God

Who was the first person to talk to you about God? What effect did this have on you?

Both of my parents took quite seriously their responsibility of training us in basic Christian beliefs. Family prayer was an integral part of our daily life. We had family devotions twice a day, and our parents took us to church twice on Sunday, to prayer meetings on Wednesday, and to revival services every night during protracted meetings - sometimes 2 or 3 weeks long, and occasionally as long as six weeks.

We were introduced to Wesleyan theology as soon as we could begin to understand spiritual matters. Consequently the Lord saved me when I was five years old, and sanctified me when I was 12 (Dec. 21, 1930)

The clear concept of God's love and holiness created in me a strong desire to be like Him and a wholesome vision of my own evangelistic responsibilities. Such spiritual preparation made it natural for me to say a joyful "YES!" when God called me as a missionary to Guatemala.

Memory of Grandparents

Share a memory of your grandparents or an older person you loved

I loved Grandma Kendall and Grandpa Bond, and admired them, but early in life I sensed a special attachment to my Aunt Frances, a sister of my father. Grandpa Kendall had died when my father was only four years old. Aunt Frances took a role of mother - father- aunt, and more. She took responsibility at home but earned the family income as an outstanding public school teacher. People in Cynthiana, Ohio recognized her skill and admired her. After she had taught for several years the local politicians tried to force her to vote in favor of their candidates. Aunt Frances was willing to lose her teaching job (25 years of first -class service) rather than yield to unethical political pressure. But God supplied her needs. She continued to care for her invalid mother and for other members of the family who came to her for help. She was very active in her church (Church of Christ in Christian Union). The church folk and all the rest of us admired and loved her. She was Christlike.

Important Life Lessons

Recall some of the most important lessons you have learned in life.

1. It pays to serve Jesus.

2. A life of holiness radiates the love of God. It is not basically a life of legalism, even though obedience to the divine will is absolutely necessary.

3.Love produces obedience, The fruit of the Spirit is love, and this fruit is manifested in every level of our relationships with others.

4. God is always just. There are periods in our lives when we can't understand why He is permitting disappointments, suffering ,bereavement, or losses But as we look back on these experiences, little by little we discover that our hardships have been ingredients in making us more than conquerors through Him who loves us.

Memories of the Siblings

List one special memory about each of your brothers and sisters.

Lois had a great sense of humor. At Olivet she was involved in quite a series of pranks despite the fact that she was an A student. One of these occurred when she had turned a somersault in front of a gang of boys when she was not properly dressed for such an act. (I think they had dared her!) The dean of women was looking out the window and saw her, so punished her by making her stay in her room that evening, while the rest of us went to a concert in the chapel. Lois decided to have fun in her own way. She took a pan of hard biscuits we students had refused to eat for supper, stationed herself at the right window and pelted the couples as they walked by in best dress en rout to the concert. Miss Sinkhorn easily guessed who had rained the biscuits . She didn't accuse Lois. She simply asked her to clean up the mess. Lois obeyed, but wrapped up the broken biscuits and made the package into a gift wrap and deposited this on Esta Sinkhorn's desk.

Grandparent's Houses

Describe your grandparents' houses. Did you visit them often? Why or why not?

Grandpa Bond, my mother's dad, lived in Bainbridge, Ohio, a small town. My Grandmother Alpharetta Crook Bond, had died when Mother was only 13 years old. So he had married Clara, whom we called Aunt Clara, instead of Grandma. We had a lot of fun playing with Harold, their son (my half uncle), who was just a few years older than I. He was a big tease. We liked his dog, Ring, and were fond of the yellow apples that fell off the trees in Grandpa's yard.

Mary Sparger Kendall was my dad's mother. His father had died when my dad was a very small child. She and my dad's sister, Frances, lived in Cynthiana, Ohio, a small town not far from Bainbridge. Her home had been a log cabin but was covered with regular lumber siding. We visited Grandpa Bond, then would go to Grandma Kendall's every summer. We enjoyed the train trips on the old D.T. and I. that took us to that area once a year

Home

Where was your childhood home located? Did you enjoy living there?

At 233 S. Woodward Ave. in Dayton, Ohio. I did enjoy our home on Woodward. Dad kept the yard in first-class condition, so that we kids were proud of our home. We had a garden, 2 cherry trees, 2 grape vines, bleeding hearts, lilies of the valley, violets, spirea, gooseberries and other interesting plants. Our big cherry tree near the back of the house produced delicious crops of dark cherries, which Mother canned.

I liked our neighborhood because people were friendly. No TV and no air conditioners were a blessing, for this lack gave us access to talkative friends who sat in their swings on the front porch and communicated with us as we went skating up and down the sidewalk. Slorpes, Upsons, two Smith families, Boyers, Beanblossoms, Satterthwats, Hunters, Cabbages, and others seemed like family members, as well as good neighbors. They were special.

Childhood Prayers

What kind of prayer did you say before you went to sleep? Who taught you how to pray it?

Mother taught me how to pray. And we would have family devotions before going to bed. We kids were glad to prolong the day, so did not resent that time of Bible reading and prayer.

I recall that my good-night prayers ended with a missionary emphasis:"Lord, bless the people in India, Africa, Korea and the islands of the sea". I don't know whether my parents taught me a specific prayer, or whether I was allowed to form my own Obviously, I had absorbed some of the missionary vision that characterized my mother's prayers.

Who knows? Perhaps those good-night prayers were preparing me for the glad "yes" in my heart when God said, "I want you in Guatemala."

Living Room

Describe what the family living room looked like when you were a child.

