Mattie House

The first years of my life were spent in the backwoods of Arkansas. My mother and father never went to church, though there was one about a mile down the road. I never heard my parents pray, and when I was eleven years old, sin broke up our home and I was sent to work for my board and keep in different homes. I was always put with elderly people who should have told me about the Lord, but they never seemed concerned. But I’m glad God reaches down to hungry hearts.

I was still only eleven years old when a minister came out from town and cleaned up an old church to hold some revival meetings. He preached the old-time religion. I remember an old gentleman who walked up and down the aisle clapping his hands and praising God for salvation. I never got away from that. Before that I had heard people talk about joining a church, but this was the first time I heard about salvation. The minister preached that there was a Heaven to gain and a hell to shun.

He did a wonderful work for me!

After the sermon, someone came back and told me that my father had gone to the altar to pray. It seemed to break my heart. I had never seen an altar—I didn’t know anything about praying. But I rushed forward and knelt. I don’t remember saying anything, but I just gave my heart to the Lord. He did a wonderful work for me! I was truly born again that night.

After that, it wasn’t hard for me to be good, to do what I was told. I could live a Christian life at school. My father struggled several years trying to get saved. He had some big restitutions to make. But I saw the time when he was an old, gray-haired man, and he stood up in church and said he was saved.

I joined the church and was a worker for years. In 1914, my husband and I left the farm and moved into Murphysboro, Illinois—and we let the love of God slip out of our lives as the love of the world slipped in.

I’m so glad I’m in the family of God!

A little woman came from Portland, Oregon, bringing some Apostolic Faith papers. She would hold meetings, and there I heard about salvation all over again. I went down before the Lord and repented again, and the Lord forgave me. He later sanctified me, and baptized me with the Holy Ghost. I’m so glad I’m in the family of God!

I’ve never wanted any other way. I had the privilege last winter to visit old friends in the Midwest, and I could tell them of God’s continual goodness to me. My husband went to be with the Lord long ago. None of the rest of my people are saved, but I’m determined to see the end of this Christian race. At ninety-two years of age, I can say that my anchor really holds.