A Letter To My Friends
November was a month that will be remembered at our house. There were days of tension and toil, and weeks of anxiety and distress. After some five weeks in the Scott & White Hospital & Clinic at Temple, Texas, Mrs. Wallace is home again in Oklahoma City and well on the way to recovery, and we hope, good health.
Hundreds of cards, letters and inquiries, impossible to answer, were received, all of which were and are still deeply and devoutly appreciated.
It will not be considered ungrateful to the Providence that has preserved us for me to mention disappointments. Thinking that Mrs. Wallace had passed her crisis I went to a meeting with the Irvington church in Indianapolis, five days late, which Brother C. G. Caldwell, their preacher, was holding until I could arrive. I was able to stay only three days, being called back to Temple on account of a backset and some unexpected complications in Mrs. Wallace's condition. My personal friend, W. R. Elder, of Indianapolis, and his brother, J. L. Elder, who is an elder in the church at Jacksonville, Fla., also my friend, accompanied me on that trip and were of much assistance and consolation. Such a deep personal interest in a time of anxiety is not a thing to be forgotten. And I shall always appreciate the kindness, patience and forbearance of Brother Caldwell and the elders of the Irvington church in my attempts but failures in meeting the demands of their meeting.
It was also necessary for the meeting with Brother A. B. Keenan and the Fairview church in Detroit, Michigan, to be cancelled. Extensive preparations had been made for this meeting all over the Detroit area and I regret beyond expression the disappointment that occurred. I shall hope to make good my engagements with both of these churches before very long, if it is their will and the Lord's. With me, such experiences serve to bring us closer together in the Lord.
During the several weeks' absence from the Tenth & Francis church, in Oklahoma City, the elders called upon Brother R. L. Whiteside, of Denton, Texas, to do the preaching in several services each week and in teaching various classes. His work was appreciated, and Brother Whiteside formed lasting friendships in Oklahoma City. Other churches would do well to use him more and avail themselves of his ripe Bible knowledge.
The time at Temple afforded me the opportunity to visit with my brother, Cled E. Wallace, a thing I need to do more often, and also to see my father, who now lives and preaches at San Marcos, Texas. So according to the proverb, it is an ill wind that blows no good.
I will be at home for a while, preaching with the Tenth & Francis church, until they have had time to complete arrangements for a permanent local preacher. I shall always claim the distinction of being one of their preachers—to me, a rare distinction, for I do not believe there is a better church in all the land than the Tenth & Francis church in Oklahoma City. But soon I must resume my work in meetings—a waiting work in a wide harvest field.
With a feeling of deep appreciation to you all, I am, faithfully and fervently yours,