Soldiers of the Great King
by Mary Wingfield Bell

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Chapter 1	Chapter 2	Chapter 3	Chapter 4	Chapter 5	Chapter 6
Chapter 7	Chapter 8	Chapter 9	Chapter 10	Chapter 11	Chapter 12

CHAPTER 7

 

Next day in church Reverend Alway had kind words to say about the children who worked hard to improve the junior classroom and the girls who helped his wife in the time of her distress.

 

“I am so proud of the children in Whatknot,” he said.  “They are good examples for the tiny ones to follow.  I almost burst with pride but then I remember I must not be proud lest a haughty spirit go before a fall.  Now let us give the Lord a clap offering for our boys and girls.”

 

The congregation clapped their hands loudly for the children.  Janet, Lorena, Dalthea and Maria smiled.  All the children who had worked hard the day before were happy that the grownups were pleased with what they did.  They knew that the great king was pleased, also.

 

While the people were clapping their hands, a very old woman entered the building.  She was Hilda Gladmore, the woman that Janet and Joy had visited and cleaned her yard.  After staying away from church many years, she had come back.

 

“Let’s welcome our visitor,” said the preacher.  “We are glad you have come today.”

 

“Reverend, I am not a visitor,” returned Hilda.  “I intend to come every Sunday that the good Lord lets me live.  Two little girls are responsible for getting me back to church.  Those precious children gave me the love that I have needed for many years.  I believe God sent the girls to me to remind me that he still cards.”

 

“We are all glad to have you worship with us and do let us know anytime you need help,” said the preacher.

 

Joy Cho was glad to see Mrs. Gladmore in church and she waved her hand to Hilda.  Mrs. Gladmore gave her a big smile.  A friendship was taking place.

 

The weather was cold outside but inside the church was warm and comfortable.  The congregation was in a pleasant mood.  Reverend Always had set the tone for a happy service.

 

The singing began with a favorite hymn, When the Roll is Called Up Yonder.  Janet was always happy when she sang that song.  It reminded her that someday she would be in Heaven with her father and brother.  The people sang The Lily of the Valley, Life’s Railway to Heaven and Jesus Loves Me.  Then it was time for prayer.

 

“Are there any prayer requests?” asked the preacher.

 

Three hands went up.  Each one who raised a hand gave a prayer request.  Dalthea raised her hand as she usually did for the unspoken requests.  Her friends knew that she was asking prayer for the healing of Katie Oaks, the slow-brain child.

 

When the people prayed, they knelt by their pews.  They arose and took their seats when Brother Lewis finally said, ”Amen.”

 

It was time for Katie to play her harp.  Mrs. Oaks played the piano.  The Old Rugged Cross never sounded more beautiful than the duet by Katie and her mother.

 

After the duet the preacher reached in his pocket and pulled out an envelope.  Taking a letter from the envelope he said, “I have a letter to read which will be of interest to all, especially the soldiers of the king.”  He read:

 

Dear people of Whatknot,

 

We have heard news of a group of children in your town and their adoration and love for Jesus, our saviour and king.  Their enthusiasm is an inspiration that has reached the hearts of many, including the congregation of Grandest View Community Church.

 

We are inviting the children of Whatknot to come to our church and present a program, telling us about how a group of boys and girls took upon themselves to reach other children for Jesus.

 

Please consider our invitation.  We will send money for traveling expenses.  I look forward to hearing from you soon.

 

                                                For God’s glory,

                                                Evelyn Andees

                                                Director of Children’s Activities

                                                Grandest View Community Church

 

Seeing the excitement in the place, Reverend Always said, “We will discuss this invitation at the evening service and hear what the children have to say about taking the trip to Grandest View.”  Then he preached a sermon about serving God.

 

Janet and the other children found it very hard to be attentive when their minds kept thinking about the trip to Grandest View.  When would they go and how? thought Janet.  Few people in Whatknot take trips.  Since the depression began few people had cars.

