The meetings at second and Main went on until camp meeting time in May or June of 1907. They sent the colored man who had the mission before Sister Crawford came, to see if they could have the campground where he had held meeting each summer before at 12th and Division Streets. But the owner told him they were afraid their tongues of fire would set the trees on fire. So this thing had to be prayed through, and God softened the mans heart, and he let us have the grounds.
I wanted to camp on the grounds so badly, but had the three small children, and Esther was only a little past one year old. We also had a cow and some chickens on our hands. We didn't know what to do, but thought we might sell the cow and chickens if we could find someone to buy them. So I asked Sister Crawford and some of the workers to pray, and we got so many buyers for them that we hardly knew who to let have them. God wonderfully opened the way for us to camp, and I moved onto the grounds with my tent next to Sister Crawford, and another worker.
Now my next job was how would I keep the children from disturbing them. Sometimes when they were naughty we would have to punish them. But I kept a pillow handy, and if they started to cry too loud, I would push their head, the one who was crying, into the pillow to muffle the sound. I didn't know that Sister Crawford noticed it, but afterwards she used to laugh and say, I heard the spank, but I didn't hear the cry. What did you do with the cry? We had lots of fun talking over those days in later years.
Another job I had was the baby could walk, but didn't know enough to keep out of other people's tents. Sometimes she would come home with a hair-brush or something of that kind. So I got a long string and staked her out. This worked pretty well.
We had a most wonderful camp meeting. The rowdy element was strong, but the more they fought the more God seemed to work. We had a restaurant on the grounds with meals at 25 cents each. Some thought we should have things common and no price on the meals. So they decided to try it and threw the restaurant open for anyone to eat at, and put up a freewill offering box inside. We have had many a laugh about it since. It seems I can almost see those bachelors yet, who had been doing their own cooking, moving to the restaurant with their few cooking supplies as an offering. It seemed like nearly the whole camp started eating at the restaurant, but the offering box didn't fill up accordingly. So things didn't go so good. That was the last time we ever had an All things common restaurant.
They announced an all night prayer meeting one night on this campground, but it got so cold before morning we had to send to our tents and get some quilts to wrap up in. Brother Robbins came in on this campground. After camp meeting in the fall of 1907 we moved to a hall on First and Madison Streets. Sister Crawford had been called home to Los Angeles.
We stayed at First and Madison until camp meeting time in 1908. Then we moved to Mt. Tabor for our second camp meeting. I didn't see how I could possibly camp this time as John was a baby now, only about six months old. And with the four small children and all of that washing to do, it didn't seem possible for me to go. Besides it was a long way to move, and money was pretty scarce in those days, as my husband only got small wages about $65.00 per month. So we decided to go back and forth on the street cars.
We went out on the car for the opening Sunday, and one of the sisters came to me and said if I would move out, she would do my washing. Another sister said if I would come she would have her husband send his horse and buggy out to move us. As the Lord had opened the way, I packed up and was soon on the campground. After that I decided the Lord wanted us on the campgrounds unless He closed up the way. We had a wonderful camp meeting. There were some battles to be fought, it is true, but God gave us the victory. The rowdy element was terrible. One night they seemed determined to cut the tent down, and had about 22 ropes cut, and were cutting on one of the main guy ropes by the time they got them stopped.
Brother Osal was under the power receiving his baptism at the time. We had gasoline torches burning, and straw in the tabernacle, so it would have been quite serious if the tabernacle had fallen. But God saw to it that nothing of the kind happened. On the campground we also had another test – a severe case of smallpox broke out on the grounds and many were exposed. But through prevailing prayer God delivered again. Husband was going to work every day with the father of the girl who came down with them, but God protected us.
Brother Raymond was exposed and started to come down with them; he had a terrible fever. But they prayed for him and God healed him. This was before he was saved.
The mosquitoes were terrible on this campground, and as John was young and tender he was bit so badly he almost looked as though he had smallpox.
During this camp meeting the mission purchased our Gospel Wagon to carry the Gospel on the streets. It was drawn by a fine team of horses which were hired each time. I remember well when the first load left for street meetings. So many wanted to go that the wagon was loaded to capacity. We were sure proud of our wagon. I believe it cost $250.00. Brother and Sister Bell and four children came into the Gospel on this campground. Brother Bell was sick and had been sent from Canada to a sanatorium at the foot of Mt. Tabor hill the old Portland Sanatorium. He was out walking and soon discovered the camp meeting up on the hill. He was so taken up with it, and also received his healing that he sent for his family. They were soon all here living on the campgrounds. I believe all the family were saved during the camp meeting. And I believe it was one and one-half years later, two of the boys, Stanley and Alexander used to give some wonderful testimonies before he was taken away.
