“I could shoot straight” PPP 133.1
I decided to spend the day out in the woods, since there was no home I could go to and keep the Sabbath. When I had prepared breakfast for the family, which was my daily task, and had done my housework, I took my Bible, Sabbath School Worker, Quarterly, Review and Herald, Instructor, and my revolver, and went to the woods where I spent the day. PPP 133.2
During the day I memorized the Sabbath school lesson and read the papers from cover to cover. My faithful dog in the meanwhile watched near by, never allowing a hog or cow to come near me. He did not bark, but quietly got up and drove them away should any come near. If it rained, I would go to the barn and spend the time in the hayloft. PPP 133.3
Many hard things were said and even threats were made, but I let all know my mind was made up. When I went to the woods, I took my revolver; and I could shoot straight. The Lord did not permit any harm to befall me.—Anna Knight, Mississippi Girl, pp. 33, 34, 1952. PPP 133.4
Investment repaid multiple times over PPP 134.1
Mrs. Chambers86L. Dyo Chambers and his wife lived in Chattanooga, Tennessee. He was secretary of the Tract Society located there. was a milliner and dressmaker and also a good baker. She had organized a group of women into a club called the “Women’s Exchange.” They had their wares in one of the leading grocery stores on Market Street. These ladies took turns and looked after their sales daily at this store. They cooked homemade whole-wheat bread, salt-rising bread, pies, cookies, and cakes, and also made needlework to sell. PPP 134.2
Mrs. Chambers specialized in salt-rising bread, baking it about four days a week. She got up at four o’clock in the morning and stayed up until ten o’clock at night on bake days. Some days she would make sixty loaves, and her bakings were never less than thirty. I helped her all I could with her work. I carried the bread to the Exchange daily for her. I also learned how to make it, but she never would let me take the entire responsibility. PPP 134.3
I learned that she was doing all this hard work to earn money to buy clothes for me to go to school. She did away with my old feathered hat and made me one suitable for a Seventh-day Adventist. She made me an outfit of clothing; and each time she would finish a garment, she would put it down carefully and say, “Anna, I hope this will last you until the Lord comes.” I really tried to take good care of these clothes so that they would, but they did not last long. But the influence of her unselfish love and sacrifice is still living in my memory. PPP 134.4
One day I was so overwhelmed by what she was doing for me, a poor colored girl and nothing at all to her except a member of her church, that I could not refrain from crying. I did not want her to see me, so I went up into the attic and had a big cry. She missed me. When she found me crying, she tenderly put her arms around me and asked, “Have you had bad news from home?” PPP 134.5
“No.”
“Are you homesick?”
“No.”
“Have I hurt your feelings?” PPP 134.6
“No.”
s“Then what is the matter?” PPP 135.1
I told her I was thinking of all the nice things she had done and was doing for me, and that I was poor and had nothing and never would be able to pay her for all her goodness and kindness to me. PPP 135.2
Then she hugged me close to her and, between laughing and crying, said, “You dear child, we don’t expect any pay for what we are doing for you. We believe you will make a worker in God’s cause some day; and if we should sleep before Christ comes, our work will go on through you. We have helped many girls get started in the Lord’s work, and we are glad to be able to help you.” PPP 135.3
By that time I had dried my tears. When she began to cry, I thought I had better stop. I did not want to make her feel sad; however, I have since learned that hers were tears of joy, hoping that her labors would not be in vain. PPP 135.4
That was in 1894, and from that day to this I have never forgotten her faith in me. I have tried to keep their work going on,since both she and her husband are sleeping in Jesus. I have never forgotten them or their faith in me. It has always been an inspiration to me and an incentive to help others.—ibid., pp. 42-44. PPP 135.5
Sanitarium workers sacrifice PPP 135.6
There was a famine in India, and our own missionaries, some of whom were Battle Creek doctors and nurses, were facing a shortage of food. PPP 135.7
Dr. Kellogg called all the doctors, nurses, and helpers together and told us of the cablegram which had been received, and appealed to us to make a sacrifice of our food. In other words, as he put it, go on a Hindu diet for one week, cut out everything from our board bill except those things which the sanitarium would not have to buy. PPP 135.8
