I marvel at the graciousness of the Lord in how He taught me even as He supplied my

needs. Although I had steady work, I failed to manage my money, and when it came time to

return to Prairie, I went on a proverbial shoestring. I remember writing to a girl I had met in St.

Louis and was delighted when she wrote back, but when I wanted to write her again I was

reluctant to spend the money for postage. My total financial assets came to seven cents. Then

one day I received a notice that there was a postcard waiting for me at the post office, with five

cents postage due. When I retrieved the card for which I had to pay my precious five cents, I

read the card: “What’s wrong? Did you break your arm?” the card was signed by the girl in St.

Louis. Now I had only two cents to my name, and the postage would be three cents! Yes, the

Lord was trying to teach me common sense, but I was a slow learner. In fact I would not learn

how to handle my finances until I married the young lady who would be my teacher.  

         In the spring of my junior year, 1937, Mr. Maxwell invited the Rev. J. B. Thornton of St.

Louis, to be the speaker at the Spring Conference. Through him the Lord led me to Hope

Congregational Church, and that contact would once again change the course of my life.

        With missionary service in China in mind, I visited a doctor while attending Prairie, and he

strongly recommended that I spend two or three years on a farm to build up my body. Mr.

Thornton told me about a rugged 430-acre farm in the Missouri Ozarks that Mr. Wurdack, a

member of Hope Church, had bought with the idea of using it as a training ground for young

people who aimed to go into the Lord's service. The name of the farm was Tadmor, taken from

1st Kings .........