The living room was furnished with simplicity. In one corner was the library table. It had open ends which Mother filled with neat stacks of books and magazines. In the center of the table was a pretty dark green cut glass vase which we kept filled with cut flowers during the months when our flowers were in bloom. Instead of a sofa, we had a cot across from the library table. One of us would sleep on that cot when we had overnight guests. The chairs were very plain. So was the rug. But we had guests quite frequently and entertained them joyfully in that small room. The two windows of the living room were graced by lace curtains that had to be placed on curtain stretchers when they were washed.

Mother's Activities

How did your mother spend her day? Did she have a job or do volunteer work outside the home?

Mother spent her day in service to others. She was a good homemaker, a good cook, a willing entertainer and a wise parent. She took very seriously her walk with Christ. She had her daily communication with the Lord in her bedroom. We children could hear her interceding for the lost. She had family prayer with us. My dad was in charge of evening family prayers and mother took charge in the morning. She was creative and even used drama at times to make the Word of God come alive for us.

Mother did not work outside our home unless she was visiting the sick or doing volunteer services for the Lord. She served as director of the junior department in the Sunday School and as study chairman in the missionary society. Children and missions were very important to her.

Father's Employment

Where did your father go to work every day and what did he do?

My father worked as a guard at Delco Products. When the Depression came , he suffered the grief of unemployment, but determined that he would support his family and keep up his payments on our home. Many workers during that period turned to the government for support, but my parents preferred to bake bread and sell it from door to door. We girls helped with the sales ($0.10 per loaf). Mom and Dad would often get up at 2:00 A.M. to do their baking.

Dad returned to Delco after the worst part of the Depression had passed. But he took on a second job when we started our studies at Olivet Nazarene College. He became our church custodian and did such a thorough job of maintaining the church clean and beautiful that pastors of other churches said they were jealous of our pastor!

First Time to Church

When did you first go to church? What are your earliest memories of church?

All during the 9 months that my mother carried me before my birth, I was taken quite frequently to the First Church of the Nazarene in Dayton, Ohio, a small church located on Williams St.

I enjoyed the ministry of the Trissels, the Butts and the Palmers during my first years in Sunday School. They really loved us.

One of my favorite church friends was Brother Sanderson. He showed a lively interest in small children. He called us three sisters "Walker," "Talker" and "Squawker."

I learned very early that I was to remain silent and attentive during the church services. When I didn't, my father had strong means of reminding me of my responsibility! I enjoyed the church music, endured lengthy sermons and very early took active part in the altar services, either as a seeker or as an intercessor for others. I loved my church.

Dedicated or Baptized?

Were you baptized or dedicated as an infant? If so, where and by whom?

I was baptized as a small child, then chose to be baptized again in Wolf Creek when I was about 12 years of age. I think Rev. Henry was the one who baptized me when I was a baby. Our family deeply appreciated his ministry.

Of course, the baptism in Wolf Creek meant a great deal to me, because it was a public testimony to unsaved folk who gathered around our church group and watched with curiosity as we were dipped in that creek. I think that a few of my school friends were among those who stood apart from us and watched and learned. Pastor A. H. Perry baptized me. He was a solid Christian, and excellent teacher of the Word, and a caring pastor. He could quote Adam Clarke almost as well as he quoted the Bible.

Childhood Bedroom

Describe your childhood bedroom. What was the view from your window?

We three girls slept in the bedroom next to the attic. Lois and I occupied a double bed, and Esther had a single bed on the other side of the room. One window faced the brick house next door, where the Slorps lived downstairs and the Upsons lived upstairs. Lilies of the valley grew snuggled against the house directly below this window. The front window bordered on the roof over our front porch. We could see the Hunters', Smiths,' Boyers and other neighbors' homes across the street and could watch the train that chugged by on the track just beyond the Slorps' house.

My bedside was the place where I would kneel after returning from school in the afternoon. That was a sacred spot where I talked things over with the Lord. I needed that communication, because my school friends were critical of my walk with Christ.

About My Name

Who gave you your name and why? Did you have a family nickname? How did you get it?

My Christian parents preferred Bible names, so named me Eunice Ruth. We used nicknames for some of our friends but respected family names and held to them.

However, the new generation took great delight in assigning nicknames. Joyce and David especially had to endure the creative names assigned to them by older siblings. "Tamale feet" was a favorite and was used enough to make Joyce wonder if her feet really resembled tamales.

And I myself didn't totally escape the nicknames. Some of my students in our seminary in San Antonio called me "Faraona" (feminine form of Faraon= Pharaoh). Of course, this was mentioned behind my back, but the reporters gave me the news with obvious glee.

Childhood Pastimes

What was your favorite pastime as a child? Did you prefer doing it alone or with someone else?
I loved to swing in the old porch swing that was attached to the hackberry tree at the back of our yard. Sometimes I would enjoy swinging with my sisters. Other times I liked swinging alone and making that old toy go as high as possible. I could use my imagination and pretend that I was really going places.

I also enjoyed junior church and felt very important when Thelma Butts or some other leader would ask me to play the organ and accompany the other children as we sang.
Going to Grandma Kendall's home in Cynthiana, riding a train to Bainbridge and visiting Grandpa Bond en route, eating Aunt Frances' sugar cookies, enjoying the flowers in her garden and the swing in her wood shed, picking blackberries for mother to can, taking a walk on a sandy road near Grandma Kendall's; all these and more were favorite pastimes when I was a child.

My Favorites

Flower* Rose
Perfume* Evening in Paris
Color *pink
Hymn or song* “Amazing Grace”
Book *The Bible
Authors *inspired by the Holy Spirit, (John and Paul - favorites)
Bible verse *John 3:16
Dessert* Chocolate ice cream
Vacation spot* Guatemala
Type of food* Black Cherries
Sport* Anagrams
Leisure activity *Reading Theology