Nebraska Camp-Meeting by Alonzo T. Robinson

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Sep 29, 1910

Nebraska Camp-Meeting

By Alonzo T. Robinson

THIS meeting was held, according to appointment, on the Chautauqua grounds in the city of York, Neb. The attendance of our people was quite large from the beginning.

On the first Sunday night of the meeting we had five inches of rain. A large portion of our camp was pitched on low ground adjacent to Beaver Creek. The creek overflowed its banks, and in the darkness of the night the water came creeping up into the family tents, and the occupants had to escape with their belongings to the Chautauqua pavilion, where they spent the balance of the night.

Monday morning we found eighty-three of our family tents, also the German and Scandinavian preaching tents, in water from two to five feet deep. It was a dubious prospect. It was the opinion of nearly every one that the only thing we could do was to advise the people to go home, and give up our meeting. I called together a few of the leading brethren, and after counseling together for a few minutes, we asked the Lord to teach us what to tell the people. We rang the bell, called the people together, and announced to them that the tents would all be removed that day to high ground, and told them to go to the dining-hall and get some warm food, which would be free. Six or eight of our brethren worked in the water all day getting the tents out, and we had two other gangs repitching them on high ground.

Providence favored us with a beautiful, warm day, enabling every one to get clothing and bedding nicely dried, and at night every tent was out of the water, pitched on high ground, and occupied by the campers. I think less than half a dozen persons left the grounds. The people of the city showed their sympathy for us in many ways. Miss Jones, the conference secretary, stayed at the telephone till after midnight Sunday night, answering calls concerning our welfare, and offers of assistance if needed. The next morning the chief of police told us that he had offers of rooms all over the city, and said he would be in his office all day Monday, and would assign rooms to any whom we would send. One hotel keeper offered to take twenty persons, and said if the men would sleep on the floor, he would take a larger number. We asked him what the charge would be, and he said there would be none.

We had everything ready, and resumed our meetings Monday night, and had a good attendance from the city all through the meeting. Elder E. W. Farnsworth conducted the evening services, and he had great freedom in dwelling upon the leading features of our faith. A good spirit prevailed in the meetings, and frequent revival services were held, in which there was a general response on the part of the people.

The utmost harmony and good will prevailed in all the business meetings of the conference. Elder J. W. Christian was with us all through the meetings, and was unanimously elected president of the conference.

The last Sabbath afternoon a meeting was held in the interests of the foreign missionary work. After the reading of a letter from Elder A. G. Daniells, and earnest talks by Elders E. W. Farnsworth and F. Griggs, a call was made for young people who had been thinking of some foreign field. We knew of several who we felt sure would respond, but every one was surprised when about forty-five arose. We asked these to retire to the children's tent, and we had a very remarkable meeting. Forty-four persons bore testimony, every one expressing an intelligent, earnest conviction. Some spoke of special fields, but nearly all expressed a willingness to go wherever the Lord may call. The Spirit of the Lord was present in this meeting in a marked manner.

After seven years of official connection with the Nebraska Conference, I am now laying down this burden, and preparing to remove to Colorado. I have greatly enjoyed the work in the Nebraska Conference, and it is a source of much gratitude that I leave the work with the most kindly feelings on the part of the people with whom I have labored and whom I learned to love. My address at Boulder will be 415 Maxwell Avenue.

A. T. ROBINSON.