An Experience of Faith by Henry Balsbaugh

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Apr 6, 1916

An Experience of Faith

By Henry Balsbaugh

SOME good friends made the Jackson (Miss.) church a gift of three hundred copies of the January Watchman to help toward finishing our new church building. The church missionary society had assumed payment for the new carpet, so these papers were turned over to the society to sell for this purpose.

At a missionary meeting on January 20, Elder C. S. Wiest gave an earnest exhortation on church work, pointing out the privilege and duty of all to be workers. Then he asked for volunteers to sell the three hundred copies of the Watchman, but only a very few responded.

Our first effort was to sell them within the month of January. So the few volunteers began to work by faith, and the Lord blessed, for in a double sense it was his work,—first, the distribution of printed truth, and second, to secure money to pay for a house of worship. As the good experiences of these workers were told, others joined them in the work.

But some who had taken papers sent them back. Jackson had been canvassed twice before within a year with periodicals for the new church building, also with the Harvest Ingathering Signs; and the last day of January found us with about one hundred and twenty-five copies of the Watchman unsold.

We kept on, however, in faith. The church school and Sister Wiest, the teacher, helped for half a day. Again God blessed by giving sales to the children, from the youngest to the oldest. Before going out we had a short, impressive meeting of consecration and instruction.

There still remained some papers unsold. In faith we continued our effort until the last paper was disposed of in the latter part of February. They were all sold at full price.

One inexperienced sister sold over thirty. Another, though inexperienced in selling on the street, sold twelve on Saturday night. Another received one dollar for five papers. One sold over one hundred, surpassing all previous efforts. We also had good success on Sunday morning.

May this experience of real work in answer to faith encourage all the churches to a larger work of faith.

HENRY BALSBaugh.