CHAPTER NINE
One day while I was pastoring my first charge I felt the Lord leading me to go to Chillicothe, Iowa, for a meeting. I went to Chillicothe to see if I could get the church where I first went forward, when I was yet a boy. I was promised the use of the church building. Arrangements were made to start the next week and the meeting was advertised. It was in the winter, and very cold the day that I was to go. My brother Vernon was going to take me. About three miles from where we started, the old Ford stopped. We worked on it until it was getting late. I said, "Vern, you go back home and I will walk the rest of the way," which was seven miles.
It was dark when I arrived. I went to one of the stores and found that the man who ran the little hotel was out of town for a few days. I asked the people, who were loafing at the store, if any of them had a room where I could stay all night. All said they did not. I had stayed in several of their homes before I was called to preach, but that was different. I was now a holiness preacher, so no room.
Finally, I went to the man that had the key for the church. He and his wife lived in an eight-roomed house. I told him that I had been unable to find a place to stay. He did not ask me in, so I stood on the north porch, waiting for the key to the church. He closed the door and went in search of the key that had not been used for eight years. No services had been held in the church for that long a time. It took him along time to find the key, and I was getting chilled through. It was a bitter cold night. I went to the church, but had no matches, so could not build a fire. I was not too warmly dressed. I took my things out of the suitcase, put them on the seat, and lay down to sleep. I was tired from the walk and from having had nothing to eat since morning. I soon fell asleep only to waken, nearly frozen. I felt that even my bones were cold. The Lord had wakened me, for I was freezing. I rubbed my body, stomped my feet, whipped my arms, and walked the floor to keep from freezing.
When morning came, I asked a coal hauler if he would get me a load of slack coal. There were two big canon stoves in the church building. I had only three dollars; the coal bill came to two dollars. There were gas lamps, so I bought mantles and gasoline and matches. I had fourteen cents left with which I bought a lunch. I went back to the church, built a fire, and prepared the lamps for lighting. That night we had the house quite well filled. No one asked me home with them.
After all had gone home, I turned out the lights, and knelt down by a seat near the stove to pray. As I was praying, I said, "Lord, I don't know why I have to sleep on these church seats." About that time, I heard the Spirit say, "The foxes have dens, the birds have nests, but the Son of man had no where to lay His head. Take up your cross and follow me." Right there I asked the Lord to forgive me, and told Him I would stay there until I died or had a revival.
I began to visit the sick and shut-ins, and have prayer with them. Some prayed through. I would go by the town pump and get my daily supply of water, and thanked God for good water to drink.
One night after I had been staying in the church for over a week, it came a big snow -- about 18 inches. The next day I went my usual rounds, calling on the sick and aged. As I was going down a little hill I met an old man with heavy beard about six inches long. He was walking with two canes. As I met him, we spoke. He said, "Are you the preacher that is preaching in the Christian church?" I said, I am." Then he asked, "Is your name Pearl Poe?" and I answered, "It is." Then he said, "The Pearl Poe that lived south of town?" I replied, "I am." He then asked me if had had my dinner. I told him that it had been many days since I had had anything to eat. He said, "We have a late dinner. Will you come in and eat with us? I think Mamma has it about ready now."
We went in the house. I knew "Mamma," but her husband did not look natural to me, for I had never seen him with a beard. As we sat down to a well-filled table, they asked me to say the blessing. My heart was melted and I cried and prayed. Oh, what a blessing!
As we were eating, Grandpa Burgis said, "Pearl, you were too good to our crippled son to sleep on those church benches. There is his bed. He is not here." I asked no questions. He said, "When you get through preaching tonight, come home. That will be your room."
After service that night I closed the doors to the church and went to my new home. As I went to my room and got down to pray, I felt so unworthy. I said, "Dear Lord, you did not have a soft bed to lie on," and I cried freely. The bed was so warm and comfortable, and I cried until I went to sleep. Baby? No, I was touched of God. The next morning after breakfast, I asked if we might have family prayer, as I always do wherever I am.
While I was praying, after reading a very appropriate chapter from the Bible, I heard the voice of dear old Father Burgis as he began to pray. Our prayer took on power. He prayed through. The next morning dear old Sister Burgis prayed through.
The son, whom the father said was not there, had been a crippled boy. Some years before, when I would be driving to town, I would drive by their place and take the boy with me. Some of the town boys would tease him, but though I was only a lad, I would not stand for that kind of treatment to a crippled boy. The Bible says, "Cast thy bread upon the waters, for thou shalt find it after many days." Thank God, in this case it returned to me many fold, as well as many other times in my experience.
The meeting took on power. One day as I was out calling I came to where Uncle Jim Hornback, as we called him, was splitting stove wood. I said, How are you, Uncle Jim?" He said, "All right, I guess." I said, "Uncle Jim, you can know that you are all right." He replied, "There are so many hypocrites." "Yes, uncle Jim, that is right, and unless you repent, you will go to hell with them to be with them forever. He put down his piece of wood and raised both hands toward heaven, and right there he prayed through. God for Christ's sake forgave him. That night he testified in the meeting, and it seemed to break things loose. Many found the Lord in that meeting.
Great victories were won after hard battles. I would gladly sleep on church benches and nearly freeze to see again what I saw in that meeting. We must get orders from the Lord and be true to His calling at any cost. It will not all be roses, neither will it all be thorns, but what matters if we are in the will of our Lord. That meeting is still being talked about to this day by some who attended it. To God be all the glory.
When I was a young person, it was in that church where I first went forward. There were thirty-four young people in that community in their teens. It was in that community where I received my call to preach. Oh, that I had obeyed! Twelve years later I went to hold this meeting. My thought was to reach those young people. One day I said to Mr. Burgis, "Where are the young folks that were here when I was here?" He said, "Part of them are over on the hill." One day I went over "on the hill" to the cemetery. The snow was deep, but it was a beautiful day. As I looked on the tombstones I saw the names of several of the young folks. I knelt down by the side of one large stone and sobbed and cried. I said, "Oh, Lord, if only I had obeyed You at the first call, these might have gotten saved." There is no way to express the agony I felt for not having said "Yes" to the Lord and started preaching as a young man. What I would give if I could recall those lost years! Oh, those poor lost souls that I might have reached. Some of the boys had been killed in war. Their opportunity had passed forever. How sad to think that I had failed when a lad to obey my Lord, and I will have to stand before Him some day and give account of my time and of my calling. I must do my best while time lasts for me. God has been so good to take me back and forgive me, but that doesn't answer for those lost years. Perhaps I could have helped them to God, for I seemed to be a leader among them. I know of only one other boy of that group that is a holiness boy. May God keep our hearts stirred to our responsibilities till Jesus says, "It is enough."
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