Introduction
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Episode 3
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Episode 5
Episode 6
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Episode 8

Precious Memories

Right after the Lord healed me, we were praying, fasting and seeking God for His divine will in our lives. We were attending a little church near Conyers, Georgia, and George was teaching Sunday School and leading singing, but he knew that God wanted him to preach the gospel.

During a revival, an evangelist was telling of the great need for preachers in the little town of Wymore, Nebraska. The only holiness church in that small town was closed down because no one wanted to pastor it. It was considered a mission work because there was no income and no people to count on to come, even if the little church was reopened. I didn't think too much about what the evangelist was saying until George began to talk about how terrible he thought it was that four or five preachers were attending church where we were going and giving the pastor trouble because they were always trying to get "cottage prayer meetings" started, or were always getting groups off by themselves to discuss the pastor's failures or shortcomings; each one wanting to shepherd the sheep, thus causing confusion constantly. None of them were willing to go to other places where people were begging for pastors, because there was no money and they weren't willing to bear the cross and suffer hardships like a good soldier.

This was heavy on George's heart, but what I didn't know was that God's plan was going to include us. I knew that this was about fifteen hundred miles from home, and, at this time, I had never traveled any farther from home that Florida, so to me it was like going to the other side of the world.

We had struggled and built a small house, and only owed a few hundred dollars on it. George, at this time, was driving a laundry truck. We worked on it, turning it into a ministry by passing out tracts, visiting and witnessing for Jesus. We sought out the poor and needy on our route, and in our small way, tried to help them.

One day, George asked me if I would be willing to go to Nebraska so that he could pastor this church. I tried to reason with him and talk him out of it, because we had three small children at this time (Dale-5, George Jr.-3, Cindy-2). I soon realized that all of my talk and reasoning was to no avail. This mission was growing heavier and heavier on his heart. One day, I thought I would put a stop to it, so I said very bravely, that we needed to put God to the test and see if He really wanted us to go. I said, "Write a letter to the overseer of the church and tell them that if they will pay our way, then we will come." I thought this would settle it, because I really didn't think they would; but, to my surprise, a return letter came right back with the bus fare in it!

So, to make a long story short, it wasn't long until we were on our way to Wymore, Nebraska. When we arrived at the little church, how well I remember the lonely feeling I had. Fifteen hundred miles away from our friends and loved ones! We found a little two story frame house with brick siding on it, and a little church that had been deserted and closed up for a long, long time.

We settled our few belongings that we had managed to bring with us in the little parsonage and began to clean and try to make our little family feel at home so far from home.

This was the beginning of some wonderful experiences that taught us faith, which will never leave our hearts throughout eternity. We were very young in the Lord, but He was so patient and understanding with us, as He taught us, step by step, as a mother does a small child when teaching it to walk. Many times we would stumble, only to find His gentle hands there to lift us up and encourage us to try again.

George opened the doors to the little church and began to have services again. A few people began to drift in from time to time, and God began to deal with the hearts of those few.

We learned what it meant to pray, "Lord, give us this day our daily bread." I remember one day when we had nothing in the house to eat. I told George this, only to hear him ask me, "Do you think God brought us here to starve us?" Of course I didn't feel that He had, so I began to dust and clean, as I saw him slip away into a little room in the back of the house, which he used as a prayer room. As I went about the living room dusting, I felt the tears running down my cheeks because of the shame that I felt in my heart over doubting God. I knew He said that if we would seek the kingdom of God first, then He would add all of the other things.

About this time, I heard the kitchen door open and shut. I thought it might be one of our neighbors that I had already learned to love and appreciate. I went in to see who it was, but found no one there, but on the table was a bag with the grocery items that I needed to fix breakfast with. God had answered prayer so soon! I could only stand there a minute or two in silent thanksgiving before I slipped to the door of the little prayer room and called to George, "You can stop praying now. God has already supplied the need!"

Another day, I was standing at the kitchen table. I had a few potatoes and a little beef and I was thinking, "Lord, if I only had a few carrots, I could make enough beef stew for dinner." A knock sounded at the door, and when I had answered it, a young girl who lived across the street with her grandmother said, "Sister Betty, grandmother wanted to know if you had any use for these carrots. She was defrosting her refrigerator and didn't need them." These things began to happen daily and we learned not to worry about what we would eat or what we would wear. We learned that our heavenly Father knew all of these things and always sent what we needed when we needed it.

A young couple from seminary came to visit with us during this time and we were quick to learn another lesson that has stayed with us through the years. As a preacher used to say in our home church, "Some are called and some are sent and some got there because they went!" We learned that going to college didn't make a preacher out of a man. A man called of God will be Christ-like if he has never been to school a day in his life.

This young man taught us real patience. He told George that he just didn't know how to handle the people. He would go to visit, and whatever the people were doing, he would join right in, right or wrong. The people would come to George secretly and tell him, "If that preacher is a Christian, I don't want to be one." He was preaching at the little church because the overseer had sent him. He was fresh out of college and they were trying to help him out.

