They were holding revival meetings in the church night after night for weeks. Souls were being saved, believers sanctified, many meals were served from the parsonage table. People usually brought supplies, but at this time everyone seemed to have forgotten, for even the flour barrel was empty.
There was no one to make a public appeal, for Father was his own evangelist. They trusted and believed God. Mother was fasting and asking the Lord “Lord, send us some flour today. I need to hake bread tomorrow.”
The day wore on and no flour came. The last bit of bread was eaten for supper and barrel scraped to make gravy. They all went to evening meeting. After meeting Mother said to Libbie, “Put on the kettle. I must set my bread tonight” Said Libbie, “Why, Ma, you can’t set bread. I scraped every hit of flour to make gravy for supper.” But quietly Mother said “put On the lea kettle, Libbie.” And Mother put on a big apron rolled up her sleeves and went and looked ill llw flour barrel hen a wagon %”as ward to stop in front of the parsonage and a man’s voice was heard. But let me go back.
That morning one of the brothers loaded his %%iron with bags of wheal to take to Flint City to the flour mill. Pail he expected to sell and 11w rest bring home his flour. As he was loading his load a oice xvhispered “lake Skier Haight it bag of flour On your wa% home this afternoon.” “All right” said the brother. “I’ll do that” Now it was all of 19 miles to Flint and 12 miles back and a heavy farm team with a load don’t make %•ery fast time. The brother also had considerable business to attend to, so it was well on in afternoon when they were nearing home.
The Lord hadn’t let the brother forget about the flour, not by any means. But the evil one was also busy, and he said “you are tired. The horses are tired. Take the shortest road home and drive over after supper with the flour.” So when they came to the turn, of course the horses were eager for their stable and their oats and pushed rapidly around the corner, for it would not have been the first time had they been urged on a mile to the parsonage. The man put out his team hut left the harness on, %vent in to supper. At the table he told his wife he was going on to the parsonage with a bag of flour for Sister Haight.
The wife was a good woman, a christian and she loved Sister Haight. hut even so she could not see the need of going on to the parsonage that night after the horses had already taken the trip to the city. so she urged him to wait till next day and they would both go over. She didn’t know Sister Haight’s flour barrel was empty and that they hadn’t a crumb of bread left and not much else.
Out went the brother and unharnessed his horses. The boys had done the other chores. He tame in and went to bed before the good wife was ready to retire. He dropped to sleep and he had a dream or what ever it was. Anyway, he saw Sister I taight roll up her sleeves, put on her big apron, and heard her humming “Oh for a faith that will not shrink”, saw her go look into the empty flour barrel. He awoke and the Lord said “Go take that flour to Sister Haight tonight.” And he jumped out of bed saying aloud “Alright, Lord, I will.” His wife said “Well are you crazy?” “No” said he, “but I’m going now to take that flour to Sister Haight.” And away he went, arrix ing at the parsonage and to the door just as Mother was looking into the empty flour barrel.
He set the flour down with a thud and said “Amen, glory to God.” And Father grasped his hand and praised the Lord and Mother’s face beamed and she said, “praise the Lord.” And proceeded to set her bread.
I heard Bro. William tell this story is hen he was in Newberg in 1924 holding revh al meetings. I had heard it often before told by Father, but William told a part Father evidenth did not know. William said “I was watching my Mother. I knew well she %%as fasting and praying for flour and as the day yore on and it did not come, I felt indignant. I said in tlw bittervess of my boyhood heart, if’ God don’t sent that flour to Ma toda? never preach the gospel. Oh yes, said he, though I was then unsaved I felt that inner urge to cry out ‘Oh be ye reconciled to God’. Well I had gone to bed, but my bedroom was off the kitchen and my door was open and I could see that was going on and when Mother with all preperations made to set her bread, trusting God to the limit, my heart burned hot within me. The I heard the wagon—and the whoa and the footsteps on the walk and I peeked out farther arid saw the man put the hag full of flour inside the kitchen door. and I crept back into bed and cried and said ‘Oh, tod— oh, God, I’ll have to preach the gospel.” Well amen.