Strange things happen in schoolrooms. This story concerns a group of girls who attended a school near the city of London, England. They were happy, busy, carefree girls who thought of very little else but having a good time.
One day they heard of a series of special gospel meetings being held in a large barn near the school. These meetings were held in the late afternoon, and so the girls decided, as a bit of adventure, that they would all attend right after school. After all, it would be something new to go to a service in a barn!
What a surprise they felt! Instead of a mournful dull sermon, they found a very happy and very earnest man, telling of a Saviour who loved and died for sinners. They also heard of the awful fate of those who spurned God’s offer of salvation. It turned out to be more than an adventure, and the girls walked slowly and solemnly to their homes. The next day they were back again after school, and that very day, three of the girls accepted the Lord Jesus as their Saviour. Soon more bieved and confessed the Lord as their own, and then the trouble began. When the girls told at home of the good news they had heard, and of how the Lord. Jesus had saved them, they found their parents were not at all happy about it. For although we live in a so-called Christian country, there are multitudes of people who go to church and have a fine Bible, but in their hearts they do not love Jesus—they actually despise Him and turn away from those that love Him.
And so it happened that the parents of these girls began to plan together how they could put an end to this foolish new and strange thing that was happening to their daughters. They wrote a note to the schoolmistress and asked her to give their daughters specially hard lessons, and then keep them in after school as a punishment. for failing to do them well. This worked just fine, and the girls were not able to get to the meetings for a few days. But God is over all things, and He loved those parents, and the schoolmistress as well.
A few days later, the girls were given harder lessons than ever, and when they were not done, they were locked in the school and were told they would be let out when the work was donePutting, the key in liee pocket, The schoolmistress walked slowly down the street—and then forgot all about the imprisoned girls!
The girls diligently finished their tasks and then waited for their teacher to return. They waited and waited, and kept looking out the window, and still no sign of her return. A passing scholar saw them’ at the window, and fearing there had been some mistake, she climbed up a ladder and opened the window. In no time at all, the girls were down the ladder, and hurrying toward the barn to hear the last half of the gospel message, for they knew they were late.
When they walked in, whom do you think they saw first of all? Their schoolmistress! Yes, God had been speaking to her conscience. In fact she was so worried, that I suppose that is why she forgot she had locked up her girls, until she saw them walk up the aisle of the barn meeting. At once, with tears in her eyes, she stood up and asked the girls to forgive her, and openly confessed the Lord Jesus as her own Saviour.
What a happy change it made in that school. The girls and their teacher became inseparable friends, and through their happy Christian lives, many in that district were led to the Lord Jesus.
My dear young reader, you may have tried to shut God out of your thoughts, and may even have tried to keep away anyone who would speak to you about Jesus. But as you read this paper, God is watching you with love and He wants you to come to Him and accept His Son, the Lord Jesus, as your own Saviour.
ML 06/10/1951