THE KING’S BUSINESS
625
one of the men said: “We won’t stand for any joking and interrupting. He is talking to us and you are not in it.” Quietly this man withdrew.and left us to continue tlie message to the end. Then this same cook asked for a copy of the Gospel of John. Men were thinking, and we are sure it was a most profitable time, even under the try ing conditions among a hard bunch of men. We felt we could bring the message to a captain, who at this time is under deep conviction. Strange to say, he told us that in his earlier years he tread prophecy, even
despite his father’s wishes to the contrary, and being led to speak of the future, the worker found how quickly the man’s assumed infidelity and unbelief vanished, until he finally confessed he was a sinner and ran away from the worker, hiding somewhere down below. The response to the article on the light house savings-banks has been gratifying; from several States and from our Coast requests have reached us. We are pray ing He may burden yet others. A postal will bring one to you.
-----O - ---------- WORK IN THE OIL FIELDS
By Frank J. Shelley
''P H E Lord has been very good to us dur- ing the month Just closed. As we meditate upon all His goodness, it makes one’s heart well up with joy. Comparing His faithfulness and power with the emp tiness and uncertainty of the world, we want to cry out in the words of the 8th Psalm: “Oh Lord, Our Lord, how excel lent is Thy Name in all the Earth.” Our business in these vast fields is to tell of H is.love and to carry the message of life and peace to those who sit in dark ness. We have had much blessing the past weeks, and have seen some visible results for which we thank Him. Have travelled about 400 miles; visited about 600 men; given out the Way of Life; given the Written Word; scriptural Gospel tracts; conducted Bible studies; taught Sunday Schools; conducted one funeral and given twenty Gospel addresses. There are a great many backsliders in this field, and on our visit to Santa Maria we met with quite a few who came back to. the Lord. One Roman Catholic lady came to the Lord, and a great many Christians pledged themselves to a more definite Christian work. We came over to our old .fishing grounds, • the great Midway Oil Fields, feeling much encouraged, and found many here anxious to hear the
Word of Life: The war seems to have awakened a sense of need and responsi bility; so many men have enlisted that some of the oil companies are in need of men. Kern County has the record for the largest number of recruits of any county in the United States, and the people left behind seem to feel it is time many of them begin to set their houses in Order; hence I feel we are going to have good news to report soon. They sent off sixty men from Reward, and instead of a word Of prayer they were given a Public dance; the people in many places seem insane over dances, and the men put in their spare time around saloons and pool halls, and at times, one feels pretty badly over things. The god of this World is very busy in the oil fields, but one has to remember the Word, “Among whom we all' had our conversation in times past,, fulfilling the lusts of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature, chil dren of wrath even as others.” The Mormon elders we encountered at Santa Maria have now come over to these fields, hence it will be necessary to again meet them and their doctrines, and with sin all around and false teachers besides, it looks dark at times. I often feel sorry for these poor fel-
Made with FlippingBook - Online Brochure Maker