 

When the service was over the children talked about the trip.  “It is a lovely place,” said Lorena.  “I was in Grandest View when I was in second grade.  You can see almost straight down to the railroad track and the cars look so very small, like ants.”

 

“I am anxious to go,” said Dalthea.  “I want to meet the children there.  Maybe I’ll teach them a song that I wrote.”

 

“We can tell the children in Grandest View about our meetings and the good times we had working for the king,” said Janet.  “They must learn that it is a good thing to please the great King Jesus.  We can let them ask questions and we will answer their questions.”

 

“We can be sure that they know how to tell other children that they can know Jesus as their best friend and helper,” said Lorena.  “That is what Janet did for me when I was so scared.  I learned that Jesus could help me.  I want everyone to know that King Jesus will solve their problems.

 

The soldiers of the king were excited to think that they were invited to help children in Grandest View.  More than anything they wanted to help them know Jesus who was making soldiers of the king a happy group.

 

On the way home from church Janet and her mother talked about the upcoming trip.

 

“I wonder how the folks in Grandest View heard of you youngsters in Whatknot,” said Mrs. Cubber.

 

“It makes me feel that we are special,” returned Janet.

 

“Dear, all of God’s children are special,” said her mother.  “You are special but no more special than his other children.”

 

Janet spent Sunday afternoon with Maria who came to Janet’s house to study.  She found it hard to keep quiet about the trip.

 

When evening came she and her mother went back to church.  They would learn for certain if the soldiers of the king were going to Grandest View.

 

To Janet’s delight the men of the church agreed to take the children to Grandest View.  They planned for all who would go to be at the church on Sunday two weeks later.  There would be five cars to carry the boys and girls to the church in Grandest View.

 

In the days that followed Janet thought of little else but the trip.  She would see new places and new things.  Best of all she would see children who would want to know about Jesus.  Every night she prayed about taking the trip.  She prayed that she would know exactly what to tell the children when she arrived at Grandest View Community Church.

 

Soon the day came to go to Grandest View and the boys and girls were gathered at the Methodist Church.  All of them were excited, wondering which car they would ride in.

 

“I can haul four children in the back seat of my car,” said Brother Lewis.  “The wife and I will be in the front seat.”  James and Richard climbed into his car.

 

“How about two more young’uns?” said Brother Lewis.

 

“We might as well go with him,” Donald said to his brother Elmer.

 

Brother Ayres had room for two passengers beside his wife and three children.  Trilby and his mother went with the Ayres.

 

Sister Van Upper had Dalthea and Myrtle in her car.  “I can take another child,” she offered.

 

Tim got into Sister Van Upper’s car.

 

Mrs. Cho and Joy found a ride with Brother and Sister Munson.  Dan had stayed home with his father.

 

Janet, her mother, Lorena and Maria were going to Grandest View with the Harrisons who were newcomers to the Methodist Church.

 

“Everyone ready?” asked Brother Lewis.  “I’ll lead and you folks follow my car.”

 

“Do you know how far Grandest View is from here?’ asked Mrs. Harrison.

 

“I think it is 65 miles,” replied Mrs. Cubber.  “We should be there in less than two hours.”

 

Janet, Lorena and Maria looked out the car windows hoping not to miss seeing anything.  After riding on three streets in Whatknot the car was out on the open road.  They passed the meat packing plant.

 

Soon the town of Whatknot was out of sight and they were riding in the country.  Fields of brown grass lay on each side of the road because it was early winter.  Ahead of them the hills began to rise.  It was fun for the girls when the car went up and down the steep hills.

 

“Look!” said Maria.  “We are going up that mountain.  I’ve never been on the mountain before.”

 

“Well, I have been here,” said Lorena.  “But I do like to ride up the mountainside.”

 

The winding road that went up the mountain was rather narrow.  Now and then they passed a group of houses which led them to believe there were small towns far back from the main road.

 

Joy and her mother were in the car ahead.  Joy looked out the back window and waved.

 

Soon the cars ahead of them were stopping by a wide place in the road.  Mr. Harrison stopped his car so Janet and friends could see what the others were looking at.

