A Work for the Children
By A. C. Ames
DOUBTLESS some of the readers of the REVIEW would like to hear something more about the Emmanuel Children's Home, which, when last mentioned, was just building its new home. It has now been a little over a year since it first began its work, and during that time we have cared for thirty-one children, a number of whom have been placed in good, permanent homes. The Lord has blessed us with means to carry forward the work, and we are now very comfortably settled in our new home, which consists of twelve good rooms, besides bath, halls, closets, cellar, etc. The home, while substantial and neat, is very plain, no expense having been put into useless ornamentation. We try to make the home homelike to our children in every possible way, and in this have seemed to be very successful, for which I feel to praise the Lord. Two weeks ago one of my little girls who is eleven years old, said to me, “Mama [they all call me mama], can't we have a prayer-meeting to-night?” I replied, “Certainly we can;” so we went to the schoolroom and sang several songs, then had a nice little Bible study, after which I said to them, “Now let each one of us pray.” Robert, who sat by me, leaning his dear little brown head on my shoulder, slipped his arm around my neck and whispered, “Mama, I can't pray; I don't know what to say.” I said, “Do you know how to ask me for what you want, and how to thank me for the things I give you?” “Why, yes, of course; but I couldn't talk to God as I could to you,” he replied. Then I explained to them that God is our Father; and that we can come to him just as22they come to me, and ask him for the things we want, and thank him for all he does for us; then we all knelt in prayer, and it would have done you good to hear the earnest prayers that went up from those trusting little hearts. Since then we have had our little prayer-meeting every night, and an hour is all too short to satisfy them. Robert is a very bright, lovable ten-year-old boy, and a great student, but has been raised a Sunday observer. The first Sabbath he was with us, he wanted to know all about it, and the following ten days he was with me constantly, asking questions and studying the Bible on all the different points of our faith, and he is still as deeply interested as ever to learn all he can, not even taking time to play. When I explained to him about the time of trouble, and how we would be tested and tried, he was lost in deep thought for a while, then said, firmly, “Mama, I am going to keep the Sabbath if I have to die for doing it, for God will make me alive again when he comes, won't he?” I have never seen any one take a firmer stand for the truth than he has. Dear brethren and sisters, pray that we may have many such blessed experiences in our work for the children, and that from among them God will raise up many to proclaim the truth when it shall be impossible for us who are older to do so. Pray, too, that we may be kept by the power of God, faithful to the work entrusted to our care. Emmanuel Children's Home, Mountain Grove, Mo.