He was small and didn't look to be more than about 10 years old, but I think he was perhaps 13 or more. He sometimes would jump up on the altar and walk back and forth as he testified. On his deathbed, when asked about his soul, he said, The blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. (I John 1:7.) Some of the ministry were there when he passed away and heard this last testimony. And it meant so much to them as it was about the time so much of that false doctrine which was doing away with sanctification, the second, definite work of grace, was spreading over the country. Sister Edna (Hazel) Crawford was saved, sanctified, and received her baptism at Montavilla camp in 1909.
After camp meeting closed we moved to Front and Burnside Streets. We were so happy to have a new location for our mission, and this was ideal. Front and Burnside was our home until 1922 when we built our new mission at sixth and Burnside. Brother Raymond Crawford was saved on October 23, 1908 after we moved from the camp. He also preached his first sermon in this hall before it was enlarged the next fall. I was there and heard it. Brother Lesher came that first year, although he had been saved in Oakland, California, and had gone home to Colorado and moved his family to Portland.
Our next camp meeting was at Montavilla which lasted three months. It was another wonderful camp meeting. I believe that is where we had our first grocery store, and it was such a help to the saints. I moved onto the grounds with the four small children. I had my hands full, but he was still working for small wages and I had been so busy I didn't get much sewing done for myself before camp. One of the sisters had a sewing class for the children in their spare time, and they pieced quilt blocks that were later made into quilts for the ministry. Sister Crawford made the remark later, that she would have gone cold if it hadn't been for those quilts. Edna M. Hazel (now Mrs. Raymond R. Crawford) received her experiences here in July, 1909.)
Brother and Sister Holman had a room off the camp as he was not well. One night he was suffering so badly they got up about one or two o'clock in the night and went to the campgrounds where Brother Ray and Brother Robbins were tenting. Of course they apologized for disturbing them at that time of night. But the answer the boys gave them was they were always glad to get a lick at the devil. They prayed for Brother Holman then, and they asked Sister Holman to let them pray for her as she had been afflicted for something. She sat down on a chair just outside their tent, and they prayed for her and the Lord wonderfully healed her.
During this camp we hired a launch and went up the river to Ross Island for a baptismal service. It took 5 trips with the launch. We left from the foot of West Stark Street. Brother Blocher and Brother Clark were baptized there. We knew that the close of camp meant to move back to our hall which was already too small. We liked our location fine, so the next thing to do was to try and enlarge it. There was another hall next to ours in the same building about the same size as ours, but there was a fire wall about 1 foot thick between them, and it was not easy to get permission to take it out. But through prayer we obtained permission, and our hall was enlarged to about double its size, giving us a hall about 50 X 90 feet. We were proud of our new hall and moved in after camp meeting closed.
Somewhere near this time (I don't remember the date), we started an Apostolic Faith Day School for the children. We thought this would be wonderful, but things didn't always go so well. Sometimes the children that were not saved would get into trouble. And much time would have to be spent straightening things up. They finally decided to give up the school.
Our mission was often called The Lighthouse by the Bridge as many men who were on their way to commit suicide in the river would see the lights and come up to the mission and get saved.
Our next camp meeting was in 1910 at Fulton, right beside the Willamette River this made it handy for the baptismal service. On this campground our boy John, not yet three years old, was taken down with infantile paralysis (polio). It was only a short time until his legs were drawn back, his head drawn to one side, and his back all humped over. I had to carry and wheel him about. I took him to the tabernacle and the ministers prayed for him. He soon began to improve, and it was not long until he was as straight as ever. We surely praised the Lord for this, as so many children were left crippled from that disease.
Our next camp meeting in 1911 was at 11th and Division Streets, not far from our first camp meeting, only this was in the sun. I believe there were only two trees on the grounds, and these were by the restaurant. The saints decided they would be willing to camp out in the sun in order to get close in where they could reach more souls. It meant a good deal to the saints to go out there with no shade. Many of them sewed burlap coffee sacks together, and made flies for their tents.
On Saturday just before camp meeting was to open on Sunday, we received orders from the owners (we had rented from a second party) that we could hold our Sunday meetings, but that was all. We had an all night prayer meeting that night. I was waiting until Monday to move as it was the fourth of July, and my husband would be home to help me more. We hardly knew what to do after we heard about the orders from the owner of the grounds. The ministry planned to visit the owner on Monday to see what could be done. I mentioned moving to one of the workers place (who later went out of the gospel). The answer I received was I wouldn't advise any one to move. It meant so much to me to have my husband help me move as the children were all small. So we went ahead in faith and moved on Monday.
In the evening after we had moved, I met one of the ministers coming from the meeting they had held with the owner; and he threw his hand in the air, and such a smile on his face! We knew the Lord had undertaken, so we could stay on the grounds. I believe our baptismal service this camp was held near the Inman and Paulson Mill. Brother Blocher says he thinks there was also a baptismal service held in the same place in the winter of 1911 and 1912.
Our Mary was very sick during the camp, and it looked something like diphtheria. There were terrible white cankers in her mouth. But the Lord [undertook].