 

Beyond the post and railing was a drop-off cliff.  No one went over the low fence

because it was a dangerous place.  To go over the fence would be to plunge downward for close to a mile.

 

Everyone took a good look at the train down on the railroad track below.  It looked so very small, like a toy train.  Here truly was a grand view.  People walking near the train looked like dots moving.

 

“The good Lord gave us many interesting things to behold in this world,” said Brother Ayres.

 

“You are so right,” joined Brother Munson.  “He is a wonderful God we serve.”

 

The children and grownups were amazed at the sight and were not in a hurry to leave.

 

“We best get in the cars,” said Brother Lewis.  “We have yet to finish our real mission – getting the children to church on time.”

 

It was a short drive to the Grandest View Church and soon the five cars were there.  The visitors had arrived early.

 

A tall thin man greeted each one as the children entered the church.  He was very friendly and said that his name was Will Powder and that he was the Sunday school superintendent.

 

“Welcome to all of you,” he said.  “We have looked forward to you coming.  There will be others here soon.

 

He was right.  A lady and two children came into the building.  The lady spoke to each of the grownups.  Then she said, ”We are so glad you children have come.  We have heard of your good work in Whatknot.”

 

The soldiers of the king gave the woman big smiles.

 

People came in, one after the other.  Soon there was a nice little crowd who was waiting for the program to begin.

 

Mr. Will Powder began the meeting by asking the congregation to sing Jesus Loves Me.  Then he said, “Our visitors have come a long way to be with us.  Now I will turn the program over to the children.

 

Janet stepped upon the low platform.  “My name is Janet Cubber,” she began.  “We have come here to tell you of our love for the great King Jesus.  I am one of the king’s soldiers.  We will tell you how our group got started and the ways we have worked for the king.  Donald will tell you how he became a soldier of the king.

 

“It happened like this,” said Donald.  My brother Elmer and I were walking around looking for mischief.  We came to the creek bank and saw Janet.  She and her friend Trilby were throwing pebbles in the water.  Elmer and I began to throw the little rocks at them and one rock hit Trilby.  Janet said that they would tell the king on us.  I said, “America don’t have a king.  We have a president.”  Then Janet told Elmer and me about a secret kingdom.  What she said sounded so good.  I wanted to know the king.  Elmer can tell you what happened next.”

 

Elmer stepped on the platform and stood by his brother.  “We asked this girl Janet how we could know the king.  She said that we had to ask his forgiveness for our sins and we must ask him to come into our hearts.  We did as Janet said and sure enough she was telling the truth.  Jesus came to live in us and we had such a wonderful feeling.  We wanted to know more about the king.  Janet invited us to come to her house and she would tell us stories of the king.  That is what we did.  We met in her backyard to hear her tell stories.  Other children began to come.  That is how our group got started.  We learned much and we found ways to work to please our new friend, the great King Jesus.  He is a good king.  Everyone should know Jesus.”

 

“Yes, I did tell the stories that I had learned in Sunday school,” said Janet.  “When the boys and girls asked questions, I answered them.  Sometimes Trilby gave the answer.  There is Trilby,” and she pointed to the boy.

 

Trilby stood up so everyone would know who he was.

 

“Now Trilby will tell you more about us.”

 

Trilby was happy to talk.  “There is a lot to be said about us,” said Trilby.  “Because we stay busy.  I go to the Halelujah Church.  There I learned much about the great king.  We learn bible verses to say at our meetings.  King Jesus is the best king that ever lived.  He helps us when we have problems.  He is a good friend who is always with me.  Soldiers of the king sometimes work to help others.  We cleaned the sidewalks in our town and the merchants gave us little gifts.  They were glad for the work we did and we did do a good job, too, because we give our best work for the king.  Working for the king makes us feel good.  We do our best for King Jesus because he wants the best from us.  A job isn’t hard when you are working for the king.  He is the greatest.  We will always work for the greatest king that ever lived.  The best thing we do is tell others how they can know Jesus.”  Trilby sat down.

