The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1929, Sheet 41

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THE LUTHERAN PIONEER.

a child of God through Jesus. If you will believe
this, then you will also realize that God is your dear
Father through Jesus, who can and will protect you
even in the worst weather.”

When Mary had ended her consoling words, there
was a sudden, blinding flash and a sharp crash,
which caused Mrs. Van Cluster to become even more
terrified than she had been before, and turning to
Mary in great bewilderment, she almost screamed:
“Mary, I cannot stand this any longer! I cannot
stay in this house! Hurry, Mary, hurry and wheel
me over to Mrs. Whitinger! Her husband is at
home, and she has children in the home. I know
I shall feel better with them. Hurry, Mary, before
the wind begins to blow and the'rain to beat down !”

So it was that Mary sat alone in the stately
mansion of Mr. Van Cluster, quietly trusting in
God, her heavenly Father, for protection and safety
when the wind began to blow, driving leaves and
dust through the city streets and rattling the shut-
ters on the windows as if it meant to tear them off
from their hinges. Mary was happy, though the
angry wind howled a long time outside, though the
rain was driven with great force through the streets,
and though flash followed flash and crash followed
crash. And when the storm had passed, Mary
had gained greater confidence in Him who is our
Fortress and Strength, our very present Help in all
trouble. Yes, Mary had also gained the greater
respect and admiration of her master and mistress,
the wealthy Van Clusters, for her courage and trust
in God.

Mary is now pretty well up in years, but she is
still with the Lutheran Church and clings fast to

‘her Savior. She says she will give up neither, for
they are dearer to her than all else in this world.
And Mary also shows that Jesus and the Lutheran
Church are very dear to her by working with great
zeal for Jesus and for the welfare of the Church of
which she is a member.

2. Mary Gains a Soul.
Mary had learned that Selina, who lives across
. the street from her, had been blessed with a healthy
baby girl. As fast as her old feet would carry her,
she went to the market, which is some. ten blocks
from her home, to get a piece of meat for some
nourishing soup. Returning home, she cooked the
soup and then brought a good portion of it over to
the happy mother. This is one way in which Mary
opens doors when she wants to say something very
important to those whom she hopes to gain for
Jesus or to persuade to become instrumental in

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39

gaining other souls for the Savior. She always
shows Christian kindness first and thus opens her
way to the hearts of others. That big pot of soup
which she carried across the street for Mrs. Selina
and her family, gave her a chance to speak ‘to
Mrs. Selina about the welfare ‘of the little new-
comer’s soul.

Though once a member of a Baptist church,
Selina now belonged to no church at all. This gave
Mary an opportunity to speak to her about her
future and the future of her new-born child.

Coming into the house, Mary dished out the hot
soup for Selina and the hungry children who had
been playing in the little backyard of their home.
The father was out working. Mary joined them in
the meal, for she had not eaten dinner as yet her-
self, and it was now almost one o’clock.

While they ate, they spoke. “Selina,” said Mary -
as she sat at the bed and looked’ over the baby, which
was peacefully sleeping, “you surely have a pretty
child. Have you already decided what you will
call her?”

“We have not yet decided,” answered Mrs. Selina,
“but I think we shall call her Nellie. You see the-
baby’s aunt asked to be her godmother, and her
name is Nellie. I think Nellie is a real pretty name,
don’t you?”

“Tt?s a ‘beautiful name,” assured Mary, and
taking her chance to say what she had: come to talk
about, she continued: “And you will surely see to it
that this beautiful name will be written in God’s
book in heaven among those who are God’s children?
I mean, you will surely have Nellie baptized, won’t
you? You see the Bible tells us that little children
become God’s children through Holy Baptism and
that their sins are washed away when they are bap-
tized. It’s the Lord’s will and command that all
should be baptized, also the little children. Only.
recently our pastor preached on Holy Baptism, and
he showed us from the Bible that the Lord Jesus
wants all nations to be baptized, and ‘all nations’
are all people”?

Selina patiently listened to Mary, and when
Mary had ended, she, with many regrets, gave her
reasons why she had no intentions of having Baby
Nellie baptized. “You see,” she began, “the baby’s
godfather and godmother are Baptists and I, until
recently, was a Baptist myself, and so I think we
had better have baby ‘christened’ in the Baptist
Church. It’s the same anyway whether baby is
‘christened’ Baptist or baptized Lutheran.”

“O no, it isn’t the same,” Mary quickly replied.