Pradheep Ayyanar
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HAPPY V'DAY
57 CENT
A little girl stood near a small church from
which she had been turned
away because it was "too crowded."
"I can't go to Sunday School," she
sobbed to the pastor as he walked
by.
Seeing her shabby, unkempt appearance, the
pastor guessed the reason
and, taking her by the hand, took her inside and found a place for
her
in the Sunday school class. The child was so
happy that they found room
for her, and she went to bed that night
thinking of the children who
have no place to worship Jesus Some two
years later, this child lay
dead in one of the poor tenement buildings.
Her parents called for the
kindhearted pastor who had befriended their daughter to handle the
final
arrangements As her poor little body was being
moved, a worn and
crumpled red purse was found which seemed to
have been rummag ed from
some trash dump
Inside was found 57 cents and a note,
scribbled in childish
handwriting, which read: "This is to help
build the little church bigger
so more children can go to Sunday
School."
For two years she had saved for this offering
of love. When the pastor
tearfully read that note, he knew instantly what he would do. Carrying
this note and the cracked, red pocketbook to the
pulpit, he told the story of her unselfish
love and devotion. He
challenged his deacons to get busy and raise enough money for the
larger
building.
But the story does not end there..
A newspaper learned of the story and published
It. It was read by a
wealthy realtor who offered them a parcel of land worth many
thousands.
When told that the church could not pay so
much, he offered to sell it
to the little church for 57 cents.
Church members made large donations. Checks
came from far and wide.
Within five years the little girl's gift had incre ased to
$250,000.00--a huge sum for that time (near the turn of the
century).
Her unselfish love had paid large dividends.
When you are in the city of Philadelphia
, look up Temple
Baptist
Church
, with a seating capacity of 3,300. And be sure to visit
Temple
University
, where thousands of students are educated.
>Have a look, too, at the Good Samaritan
Hospital and at a Sunday
>School building which houses hundreds of beautiful children,
built so
>that no child in the area will ever need
to be left outside during
>Sunday school time.
> In one of the rooms of this building may
be seen the picture of
>the sweet face of the little girl whose 57 cents, so
sacrificially
>saved, made such remarkable history.
Alongside of it is a portrait of
>her kind pastor, Dr. Russell H. Conwell,
author of the book, "Acres of
>Diamonds".
>
> This is a true story, which goes to show WHAT GOD CAN
DO WITH 57
>CENTS.
cheers
PRADHEEP