 

“It is Tim’s time to tell you about our meetings,” said the leader.

 

“We mostly meet in Janet’s backyard but we meet in the church when the weather is cold,” said Tim.  “We have fun at the meetings.  My mother goes to the meetings with us because she likes to hear the stories Janet tells us.  We learn about King Jesus and the miracles he made happen when he lived on earth.  We sing songs.  We march sometimes when we sing.  Mrs. Cubber and Trilby’s mother fix good things to eat, like muffins and tea cakes.  It’s great to be a soldier of the king.”  Tim sat down, glad that he had said his piece.

 

“Now you will hear my next door neighbor and good friend, Maria,” said Janet.

 

Maria smiled then stepped upon the platform.

 

“I moved next door to Janet,” began Maria.  “We have been good friends since we met.  One day she asked if I had let Jesus come into my heart.  When I said that I had not but I believed in Jesus.  She told me that I could really know him if I would pray, asking him to forgive me of my sins and come into my heart.  I prayed the prayer Janet told me to pray.  King Jesus came into my heart.  He has been there since and I am a happy girl.  I don’t pout the way I once did and I am cheerful when I work for my mother.  Yes, Jesus made a change in me and I want to help others now.  Being a soldier for the king is the best thing.  King Jesus is my best friend and he will never leave me.”

 

Dalthea is one of our best workers,” said Janet.  “She will tell you about what happened in her life when she let Jesus come in.”

 

“Let me say to you folks in Grandest View,” said Dalthea, “That you live in a most beautiful place.  I wonder how the king made it so special.  But then he does everything in the best way.  As for me, I was a mean-hearted girl.  I never liked anyone not even my father.  I came to know our wonderful saviour and king when I was staying at my grandmother’s house.  She had a bad ankle and I was doing her housework.  I would hit her when she didn’t eat all her food.  These friends here found out that I hurt my grandmother.  They came and helped me do the housework and they were so happy.  I never knew young’uns like them before.  They explained that they were happy because they worked for the great king and they were his soldiers.  I was miserable so I said I wanted to be a soldier for the king.  They taught me how to pray for my sins to be forgiven.  I did pray and I asked Jesus to come into my heart.  My whole life changed.  I began to love people, especially my father.  I love King Jesus so much.  I wrote songs about him.  I am going to ask the gang to sing with me the song I wrote Jesus Loves Us.  The children sang:

 

                                    Jesus loves us.

                                    He’s our king.

                                    That is why

                                    We shout and sing.

 

                                    Jesus hears us

                                    When we pray.

                                    He stays with us

                                    Through the day.

 

                                    We will love him

                                    Till we die.

                                    Then we’ll live

                                    With him on high.

 

                                    Jesus loves us

                                    He’s our king.

                                    That is why

                                    We shout and sing.

 

Then Dathea said,” I want to recite a poem I wrote about me and King Jesus.

 

                                    Jesus gave his life for me

                                    That I a child of his may be.

                                    I find in him the one to love.

                                    Each day I have found blessings from above.

 

                                    He gives me joy when I am sad.

                                    He gives me hope and makes me glad.

                                    I want to give him praise each day.

                                    He lets me know which words to say.

 

                                    Give me the way to be your friend

                                    And let others know the love you send.

                                    Let me be one who pleases you

                                    So others will please you, too.

 

“My life changed so much,” said the girl.  “I now can help others to know our most wonderful saviour and king.”

 

Richard will now tell about himself and what he wants to say about soldiers of the king,” said Janet.

