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Pleasant Memories

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Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park, Washington, D. C. · Jan 2, 1913

FromReview and Herald, Vol. 90, No. 1.

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Pleasant Memories

By H. J. Farman

NOTHING gives one more pleasure than to look upon God's work and see how marvelously he carries it forward to victory. Sometimes his servants, even though they purpose to do right, are misguided and deceived by the enemy. Personally, I have often found myself seriously at fault, and have said, How frail I am! But afterward, seeing how good the Lord is to place his hand over the wrongs and work out good from seeming defects, I have been led to say: "I will extol thee, my God, O King; and I will bless thy name forever and ever. Every day will I bless thee; and I will praise thy name forever and ever. Great is Jehovah, and greatly to be praised; and his greatness is unsearchable." These precious words express the gratitude of my heart in view of God's great goodness to me.
Leaving Vermont, my home State, I called for a short time at Dr. Mary Sanderson's sanitarium in Springfield, Mass., and learned of some of the wonders of God's redeeming love.
When I reached Washington, D. C., and observed what the Lord had wrought there, and visited my many old friends, some of school-days, others with whom I had labored, and recognized the loving spirit of brethren long in this work, my heart was overwhelmed with joy that can not be expressed in words. I noted what a great work is being done by our publishing houses to enlighten the world of a soon-coming Redeemer and the preparation needed to welcome him. This is truly marvelous. When I visited the Sanitarium there and observed what is being done to relieve the afflicted, I was led to say, Indeed the days of miracles are not over.
But most of all I rejoiced to find the church at Lynchburg, Va., growing in spiritual strength and in numbers, especially to find some for whom I had labored happy in the Lord. But I noticed a cause for this; they had exercised faith in the word of Jehovah and in the Testimonies of his servant, and had moved out of the city into the country and gone to tilling the soil. Here is one of the most forcible lessons of the truth. "The blessing of the Lord, it maketh rich, and he addeth no sorrow with it." In the city these brethren could barely make a living, and saw nothing but darkness before them; but now they are happy. Why should not more of our people who have not a work to do to warn the cities or in some way to advance the message in the cities, move out into the country where they can work among the unenlightened, hungry souls, and at the same time become self-supporting? They will be able to do much more for the cause.
It is a marvel how the Sabbath-school offerings have grown in the Lynchburg church; so also has the tithe. The brethren there have repaired their church, painting the outside and papering the inside, putting in electric lights; they have also repaired their yard fence; and now everything has an air of prosperity. Such experiences do good as doth a medicine. H. J. FARMAN.