p. 535 | A MISSIONARY MITTEN by Mrs. Geo. A. Irwin

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Aug 21, 1900

A MISSIONARY MITTEN.

By Mrs. Geo. A. Irwin

MRS. GEO. A. IRWIN.

At the close of a consecration service, a young man, a stranger to us, came to my husband and placed in his hand a mitten, saying, “Here are my idols; convert them into money for the Master's use.” My husband took the mitten with its somewhat weighty contents, and, placing it in his overcoat pocket, brought it home. Emptying the mitten, the young man's “idols” were disclosed. One of them was a handsomely mounted revolver, the other a small box, which we supposed contained cartridges. These articles, together with the mitten, we placed in a drawer till the way should open to dispose of them.

Shortly after the mitten and its contents had been received, one of our young friends, a nurse from the sanitarium, called on us to talk over her future plans and field of labor. She intended to return soon to her home in the far South, to engage in the combined work of a medical missionary and school-teacher, in a rural settlement. This neighborhood, she said, was sadly in need of such labor as she meant to bestow upon it, and she was enthusiastic and hopeful in regard to the good that might be accomplished by consecrated effort in that particular locality. During her call, we told her about the mitten, and showed her the pistol. “If I had that down in Dixie,” she said, “it would not take long to sell it.”

In a few weeks from that time she departed for her home, but not long afterward we received a letter from her, asking if we had the revolver yet, and if we would send it to her, as she thought she could sell it, or exchange it for work on her schoolhouse. So we went to the drawer and got the revolver, and the little box that accompanied it when it was given us, and then, for the first time, we opened the little case. We discovered, much to our surprise, that instead of containing cartridges, as we had all along supposed, it held a pair of gold cuff buttons, some shirt studs, two scarf pins, a gold-filled watch case, from which the works had been removed, and a chain.

Our friends helped us to sell the jewelry, and a good sister gave another watch to send South with the revolver. Our Southern friend soon acknowledged the receipt of the pistol, watch, and money, expressing fervent gratitude to the donors, and to the Lord, for having sent her means at such an opportune time. She succeeded in selling the pistol for an exceedingly good price—much more than we had thought it would bring. The amount obtained for it, added to the sum received from the sale of the jewelry, was over twenty dollars, and this, added to other money that was given, enabled her to build a schoolhouse.

I am sure that the giver of the “missionary mitten,” and the sister who gave her watch, would feel that they had received a rich reward for their self-denial in parting from their “idols” could they but see that schoolhouse on a little knoll down in Mississippi, all finished and paid for. Many have entered its doors, and heard the wonderful story of Jesus, as well as received a fitting up for the practical realities of life. And none can tell what will be the final result of this sacrifice of idols.

I was wondering if there are not others in our ranks who would prefer the richness of God's approval and blessing rather than the brief and fleeting pleasure experienced in the possession of beautiful articles of personal adornment or house furnishing. I believe there are many idols stored away in safe places, which, if collected and judiciously disposed of, would create a large fund for the work of God. Already we have received a ten-dollar bill, and a package of elegant Chinese productions, which we will dispose of as directed.

Did you ever think, sisters, that the Woman's Work is curtailed because it has no resources upon which to depend? The items of postage, printing, stationery, etc., amount to quite a sum, for which we should make some provision. Many calls come from sisters who would be glad to begin work with literature, but have not the money with which to get it, and we ought to have money with which to help them get started. The Circulating Library is quite an expense in the way of postage for mailing books, and there are many other things by which we are reminded that we should have an income sufficient to meet the outlay.

If the Woman's Work had developed into an organization, we could have had an annual membership fee, but we do not wish to make anything compulsory upon our sisters. Any gift that is sent for this branch of the work will be thankfully received, and every cent of it will be carefully used for the help of our sisters everywhere. Look about your home, and see if you have not some idol that should be put into the Lord's treasury. Perhaps it is not jewelry nor firearms. It may be a cow, a horse, a bicycle, or some portion of real estate. We trust that the sisters will feel it a privilege to contribute to this fund: and the brethren are by no means debarred.

From the Spirit of Prophecy I quote the following: “Anything that can absorb means in meeting supposed wants in any direction, Satan will use with intensity of purpose to induce our people to invest their time and money. It is all a species of idolatry. Expel everything from the soul-temple which assumes the form of an idol. I saw that some hardly know as yet what self-denial or sacrifice is, or what it is to suffer for the truth's sake. But none will enter heaven without making a sacrifice. A spirit of self-denial and sacrifice should be cherished. Some have not sacrificed themselves, their own bodies, on the altar of God. They indulge in hasty, fitful temper, gratify their appetites, and attend to their own self-interest, regardless of the cause of God. Those who are willing to make any sacrifice for eternal life, will have it; and it will be worth suffering for, worth crucifying self for, and sacrificing every idol for. The far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory swallows up everything, and eclipses every earthly pleasure.”