He would sit with his feet propped up in the living room while we walked to town and carried groceries back to fix meals for him and he would never offer the use of his car, knowing that we did not have one.

One day, I walked through the room at the wrong time, just as he openly slapped his wife real hard, right in the face, as she stood ironing. She had confided in me and told me that they had only been married a very short time, and how that he hated children, and she didn't know that he was like this until after she had married him. I have talked to lots of young girls in later years, trying to get them to make sure of the man they take to be their life companion, because a woman has to conform to whatever a man is. They should really consider the person that they are about to marry and ask themselves the question, "Do I want to become one with him? Is he a son of God or a brute beast?"

This young man demanded three meals a day at certain hours, even though he was just a visitor in our home. George was just as patient and kind as a man could be, knowing all of the time that the man wasn't right, but I am afraid my patience began to run out!

I would rush along with the duties of a mother of three small children, trying to fix meals for everyone, with him complaining if the meals were a few minutes late, threatening to go up town and eat if we couldn't have them on time, until one day I turned to him and told him that if he felt he could do the cooking any faster, maybe it would be good if he should try it! This might not have been the best way to show Christian hospitality, but it worked! He didn't complain as much after that.

It would take a large volume to relate all of the experiences that we had with this young man before he decided to be on his way back to one of the southern states which was his home state. I have often wondered whatever happened to him and his precious wife, whom I felt was a real jewel.

During the time we were in Nebraska doing our first pastoral work, I saw George work in the hay fields many days, trying to feed us and meet the needs of the little church that was struggling after being closed for so long. He also bought an old car so that we would have a way to bring people to church and back.

We had a widow woman in the church who had served as secretary and treasurer before the church was ever closed, and she was so glad to see it open again. She always came to church and was real faithful. She had a son who lived with her but who was a sinner and would not come to church.

One day, while working in the hay fields, George was not aware of the sun being so hot, and before he realized it, his back was burned with second degree burns. For days, he ran a high fever and couldn't stand a shirt or anything to touch his back. After days of suffering, he was able to wear his shirt again, and he and another brother stopped by this woman's house to take care of some church business. She was really concerned and asked George how his back was. She was an elderly woman and wanted to do something, so her son suggested that she rub turpentine on it. When George got home, he was in terrible pain again. His back was blistered from the turpentine and I was furious! I said that anyone should know better than that. George said that he didn't think that is was the right thing to do, but he didn't want to offend her since she was only trying to help. I could just see her son, sitting off somewhere laughing over his evil suggestion!

George lived through this, but not without learning another great lesson. Today, he is as bold as a lion, yet harmless as a dove. He doesn't let Satan scare him into believing you have to tolerate his evil to keep from offending him. We learned that experience is the best teacher! Day after day we learned that faith in God was real and He put us through a schooling to prepare us for the work He had for us to do.

Those were the days when I washed George's suits with cleaning fluid because we couldn't afford to have them dry cleaned. Sometimes they would have to hang in the air for days before I could get the smell of the cleaning fluid out of them.

Sometimes we would watch for George to come home from working in the hay fields, hoping to be able to buy something special for supper, only to learn when he came in that he had been paid that day with eggs instead of money! We would have poached eggs, boiled eggs, fried eggs, and scrambled eggs for days, but we were always thanked the Lord, even for eggs.

I remember how happy I was the day that one of the farmers that George worked for and his wife brought me an old wringer-type washing machine and some fresh milk. This was a real blessing after washing clothes for my family in the old-fashioned way for so long. Looking back on these precious memories now, I wouldn't take anything for what Jesus taught us while we were striving to grow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord.

During our struggle at this little church, we also began to learn how corrupt and unfair that denominations were. We would travel a hundred miles to a prayer meeting at another church because holiness churches were so few at this time in that area. We always sent our tithe money into headquarters with our monthly report, but we saw things that we knew were not according to the Word of God, which we knew was the only true foundation.

Another young man, trying to pastor a church, while living in the basement of the church with his little family, was miserable because, when it rained, the basement would flood with water. They asked for help, knowing that in other states there was a surplus of tithe money because of so many prosperous churches. In the state of Nebraska at this time, it was a mission state for this certain denomination. The greedy leaders of these churches refused to share with Brother Johnny and his family by saying that each state was responsible for its own churches. These same leaders were living in earthly mansions, buying new cars and buying private boats, etc. to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season. They did not have the love of God because the Word says that the only way you know that you have passed from death unto life is because you love the brethren. God was revealing to us how far off of the Word of God that people had strayed.

George began to seek God more that ever before, asking Him to reveal His perfect will for our lives.

Looking back now, I can see how wonderful His riches and blessings were in our lives and how His hand was upon us, leading and guiding us, as His Word proved to be a light, shining on our pathway and a lamp unto our feet.

We were on a long journey through life, needing Him to show us what step to take next. I can truly say that He has never failed us one time in our Christian walk. I say, over and over, "Blessed be the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior and soon coming King!" My desire is to share what we have found with others. While the storms of life rage, I have perfect peace in my heart because of Jesus.

By Sister Betty Pike

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