some of his experiences and the Holy Ghost began to bring the people to the altar. He then closed his Bible and said, "A greater preacher than I is now speaking."

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During the depression it looked as though we were going to lose the state camp grounds at Grand Forks. At the camp meeting the Board said there is no other way than to let it go. I said, "No." "Well," they said, "Then you will have to raise the money because we cannot." I said, "If you will give me a free hand, to go at it when the Lord says to, I will." They said O. K. One evening the Lord said, "Now is the time," so I said to Brother Monk, "Let me have a few minutes?" Within a few minutes we had the amount to the cent. Brother Monk said, "This time the devil was licked and the depression also." It pays to pray.

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The first Camp Meeting I attended at Grand Forks, I generally got up at 3 or 4 a.m. and went to the woods to pray. At that time you could hardly find a place to pray.

There were two or three members praying behind every tree before I got there.

The first Camp Meeting I attended in Anderson, I went out early in the cemetery and here they were praying every where.

The pioneer ministers knew how to pray, because they had no sermon outline book to take it from. Their converts knew how, too, for they were taught by the Holy Ghost.

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Once Brother Renbeck and I were holding a meeting in Erskine, Minn. It was 42 degrees below zero every day, and we had to stand the bread by the heating stove and a number of times it froze so hard on the table, before we got through with our meal, that we could not eat it. When we went to bed, we could see the stars twinkling through the cracks of the roof. We took off our shoes and coats and lay down on the bed, and pulled our fur caps down over our ears and put our fur coats over us. Often through the night we would have to turn over because the side that was down got cold. This may seem ridiculous to some, but God knows it is true.

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In 1911 Brother Morris Johnson and I held a meeting on the west coast of Denmark. At the place where we stayed and slept, we had to climb up a ladder through a hole into the room to sleep. The bed was too short for Bro. Johnson and too narrow for two, and the bed clothes accordingly.

We could not sleep much after breakfast. We took our traveling blankets and walked out side the town where there were some old grave hills that had been opened to get out the wealth that was buried. It left a deep hollow place in the ground. There was ice in the bottom. We wrapped our blankets around us and lay down so the wind could not blow on us and slept some. That was pioneering in Denmark. In this little town it was really the first great battle for the truth won in Denmark.

Many have said that much of the pioneer work was lost and did not pay. It is true, some was lost, but what would we have had today without it? I pray God to rekindle the pioneer spirit and passion for souls and trust in the Lord. The opportunities are still here. If I were a young man I would say with the prophet, “Here am I, send me.”