Sylvia Nees

The story of Jesus changed the whole course of my life. My mother was brought up in a religious home, but it was more strict than she liked. Thinking the world looked bright, she left her home and married my father, who was a fiddle player and could play all night without repeating a number. With Mother accompanying him on the piano, they played at the hometown amusements.

On Saturday nights we went to the dance halls where we spent most of the night. When I was tired, they put me to sleep behind the piano. In the wee hours of the morning, we went home. Father was usually in a drunken condition, and jealous if Mother had danced with anyone. Finally she said she wouldn’t go again, and Dad became so angry that I was afraid of him.

Since Father was a building contractor, his work often took him away from home, sometimes  for weeks at a time. He lost work because of his drinking and gambling habits, which often caused our little family to be without the necessities of life. His absences made him like a stranger to me, and I hated to see him come home. Eventually he and my mother divorced.

Awhile later he came back and wanted to start a new life with Mother. She agreed to try once more. He won my love by promising me a new pair of patent leather slippers. We were so poor that it didn’t take much to win me over. My parents married the second time, and because of an economic boom in Port Angeles, Washington, we moved there. Mother asked if she could go to church on Easter Sunday that year, and Dad gave his consent. My sister and I wanted to watch an Easter parade so we stayed outside while Mother went into the Apostolic Faith Church.

What waves of blessing flowed over my soul when the Lord answered my prayer!

After the parade was over, we decided to go on home. We came home and were watching for Mother. Pretty soon she was walking up Lincoln Street. What a change! The sad look was gone and her face beamed. She said Jesus had come into her heart, and I saw the difference it made. From then on she sang hymns and prayed every day. She prayed for me, and God healed me of an affliction I’d had since I was a small child.

My mother’s good life convicted me, making me feel mean and miserable. I truly wanted to be happy like my mother. At church I heard young people tell of how thrilled they were with the Gospel. God had saved their souls, and they were jubilant in their Christian lives. Finally, one day at the close of a service I knelt to pray, asking Jesus to come into my heart. Such a calm came over me. My sins were forgiven. From then on, I was a different person. The hateful feeling in my heart was completely gone. I did not tell lies anymore. At school the next day, my friends noticed the difference.

For a few months our family was happy, but soon Dad started objecting to our church attendance. He moved us to Seattle, Washington, where he worked for his brother. Mother kept serving the Lord. In the evenings when my father was gone, we gathered around the piano and sang. My mother loved the songs, “Angels, Get My Mansion Ready” and “The Pearly White City.” Oh, we felt God so near!

Then Dad left us again. Mother took us back to Port Angeles, where the church people had treated us so kindly. They let us live in two rooms in the back of the church building.

God has never failed.

When I was thirteen, my sister and I started singing duets in the church services. She also played a small saxophone, and I played a banjo-mandolin. When the orchestra grew larger, I wanted a violin. My uncle was the Chief of Police in Seattle. Although I did not know him very well, I wrote asking for a violin. I waited a long time for an answer, and just about gave up. Then on my fourteenth birthday a package came from Sears and Roebuck. It contained a violin, bow, and case. What a thrill!

That same day I got a job in a bakery and could help my sister with the finances. What a birthday present! I was truly happy. Soon I was playing my violin in the church orchestra. It was such a privilege to sing and play for the Lord.

Learning about the experience of sanctification, I consecrated deeper to the Lord, offering Him my life in service. What waves of blessing flowed over my soul when the Lord answered my prayer! I’ll never forget how the fire fell when I was sanctified. Then I had a deep hunger for the baptism of the Holy Ghost, power for service. It was wonderful when the Lord gave me that experience too.

Eventually, my sister and I worked together in a department store. We had the joy of seeing one of our employers and his family saved and serving the Lord. They are in Heaven now. After some years, my sister and I were asked to move to Portland, Oregon, to assist in the music at the Apostolic Faith headquarters church. God provided us both with good jobs, which made it possible for me to purchase a better violin, and to take both voice and violin lessons.

My job was as a saleslady in a downtown Portland department store. One day, standing by my supervisor, I looked up and saw a man who looked like my father. When I told my supervisor, she said, “Go ask him.” I went over and said, “Pardon me. Is your name Mr. Comstock?” He said, “What do you want to know for?” I said, “Do you know Ona G. Comstock?” He looked at me and said, “Oh no. I have a picture of her.” He pulled a picture out of his pocket, and I said, “That’s me.” He turned white as a sheet, but still could not believe me. So I told him to go up the street to the store where my sister worked. He did go see my sister, and then came back to see me again.

Several times Dad came to church. When we had open-air meetings on the streets to invite people to services, he often showed up. He knew where we were. I never heard what became of him, but I know he heard the story of Jesus, just as I did. I am sure God talked to him.

And I can say that I surely am grateful to God that I had a mother that told me about Jesus.

Many years have come and gone since then. I wouldn’t exchange the privileges I’ve had in helping spread the Gospel for anything in the world. God has never failed. Three times I have been widowed. The Lord has been my friend and companion down through my life. I told the Lord if I had to go through life alone, I would follow Him. It seems that is true these days, because He is dearer to me as I am nearing that Golden Shore. I can say as I work out in this world, He is my companion, my life and my all, and the Gospel thrills me more than ever before.

In sickness, He has helped me. He has been my Physician and Healer these many years. One time I had a large goiter. One side of my chest was larger than the other because of it. I couldn’t sing as it hindered my voice. But the prayer of faith was prayed for me. It didn’t go away instantly, but it left, and as you know, I have no trace of this goiter now. God gave me back my voice and I have given it back to Him. For many years I have had the privilege of singing for the Lord in the services, at the street meetings, homes for the aged, the jails and penitentiaries, and wherever I have an opportunity to use the talent that God gave me.

He’s always there when I need Him. I don’t want any other way. He has been my Guide and my Shepherd. He helped me in school days; He helped me in the business world. And I can say that I surely am grateful to God that I had a mother that told me about Jesus. I can say it pays to serve God, and I love Him with all my heart. I have a bright future. Every day I’m looking for Jesus’ coming. My greatest desire is to be ready to meet Him.