The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1933, Page 103

Transcription machine transcription, uncorrected

⤓ Download .txt · copy text

' THE LUTHERAN PIONEER

103

“T knowed you was one. Is you lookin’ fur your
members ?”

“Yes, I am,” the missionary replied.

“What kind of preacher is you?” one asked.

“T am a Lutheran minister. Haven’t you heard
of the services we hold at the Family Protection
Hall every Sunday morning and of our day-school ?”
the missionary asked.

“We shore did, Reve’nd,” one continued; “I
knowed you wasn’t none of dose other preachers,
cause dey don’t look fur their members.” The
other woman substantiated her neighbor friend’s
statement by saying: “No, child; dey send dem
deacons fur our dues, and we don’t know if dey
gits “em or no, reckon dey do though, ’cause dey
say my name is on de book.”

By this time the missionary decided to sit on
the door-steps and talk a little more with the two
pitiful old women.

“Do you read the Bible often?” he asked.

“Oh, I wish I could read, Reve’nd.”

“Me, too,” the other joined in.

“The Lord has blessed you, though, to permit
you to live to be as old as you both are; hasn’t He?”
asked the missionary.

“Ain’t He good to us!” one shouted.

Then they told of their experiences in life and
how the Lord had time upon time miraculously
saved their lives. But one continued, “I’se never
done seed times like dis here biffore, in all my bo’n
days. Reve’nd, da you think the Lawd is mad with
us fur sumpin?”

“Yes, He surely is,” answered the missionary.

“Not with me,’ answered the other, “’cause
I prays His name every day, and I tries to keep
Him biffore me.”

“But don’t we sin daily?” questioned the mis-
sionary.

Pointing to a house near by, one replied, “Dese
here folks sin every day, Reve’nd; but I’se done
quit that, child, and I’se walkin’ straight.”

The missionary then opened his Bible and read
Rom. 3, 23. 24: “There is no difference, for all have
sinned,” etc.; also: “There is not a just man upon
earth that doeth good and sinneth not.”

“Ts dat in there, Reve’nd?” one asked.

“Yes, and I can read more passages that show
us we are sinners. And don’t you pray the Lord’s
Prayer?” asked the missionary.

“Yes, yes!” both replied together.

‘Well, then,” continued the missionary, “don’t

you confess that you have sins when you ask God
that your. trespasses be forgiven?”

“It shore is de truth.” One looked at the other
and said: “Us preacher never did tell us dat; why
you reckon ?”

“Probably he doesn’t know,” replied the mis-
sionary. “But now, how will you be saved?”

Both shook their shoulders as they stared at the
missionary to hear the answer to the most impor-
tant question that can ever be asked of sinful man.

“Fave you ever heard of Jesus Christ, the Savior
of the world?” the missionary asked.

“Yes, yes,” both answered.

“Don’t you know He came to seek and to save
you and me?”

“Yes, child!” one shouted.

“He gave His life to pay for those sins we com-

Rev. A. Dominick,

Rev. H. J. Lehman.

mit daily, and if we accept Him, believe this glo-
rious truth that His blood cleanses us from all sins,
then heaven is ours. Our sins are all forgiven. Re-
member, Jesus says: ‘I am the Way,’ the only Way
to heaven. Do you believe this?”

“Yes; thank God, Reve’nd, thank God, you came
to us! He sent you to bring the Word. Lawd, my
soul’s been fed; Jesus done paid it all! Thank
God!”

Several hours having been well spent to en-
lighten the two old “sisters,” the missionary now
had to locate the members who were in the neigbor-
hood. He was thanked again and again for having
stopped to talk a while and had to promise to return
as soon as possible. Not being able to do so before
two weeks later, the missionary returned only to
find that the old women had been forced to move
out of the neighborhood because they were unable
to pay their rent. No one could tell just where the