Then he placed the matter before us, asking for a show of hands by all those who would like to go on this special, restricted diet. Quite a large number, four or five hundred, raised their hands. Special tables were arranged, and at the end of a week we had saved $500. We liked it so well that we decided to carry on our sacrifice another week and were able to donate a $1,000 famine-relief fund from the saving on our board bill for two weeks.—ibid., pp. 73, 74. PPP 135.9
Determined to make a difference PPP 136.1
Dr. Kellogg sent for me and a number of others who had gone out pioneering in missionary work. We were to come back to Battle Creek and take a postgraduate course. At the same time the sanitarium needed extra trained help to care for the large number of patients who were there during the summer. PPP 136.2
I attended summer school at the college part of the time. There I got additional training to help me with my mission school in Mississippi. PPP 136.3
When the postgraduate course was finished, each of us returned to her respective field of labor or to a new assignment. I went back to Mississippi to erect the new schoolhouse which I was planning to build. PPP 136.4
The summer before, a friend of mine from Battle Creek, Miss Julia Luccock, who had been nursing a patient in Alabama, decided to visit her people and the camp meeting in Iowa. She stopped by to see me before going, planning to stay only a few days, but she was so interested in what I was trying to do that she spent nearly three weeks with me helping to plan the work. We drew a sketch of the building I wanted, and she took it with her to Iowa to show to her father and get suggestions from him, for he was a builder. She did this and returned it to me in due time with many helpful suggestions. PPP 136.5
While at the camp meeting in Iowa, she solicited fifty dollars for the work and sent it to me by registered letter. I called a meeting of the patrons of the school and the friendly neighbors who were interested and willing to assist. I told them about my plans to build a schoolhouse and solicited their help. If they did not have money they could donate labor. PPP 136.6
Everyone promised to do what he could. The men went to the woods, felled timber, and took old-fashioned broadaxes and hewed logs for the sills and sleepers. This was quite a saving on the lumber bill. We had split the boards for the roof before I left for Battle Creek some months before. PPP 136.7
The women and children picked the cotton on my four acres, 871.63 hectares. and I sold it and put the money into the building fund. PPP 137.1
When I made out the lumber bill and sent it to our little country sawmill, the owner of the mill was surprised, for this was the largest single order he had ever received at any one time. All the rough lumber such as framing, rafters, and joists I bought from him, but the finishing lumber for siding and window casings had to be bought in Ellisville twenty miles8832.2 km. away and brought out by mule team to the building plot. This was a big job which cost quite a sum of money. All the cotton money plus the fifty dollars from Miss Luccock, besides considerable advanced labor on tuition, was put into the building in addition to the free labor donations. In about eight weeks, by long hours of work and united effort, the building was completed. PPP 137.2
I bought glass windows, a stove, and paint for blackboards. When the time came for school to open, we had the nicest schoolhouse anywhere in that section of the country. People came from as far as seventy-five miles89120.8 km. to see it. PPP 137.3
I had twenty-four pupils in eight grades and a tuition charge for each pupil of one dollar a month. Only one patron was able to pay the tuition in cash each month. The others paid their tuition with part cash and part labor. The labor consisted of clearing an acre of land adjoining the school ground on which we planned to have an orchard and vineyard. I allowed the children part of their noon hour and after school for work sawing logs and wood from this ground. The logs were used to make rails to fence the vineyard, and the wood was used in the stove. PPP 137.4
I organized two Sunday schools, six miles909.7 km. apart, and used Our Little Friend in each of them. One was held Sunday morning and the other in the afternoon. The Sabbath school children at Graysville, Tennessee, sent me their used papers which I would use first at one Sunday school and then at the other. Thus the same papers served three different places. PPP 137.5
After the Sunday school lesson was over, I taught penmanship, reading, and arithmetic to some adults who were unable to attend the regular day school. I also taught them better ways of cooking and how to can fruit, stressing especially the need of health and temperance among them. PPP 137.6
The people were learning many things, but it was hard for them to see and accept all the message.—ibid., pp. 80-83. PPP 138.1