102 It was during his years in Sausalito that Sam Sutherland made his first public confession of faith in Jesus Christ. He had always loved the Lord, but had depended more on his good works than his faith in Christ. After -his . first confession of faith in Christ, his battle began because he was certain God was calling him to full-time Christian service. However, because of the typical jibes and ribbing he had taken as a "preacher's kid," he had determ- ined he would never become a minister. Another idea which plagued him was that if he yielded his life to God, he would surely be sent to China, the last place on earth he wanted to go. This dread and fear of China stem.~ed from an earlier experience when he lived in Sonoma County. A Presbyterian woman missionary to the Chinese people in San Francisco, brought small Chin~ ese girls, who had been rescued from a life of slavery, to Santa Rosa to work during the prune season. Young Sutherland heard the missionary tell how she had rescued them from Chinese men who had bought them for immoral purposes. Although his heart was deeply touched by these stories, the terri- fying struggle in his mind continued. Finally, in desperation, Sam Suther- land yielded completely to the Lord's will and agreed to serve Him anywhere, including China. This ended the struggle. In June, 1918, Samuel Sutherland was graduated from high school. World War I was reaching its climax at that time. His high regard for President Woodrow Wilson, in part because he, too, was the son of a Presbyterian min- ister, and his being intrigued with the President's slogan, "The war to end all wars," made a favorable impression on Sutherland, as well as on most young Americans. As a result, he enlisted in the United States Army but was released shortly thereafter because of the end of the War. Dr. Sutherland began his four-year College career when he entered Oc- cidental College in 1918. He grew spiritually through the challenging mes- sages he heard from time to time, at the Church of the Open Door by such will known speakers as Drs. c. I. Scofield, A. C. Gabelein, and Dr. R. A.
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