I was born on February 12, 1918 in a large country home in Cornville, Maine. It was close to midnight and an old doctor from Athens, Maine, came with his horse and sleigh for the delivery. I was the third in a family of nine.
I was married April 7, 1940. Soon after my marriage, my husband and I bought a small farm in Cornville. We later bought a farm in East Madison, Maine and lived there for forty-five years. We had four children. My children all went to Sunday school nearby, but my husband and I only went to church when there was a special occasion. We never found time to go regularly to any church.
The East Madison Church was across the road from our farm and in 1970 my youngest daughter, who was fourteen years old, went to church there. She took piano lessons in my home from the young pastor. Soon after, my second youngest daughter, who was seventeen years old, started taking piano lessons also. She soon joined the Church, too. I never thought I would go with them but I believed it was fine for my two daughters to go.
In June of 1970 I was working at the Abnaki camping area near by. My second oldest daughter was going to graduate from high school in a few days. I asked her to do the housework and get the meals. The grass had grown quite tall around the Church. My two youngest daughters said that they had a new minister The young minister who taught them piano became the assistant pastor. One morning around 7:00 I looked out the window and there the new minister was trimming up around the Church. My husband mentioned that we should invite him to dinner.
When I came home from work that noon, there was the new minister sitting at the table with the rest of the family. It was a very hot day and I had to work later than usual and I was tired. One look at the new minister and I knew he was a man of God. I felt immediately convicted for my slacks and worldly clothes. I left the room in terror.
I remember when my oldest daughter, Linda, was in the sixth grade. She came home one day and said that it was alright now to wear jeans to school. I knew this was not right. I did not know much of anything about the Bible or know at the time that there was a scripture in the Bible that condemned it.
The woman shall not wear that which pertaineth unto a man, neither shall a man put on a woman's garment, for all that do so are abomination unto the Lord thy God. Deut 22.5.
Even though I lived across from the Church, I never found time to go. I had a scary feeling about going. I knew that my two youngest daughters and the assistant pastor had something special but I did not feel able to cope with it.
My second eldest daughter was married to the assistant pastor on October 8th of the same year. It was the most impressive wedding I had ever attended.
After about three years went by and I went to a couple of meetings during that time. I had never heard such powerful preaching before.
In 1972 some hippies from the Boston area started to go to that Church and the Lord very powerfully converted them. They sometimes visited me. I knew they were people of God.
Four years went by from the time I first saw the new minister in June of 1970. Then on November 10, 1974, my oldest daughter, Linda, was powerfully converted and she, too, became a member of the Friends of Jesus Christ. This had a big effect on me. Linda talked to me about her past life and she had me convinced that she had something special now like my other daughters.
About this time I knew that my worldly clothes had to go, but I did not know when I would really do it, but I had faith I would. I took all my slacks to the Laundromat and then put them away. I did not wear them again.
My son was next to convert. This happened December 15, 1974. I felt pressed in my soul to do something.
Christmas day December 25, 1974 came. I felt so alone because all of my children had left me. None of them were celebrating Christmas anymore. Then suddenly at 1:00 PM my four children all came. They came to ask me to go to meeting that night. I had until 6:00 PM to decide so that I could ride with them. I made my decision at about ten minutes to 4:00 PM. I knew I had to grab onto the opportunity now or I might never have another chance.
That night, December 25, 1974, I went to the Friends of Jesus Christ meeting at the new minister and his wife's house and gave myself up to the Lord. Those were glorious days. My life had been changed. I was always anxious to go to the next meeting. They were powerful meetings. I had never heard such preaching before and I thought the things that the minister preached were just for me. The Lord told me I should not wear worldly clothes, jewelry, short hair and so forth. I would be reading the Bible now and doing the things the Lord wanted me to do. Also I had found good brethren who would be a help to me. For a few years I traveled alone thirty miles one way, three times a week to go to meeting.
I have been in the hospital four times and have a pacemaker now and, Praise the Lord, I now live near my oldest daughter and can attend all the meetings of the Friends of Jesus Christ.
Please consider the following scriptures.
In that day the Lord will take away the bravery of their tinkling ornaments about their feet, and their cauls, and their round tires like the moon. The chains, and the bracelets, and the mufflers, the bonnets, and the ornaments of the legs, and the headbands, and the tablets, and the earrings, the rings, and nose jewels, the changeable suits of apparel, and the mantles, and the wimples, and the crisping pins, the glasses, and the fine linen, and the hoods, and the veils. Isaiah 3:18-23
Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world; the love of the Father is not in him. I John 2:15
Whosoever abideth in Him sinneth not: whosoever sinneth hath not seen Him, neither known Him. I John 3:6