ONE of the most rewarding adventures in which any worker for God can engage is that of training others to be soul winners. I had conducted adult classes, had taken women out in field work for several years, and had always been glad to find individuals who would accompany me occasionally on my regular Bible instructor's visitation program. A youth effort in Eugene, Oregon, in which the young men did all the preaching, the girls the ushering, and earliteens and twenties furnished orchestra music, had been very successful. Three souls were the trophies. My role had been simply to coach the speakers and to plan with all of them.
Junior Work Started
When I was asked to work in Medford, I felt led to help juniors to share their faith in a systematic way. Choosing two who were missionary-minded and earnest, I started on a training program that lasted several months, in fact most of one school year.
Charles Brainerd and Jerry Yost, both twelve years of age and in the sixth grade, came to my apartment two evenings a week, and spent from one to two hours in preparation. They would put the film for the study we were to give into the projector, one would offer prayer, and they would sing, just as they would do when they were to give the actual study.
For each illuminated picture they practiced a good explanation in junior language, not in the adult style given in the scripts. The first time, Jerry read the texts and Charles gave all the expositions. The next time we reversed the order. Thus each had only one study to memorize in two weeks. We never settled for the easy way of reading the subject from the printed form. When I felt satisfied that they could give a really fine presentation of that Bible topic, we were ready.
We started with Mrs. Gertrude Miller, with whom I had made an appointment. After introductions and greetings, the boys set up all the equipment, offered prayer, sang a duet, and then gave the whole study themselves without any assistance. I was immensely proud of them. When they had finished Mrs. Miller said, "Where did you boys learn all that? I'm amazed!" Then she added, "Oh, you go to that Adventist school!" None of us mentioned the hours of practice after school.
When the boys had been teaching her Bible truth for a few months, and she had attended some meetings, Mrs. Miller be came Sister Miller, in the waters of baptism, a happy Sabbath for Charles and Jerry.
Other Prospects
Later we went to see Mrs. Edith Plum, owner of the Silver Grill restaurant, and asked her if she would like to see some Bible films. She agreed, and we found her to be a most interested listener. She came to regard the boys as two of her best friends. It touched her heart when they prayed for her and her loved ones. They also kept her on their own daily prayer lists.
Mr. and Mrs. Boussum were next on our agenda. When any preachers had gone to see him, Mr. Boussum had been very disinterested, and had hidden behind a newspaper. But he listened attentively to these young people. After the team had shown a few subjects, singing each time, he said, "You don't come often enough. [Once a week.] Why don't you come more often?"
Mrs. Boussum soon found that the objections she had had to our religion were melting away, and she confided to me: "I am going to join your church, and what made me decide to do it is what you are doing for your young people. Our church doesn't have anything like that for our youth."
Very soon afterward Mrs. Boussum united with God's remnant people.
Denny Joins the Force
Learning that these two boys were sharing their faith successfully, Denny Owen asked me, "Couldn't you teach me to give Bible studies, Mrs. Worth? I have an old neighbor I want to give studies to."
Accordingly I went out to Jacksonville and practiced with Denny three times. When I arrived the fourth time, he looked discouraged.
"I just can't learn it," he said disconsolately.
"Well, let's go to see your neighbor any way, and perhaps we can get an appointment for later."
We visited Mrs. Hodson, and I told her that Denny liked her and that he had some Bible pictures he would be glad to show her if she wanted him to.
"When would you like for him to come with the films?"
"What's the matter with now?" was her surprising reply.
Denny was electrified. He ran out to the car, brought in film, projector, screen, and extension cord, and set up everything himself. When he had finished giving the study (and the Holy Spirit surely gave him words to say), Mrs. Hodson said, "Be sure to come again and show me some more."
Girls wanted to get into this fascinating work. Some of them took part by playing instruments. We had four good accordion performers. Lorene Cooper chose one of them, Hazel McCartney, as a partner, and on their own initiative they called on Mrs. Gretchen McDonald. She seemed glad when the girls told her about the pictures they had, and invited them to show them to her. Her interest rapidly increased. The girls' studies opened the way for me to work with her; and after a while she also was baptized.
A Tape-Recorder Recruit
Richard Blank's father let him use his tape recorder. Without any help except the presence of one or two of us who went for moral support and to drive the car, he conducted a number of cottage meetings. Some of them were in the home of Mrs. Bertha Work, a fine Quaker lady whose name we had received from the Bible correspondence school. Soon she was baptized.
Myrle and Bob Nogle held services on Friday evenings with a Mr. and Mrs. Tucker, and sometimes Jerry and Charles substituted for them. One evening Mr. Tucker, a friendly Texan, said, with tears in his eyes, "You boys just keep on a-going the way you are now."
For a time he was unwilling to obey the truths the young people presented, but a few months later he became very ill. We were glad that he accepted Jesus as his Saviour before he closed his eyes for the last time. Mrs. Tucker was baptized alone, but was happy.
Another outstanding young person was Louise Walker, who became interested in our faith through reading Youth's Instructors given to her by a Sabbath school member. When evangelistic meetings began she attended regularly, and was in the first group of candidates for baptism, although she was only fourteen and had no Adventist background. The next fall we made arrangements for her to attend the academy.
Louise had a great longing to see her family in the fold. She borrowed a projector and gave her mother and younger sisters studies twice a week. All three of them were baptized eventually. This made a total of nine souls won by Medford juniors before I was transferred to Portland to work in a city-wide effort.
A Method to Stop Some Leaks
I am convinced that many of our losses among older youth could be prevented if we had helped them to have actual clinical experience in soul winning when they were barely entering their teens. Though too young to participate in public youth efforts, they could give appreciated service in private families. When our own pro grams are too crowded to train them our selves, a Sabbath school teacher or MV leader may be found who would devote time, effort, and gasoline to a project so enjoyable and rewarding.
