Prisons and Prayer; Or, a Labor of LoveWheaton, Elizabeth Ryder
Religion
Prisons and Prayer; Or, a Labor of Love
Wheaton, Elizabeth Ryder
Evangelistic work; Prisons
O how happy I once was! Had a pretty home and everything to
brighten it. But alas, they have vanished and now I feel alone,
without anything. Did I say "alone?" No, not so, for the God that
I have served and who has been with me these twenty years, is
still with me; and I feel to say, "Though he slay me, yet will I
trust him." I feel that he will open up a way for his children.
Now, my dear sister, I would love to see you again in this life
and talk with you, but if I never meet you here I trust I shall
meet you above, where your voice will be heard with the angels of
God. Please remember me to your lady helper. Would be glad to
hear from you at any time. Good-bye.
Yours in love and the hope of heaven,
---- ----.
Two years later, while in the same city, a friend invited me to go to
an open-air service and after I had sung and spoken to those who were
gathered a dear lady clasped my hand and said: "I am so glad to see
you, mother--don't you know me?" As I failed to recognize her she
turned her careworn but lovely face so that the electric light shone
full upon her and said, "Don't you remember me now?" When I still
answered "No, I do not," the tears gathered in the dear eyes as she
said, "My husband never forgot your singing and your prayers before he
went away," and then it dawned upon me that she was the wife of the
man the people hung to gratify the saloon men's greed. She said: "I do
wish I could ask you home with me, but I have only a little hall room
for myself and children. I am keeping boarders to make a living for
myself and them." O how I wished for a home to which I could welcome
them, but I, too, am a pilgrim and a stranger, and all I could do was
to kiss the dear sister and commend her to the widow's God and her
dear ones to the Father of the fatherless.
The letters following are from two brothers with whom I labored, and
who showed much appreciation of my efforts with them and professed to
be saved. I received a number of encouraging letters from them and
from others in the same place before they were taken away. We can not
always tell as to the sincerity of these poor men, or of their
responsibility, some of them doubtless are so nearly unbalanced in
mind, under such a strain, but we know the God of heaven before whom
we must all stand will judge righteously.
October 18, 1903.
My Dear Mother Wheaton:
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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