Life when school days were over

The fall after my first time at Trossach camp I stayed at my cousins Cecile & Harry Johnson's farm north of Parry Sask. We went to church in the area. The Johnson's took me into Regina where I spent time with the Pritchard family, she was the one who prayed with me at camp. They had been farmers at Morland Sask but had gone into Regina to pastor a small newly started church in the city. I had met their family at camp & their daughter Elsie had been my special friend at camp. I had also became a friend of Hazel for I really didn't know anyone but my relatives when I went to camp that year. Elsie & cousin Reatha took me to 3 church services a day. My first year as a camper we all had to get our straw ticks filled with straw at a near by
straw stack. There were free places to sleep in this dorm's sleeping quarters. I remember sleeping in a lower bunk with open screened window at my head. One year I shared a bunk with my cousins neighbour Lizzie Rasmussen & her 5 year old son Earl. The top bunk was for storage for our suit cases, if no one was sleeping on the top bunk. There was a place at the front of the bunks where we could wash up each morning before going for our meal at the dining hall. We had to fill our pitcher with water the night before at the water tank. We had a refreshing cool wash early in the morning for there was no sleeping in as we didn't want to miss the services.

Now about my time in Regina when I stayed with Pritchards, & attended the service I learned more about the Bible. Their family spent times of prayer for each service on their knees. Often each one in the family would pray aloud. I had noticed that Harry & Cecile had prayed on their knees each morning after breakfast. Mother had prayer with us at nights after dad was ill. I learned a lot as I attended these services. I had gone to a few prayer meetings with my friend Isabelle at Hazenmore so this was a deepening of my pray life to be with another praying family. I believe Cecile drove me back to Hazenmore after my time in Regina. She had spent time with me teaching me how to witiness to my friends about how I was born again spiritually when I had gone forward at camp. I had written letters back to my school friends in Hazenmore telling from scripture all about how I knew I was saved (born again). Cecile helped me find the Scriptures to put in these letters. The news went around even before I got home that Annie had gone crazy over religion. They were saying Annie was religious enough with my work in the United Church. I also had gone to the alter at camp 3 days after my salvation experience & was filled with the Holy spirit with the evidence of speaking in tongues. The day before I received this power, a former school teacher Miss Beck took me aside to showed me from the Bible that there was more for me. I could be able to have power to live & speak the Word of God to others. She asked me "do you want this power?" I said if she could show me from the Bible & in another place than the Book of Acts I would believe it was for me, so Miss Beck read to me in 1st Corinthians all about the gifts of the spirit also turned to many other verses. That night I went forward while several came & lay hands on me praying for me to be filled with the holy spirit. The next thing I remember I was laying on the straw at the alter speaking words I had not heard of a different language than English & a peace came into my inner being. I now was home in Hazenmore longing to share my experience with my friends in person. My school friend Isabelle was so happy for me as she had a salvation experience. She knew Jesus as her personal savior. Also was praying for me & there were others who were going to house meetings in country homes and were having a ministries in Kincaid come out for services in homes in the country. Mother was attending them. Mother told the group they could use our home for the services. That year I was home many people in town came to the services, Paul Haase was musical so lead the singing & Isabelle & I sang with him. He taught me to play a Hawaiian guitar, I took a few piano lessons from a elderly lady at her home I learned to cord with my left hand & she gave us a old pump organ to learn on. We would have more music in these services held in our home. My sister Clara came to me one evening & asked me to tell her how she could get saved? I used my Bible & showed how I had been born again, so we prayed. She was saved & on her way to heaven. I asked my brother Ralph one time when he gave his heart to Jesus. He said one day he asked mother how he could get saved like Annie & Clara. Mother lead her son Ralph to Jesus. Cliff went the next year to camp & when we stopped at Moose Jaw with some Christians a minister lead Cliff to the Lord. We had many good services in our home. My other class mates were nice to me but left for schooling in other cities. Our next door neigbour came often to the services. One school friend wrote me a letter saying on the out side "from satan hell." A few years later she
wrote me to say she was sorry about the letter, that she too had found the right way to
salvation.