For a while I did not think more about my call to the work of God in
Europe, but there was a deep longing in my soul to see people saved,
and whenever time permitted I would do all the personal work I could,
distributing literature, visiting people in their homes, helping in
meetings, etc.
My parents being Danish, they naturally made me think more of the
Scandinavian people than I otherwise would have thought, and my heart
was often burdened that this glorious truth might be brought to them.
These thoughts I kept to myself, speaking only to God about the matter.
At last the burden became so heavy that I opened my heart to a minister
in whom I had very much confidence, and he told me that a year before
that time the Lord had clearly shown that I should go to Denmark with
the gospel.
Next I opened my heart to my parents. Naturally they felt sorry that I
should leave them, but in another sense they were glad to see me enter
the work of the Lord. The Lord had revealed to my mother the evening of
my conversion that I should preach the gospel, but she did not think
that my field of labor would be in a foreign country.
An older minister, who had for some time been thinking of going to
Scandinavia, asked me if it would not be possible for me to accompany
him; and when the matter was brought before the church, it was finally
decided that I should go. We sailed from New York Dec. 18, 1909, and
arrived in Denmark, Jan. 3, 1910. This brother and his wife stayed with
relatives, while I made my home with different people, some of them
unsaved; and the most disagreeable thing that I met at the beginning
was that I was often obliged to stay in homes where I knew I was not
welcome. But in all the trials and disappointments there was one thing
that especially encouraged and comforted me, and that was that I knew
God had sent me to Scandinavia.
I shall never forget the first time God gave me a little favor among
the people. An old gentleman expressed his desire to have me give my
testimony after the sermon. I was at that time unable to express my
thoughts in the Danish language, but in my heart I carried a very heavy
burden for the people. With this burden on my soul I arose, and the
feelings I could not express in words I expressed in tears. That evening
four souls came to the altar and were gloriously saved. From that time
on my services were in demand, and it was not long until a goodly number
sought the Lord in the meetings.
About a year from this time a Baptist minister asked me to come to his
town and hold a four days' meeting. After earnestly praying over the
matter I decided to break my engagement at another place (something I
do not do unless specially directed of the Lord) and to hold these
meetings. Instead of holding four meetings, I held one hundred and
thirty meetings, and about one hundred souls were gloriously saved.
There were a number of young men in the town who determined that they
would break up the meetings, but we asked them to come and take part in
the song-service, which generally commenced about a half hour before the
preaching-service. Often the stores would be closed early in order that
the people might be able to attend the meetings, and it was not long
until nearly all the young men of the town were sitting on the front
seats listening to the word with tears in their eyes.
An intoxicated man, who was sent out by a saloon-keeper to make
disturbance, attacked me in front of the congregation. A young man who
also was under the influence of liquor but who was in sympathy with the
work I was doing, stepped to my side and offered to defend me with his
fist. In anger he said to the other man, "I want to tell you that we are
not going to let you disturb =our= meetings." I tried to calm them, but
in spite of all I did, the man was unmercifully treated as soon as he
got outside by the people whose sympathies had been won by the gospel.