At the end of last June I received a letter from a private. He writes: ―
“Perhaps you will be surprised to receive a letter from me; but I am sure you will excuse me. I got a New Testament while I was going up the lines to join my battalion, and when I looked inside I saw a little slip of paper, and on it the words. ‘If I can help you to Christ, write to me, Heyman Wreford, Exeter.’ So I am writing to you and asking for your help. I want to tell you about four of us in the trenches. We started a prayer meeting every night by ourselves in a little dug-out. One and another came in with us to pray, and what a world of good it did us. Now every night the meeting got bigger and bigger, until we had to sit outside the dug-out to get the men inside. Now, if you can spare a book or two on the Gospels we shall be very thankful, as a lot of us have no books. I should like you to write a letter for me to “read to the men, something that will help us to keep our faith in the Lord.”
I wrote him a letter and sent him some books, among them being a volume” of Victoria Hall Addresses. A fortnight after I got the following letter: ―
“I now take the pleasure once again to write you. I thank you for your kind gift of the books to read to the men in the trenches. Well, sir, I am glad to say that one of your addresses is read every night at our little meetings.... The book that you sent me is doing more than I ever hoped for. If you could only see the men in the trenches when it is being read I am sure it would do your heart good. They all want to read it themselves, and they shall I feel it is bringing happiness to them, and putting faith into them. I wish you could hear some of the prayers the men put up. It is great, and we know the Lord hears and answers. Oh! how happy I am when I think of the wonderful love of God and the wonderful way He has in bringing men to His side. I thank God when He put that little Testament into my hands by one of His good workers. Little did I think when I had it, when I was coming up the line, the good it has done, not only for myself alone but for others also. All the men ask me how I came to receive the book from you, and then I tell them the wonderful way it came. If you could only send me some more books to give away to the men I will be thankful. Time hangs heavy sometimes when we are off duty, and a little book is good to read when we cannot get to sleep.”
Are you not glad, dear friends, that you are doing something to help these dear men in the trenches? I only wish I could send to hundreds more of these brave fellows to help to cheer them and to lead them to God.
Dear friends, I have brought the need before you in these touching letters. My dear fellow workers are longing with me to do more for the soldiers and sailors now.
We want thousands of Gospels and Testaments.
We want 10,000 “Message from God” each month.
We want 10,000 “How Can I Be Saved?”
We want as many books and tracts and magazines as you can send.
We want Bibles, Testaments, not too worn, to send to the hospitals, etc., in French and English.
We want writing pads and envelopes and pencils for the men to write home, and lavender bags with texts for the hospitals.
We want the means to send these hundreds of parcels away.
Above all, we want your loving prayers that God will continue to bless this service done entirely for Him.