November, 1940
T H E K I N G ’ S B U S I N E S S
413
For Love of Those Who Wander Biola9s Concern for 2009000 California Migrants B ON GARDNER* set up his soli tary piece of furniture, a bor rowed camp cot, in the cowboys’ answer was, "If you Can stand the mess and the noise, you’re welcome to it.” Don thanked him, and went out re joicing in God’s good provision for his summer’s need. less substantial construction, for those who handle their crops.
In the latter-three types of camp a nominal rent is charged, averaging per haps one dollar a month for a family. Small cabins or tent houses are ar ranged in orderly fashion, and while quarters are extremely small and crowded, and the families very poor, yet fairly livable conditions exist. Through recreation halls and playgrounds, camp authorities have done much to provide evening diversion for these destitute people, but tlieir spiritual needs are sadly neglected. Even those who havp a desire to attend religious services have not always been welcome in the churches of neighboring towns. The Gospel in the Camps Sent out by the Practical Work De partment of the Bible Institute to labor under the auspices of the Migrant Gospel Fellowship, directed by Paul J. Pietsch, of Turlock, Calif., the six Biola students were able to move freely in camps of all types. Giving up a whole summer of ease at home or opportunities to work and save for fall school expenses, these young people were fired with zeal to make Christ known. Establishing their liv ing quarters in towns within easy reach of several migrant groups, they tramped into the camps tirelessly day by day, visiting, giving out Gospels and tracts, dealing with souls, and holding services —sometimes as many as eight or ten in a week. Children’s meetings and Daily Vacation Bible Schools were the means of winning a number o f young people to the Lord. In one of the camps where the two
bunk house. He viewed with intense satisfaction the result of his efforts at housecleaning, and wondered why a home where he could get a fur nished room and board had seemed not to exist on the outskirts of-that Sac ramento Valley town. This bunk house did not compare very favorably with his comfortable room in the Biola "dorm.” But who was he to live in ease when his Lord had had “not where to lay his head” as He moved among the- Galilean throng ? He, Don, would be one with the people, too, these pov erty-stricken migrants to whom he had come with the word of eternal life. The bare little room took on a new meaning then. If only he didn’t have to give' it up for the extra help that was com ing to the Johnson’s* ranch in a week or so! His cooking was a problem, too, for Mrs. Johnson couldn’t board him more than a week. - Don studied the door that led intu— • well, what did it lead into, anyway? It wouldn’t hurt to find out. The musty, dusty atmosphere of stored chicken feed greeted the young student as he pushed open the door; but what was that in the corner ? It looked like a gas range; in fact, it was a gas range, all connected. Furthel- exploration revealed a sink and a table. Could this be God’s answer to his pray ers? Could he rent this room and clean it up ? He lost no time in bringing the matter to the ranch owner, whose *The real names of the persons concerned in this slortt have been withheld from publica tion.
Don was one of six students from the Bible Institute of Los Angeles—two young women and four young men— who were enabled, through gifts from friends of Biola, to spend the whole summer' in ministry in the migrant la bor camps of the Sacramento and north ern San Joaquin valleys. Variety of Camps Some two hundred thousand people, many of whom have been forced by drought to abandon once-prosperous Middle West farms,, shift about from pjace to place in California seeking temporary work wherever harvesting is being done. They may be found in four '■types of migrant camps, there being from one to several hundred families in a camp. There are the squatter camps—under bridges, beneath spreading trees, ¿r anywhere that a little shelter may be found. Camps under county supervision are the temporary dwelling places of hun dreds of families while they do what farm work is available for them. In these camps, a large proportion of the families are on relief. As 'to the third classification, the federal camps (of which there are eight in the State) provide shelter for many migrant families. Campers are allowed to stay in these as long as a year be fore moving on to another place. In addition, many ranch owners them selves operate large camps, of more or
A Tmlcal Better Class Migrant Camp
Made with FlippingBook - Online catalogs