Nellie Smith

I praise God for this marvelous Gospel. I heard about Jesus when I was very young. My grandmother told me that Jesus had saved her and others in the family. I thought that Jesus must be wonderful and could do anything.

One Sunday night alone at home, when I was about twelve years old, I knelt and prayed, “Jesus, forgive all my sins,” and He did save me and put a standard into my heart. I changed my friends, picked out the nicest girls in school, and people wondered what made me different from the rest of the girls.

Many years later we attended churches in different cities, and finally joined a large church in Portland, Oregon, but we were not satisfied. Two afflictions came upon my body: a cancer on one side and a small tumor on the other side. The doctor wanted to operate, but I would not listen to him, for I felt there must be a better way. I thought of Jesus. If He was the same today as when He was upon earth, why couldn’t He do something for people now?

As I was wondering and pondering this in my mind, God showed me so plainly that Jesus was the same and had never changed. I started to pray and read my Bible. Then a man who was almost a stranger to us told my mother about the Apostolic Faith. He said, “I do not belong there, but I go there often and it is wonderful how many people God heals through their prayers!”

My mother went to their camp meeting one day. She said, “It is all true what they say, it is marvelous, and one thing I know: they have the old-time religion that my people had who were old-time Methodists.” She urged me and my husband to go to a meeting.

We went on a Sunday night, and as we stepped into that large tent, it seemed that we were stepping out of great darkness into great light. Everyone looked so very happy and alive. It was wonderful! We knelt at their altar too, but could not pray much—it was all to great for us.

Later I went to the camp meeting alone and asked if they would pray for me. Two ministers did. Then one of them said to me, “Now you can stand on any word in that Bible.”

As I walked off the platform, I said in my heart, “Now, Jesus, they have done what You said they should do, so now You have to heal me!” And He did! I had the witness. The next moment, a big load pressed down upon me, and I said, “Jesus, if You can heal me, You can take this heavy load off my heart too.” And He did! He changed the whole course of my life that day. He took the love for the things of the world out of my heart.