 

Richard was happy to have another chance to tell about soldiers of the king and what they did for him.  “You good people, I must tell you I was a selfish boy who thought only of me and what I could get for myself.  Then one day my foot began to hurt.  It hurt so much I thought I would die.  I screamed loudly with my painful foot.  These children came to see me.  One prayed for my foot to be healed and he laid his hands on my head when he prayed.  Quick as you can snap your fingers the pain left my foot.  God healed me.  This gang was so happy that I wanted to belong.  They taught me how to pray and ask the great king to live in my heart.  I did and King Jesus came into my heart.  I have been happy ever since that day.  I always go to the story telling times. I have so much fun.  I am not selfish now.  I do things for other people.  Our group painted a room in the Methodist Church where we can meet in cold weather.  I helped by painting the benches green.  It is a good feeling to work for the great king.  There is no one as good as Jesus and he is a strong person with power.  He did many miracles when he lived on earth.  I wish I could have lived then and followed him everywhere he taught the people.  The king is the best.  If you are not happy, take Jesus into your heart.  You will always be glad.”  Richard took his seat.

 

“James, do you want to say anything?” asked Janet.  “James has only been with us lately.”

 

“I just want to tell everyone how glad I am to be a soldier of the king Jesus.  He is such a good king.  I want to be his soldier as long as I live.”

 

“Lorena will tell us how God helped her when she was afraid,” said Janet.

 

“I was very afraid after my mother died.  My father had to be away to sell Zanol.  He was gone most all week and I stayed in the house alone.  I could not sleep.  It was terrible until I met Janet who helped me.  She let me stay all night with her.  She told me that Jesus would help me and I should ask him to come into my heart.  I asked Jesus to forgive my sins and come to live in me.  I felt peace for the first time and was not afraid.  I learned that King Jesus wants to help all his children.  I met a neighbor lady who lived next door.  She was kind to me.  I could call her if I was ever afraid.  Her big dog made friends with me and I felt safe.  Jesus is my best friend.  He is always near.  He will never leave me.  I love him so much.  I want to be in the army of the Lord.  I will serve him as long as I live.”

 

“We still need to hear from Myrtle and Joy,” said Janet.  “I think Myrtle has something to say.”

 

Myrtle went forward and said a few words.

 

“I haven’t been with soldiers of the king very long, but taking Jesus to live in me was the best thing I ever did in my life.  King Jesus loves me.  I know it is true and I love him.  I had fun working with the gang and painting.  We all did good work because we were working for the king.  We gave Jesus our best time to work.  When we work for the king, people do nice things for us.”

 

“Joy, it is your time to tell the people what we did when we worked for King Jesus,” said Janet.

 

The little girl walked quickly to the platform.

 

“Janet and I saw this old woman who lived in a messy yard,” said Joy.  “We told her we had come to clean her yard.  At first she didn’t want our help but she let us do the work when she found out we were doing the work for the great King Jesus.  We did a good job.  I think King Jesus was pleased with our work.  The old woman gave us tea in little tiny cups.  Then she gave us the cups.  She gave us cake, too.”

 

“Thank you, Joy,” said Janet.  “I will tell the rest of the story.  The old woman had gone to church when she was young.  For years she stayed away.  She wanted me to pray with her.  She prayed for God to forgive her sins and she decided to come back to church.  Later we saw her in the Methodist Church.  We like being here today and hope you have enjoyed what we have said.  Now I turn the meeting back to Mr. Powder.”

 

Brother Powder thanked Janet and her friends, saying, ”It has been interesting learning of your activities and your devotion to our Lord and King Jesus.  Do come again.”

 

When the meeting was over the ladies of the church served sandwiches.

 

The Whatknot children were quick to engage in conversation with the Grandest View boys and girls who seemed shy at first.  Soon there was laughter and squeals of delight. 

 

While a good time was happening, two of the soldiers of the king were spreading the gospel.

 

Donald found a ten-year-old boy who was interested in becoming a soldier of the king.  Donald led the boy in praying.  He told Ernest to tell Jesus to forgive his sin and come into his heart.  Ernest gladly accepted King Jesus and he was a happy child.

 

Janet also found someone who wanted to know the king.  Eleven year old Thelma gave her heart to Jesus and was so happy to have him as her best friend.

 

“Now Jesus lives in me,” said Thelma.  “I will be a good soldier and bring others to know him.  I want to start a story-telling time at my house.  My mother can tell the stories.”

 

The Whatknot children would long remember their visit to the church in Grandest View.  They were blessed for the time they gave to the children there.