I believe that it was during this camp that everything got so dry that some one sent in a request for prayer for rain. The request was read, and the Lord answered prayer and sent the rain. Sister Crawford used to say that it nearly washed us off the campground. It was so hard that the tabernacle leaked like a sieve. We had to use our umbrellas in the tabernacle, and it was a sight.
We had been praying for the Lord to send us a buyer for our home in Sellwood so we could move downtown nearer the mission. During this camp one of our neighbors came to the camp to see us about buying the place. We soon made the deal, and after camp we moved to East 7th and Everett Streets a five room cottage that Sister Crawford had moved out of. We were so happy to get nearer the mission. After we moved into this house, it was a short time before the hall opened. Some of the saints wanted to have a prayer meeting, so we let them come to our house. Our front and middle rooms were both packed, and before we were through, two policemen came to the back door and asked us to be more quiet. So I thought best not to have any more prayer meetings there as the neighbors were so close.
Our next camp meeting in 1912 was at 18th and Holgate. Here is where we purchased a Federal truck for carrying the gospel. This was our first gospel car, and we thought it was wonderful. The workers made a trip up North to Tacoma, Washington, after camp meeting, holding meetings.
Mary, Paul, Esther and John were all baptized in the Willamette River near Inman & Paulson mill during the camp. After camp closed they moved the tabernacle down where the Benson School now stands, on 12th & Irving Streets, and held a three-week tent meeting. Little Sister Smith used to have a chair beside the platform, and as soon as meeting was over she would get a glass of water for the one who preached. She was later killed by an auto.
Our camp meeting in 1913 was held at Fulton again, the same place we had in 1910. The river was high this year, and had not gone down yet when it was time to start camp meeting. As the water was up over the place where we wanted to place the canvass tabernacle, we secured a spot above the railroad track for the tabernacle. Brother Rodman came into the gospel on this campground. Sister Crawford and the home folks lived in a house close to the campground. They kept the house for a while after camp meeting closed.
Our next camp meeting in 1914 was out at Alberta Street. Quite a number of the saints mentioned this camp as the place where they came into the Gospel. Brother and Sister Myers and Sister Chance, I believe, came in on this campground, or about that time. Maude Chandler came from Cincinnati, Ohio; it was her first camp meeting. She had been saved that spring.
After camp we went back to Front and Burnside for another wonderful winter campaign. Our camp meeting in 1915 was at Kenton. We had this campground for four years. I believe this was Brother William Paulson's first camp meeting. One summer on this campground, a little boy 10 years old wanted to be baptized, and as his folks didn't live near the camp, he started out among the neighbors near the camp (I don't know why he didn't ask the saints) to borrow some clothes. He happened to find someone who was friendly to the saints, so he got his clothes all right. The four years that we had these grounds reached over the period of World War I.
Our canvas tabernacle gave out, and as canvas was so high on account of the war, we built a temporary wooden tabernacle for 1918. Quite a number of our boys had been called to the colors. We had a Service Flag with quite a number of stars hanging in the tabernacle. Brother Bourcey died during this camp meeting, and the saints took his passing so hard. When they were told of his death in an afternoon service, it seemed as though nearly the whole tabernacle was filled with weeping. He had only been out of the services a few days. He had preached a funeral sermon of one of the saints children on Monday, and he died on Thursday,
He had a very large funeral. The funeral parlors were packed, and the whole place seemed like a mourners room.
In 1919 we had our camp meeting at Rose City. By this time we were able to get a canvas tabernacle, we had a wonderful camp meeting. Sister Crawford preached once to the children in their tabernacle. They were always so happy if Mother or Brother Raymond were there. Brother Raymond had a meeting with the children to talk to them about getting instruments and learning to play so they could start a children’s orchestra.
We gave out that Brother Raymond wanted to see them, but did not tell them what for. But they must have guessed for when he arrived, there was a homemade banjo lying on his chair. He thought it was quite a joke. When he spoke of instruments, one little boy got up and said he had a fiddle, but his mother said it was packed in a trunk in China. (His parents had been missionaries in China.)
The children were quite enthused and began to get instruments from then on, but they did not all stick to it long as they found it was more work than play. There were some however, who had the zeal to stick to it, and are playing in the large orchestra today.
The time came when it seemed harder and harder each year to find a suitable place for our camp meeting to be held, and also such a task to get a new campground ready in time for camp meeting. In the summer of 1920 the Lord laid it on the heart of our Brother Wm. Paulsen to buy the Woodstock grounds. We were all so happy over this. We fenced the grounds the first year, and I believe it was on Decoration Day that the saints gathered together to plant roses around the fence and on the grounds. Sister Crawford had told them that they could each bring a rose bush and plant it, and we were a happy crowd with our rose bushes. God surely has blessed us on this campground; and it has been such a help not to have to hunt and prepare a new ground each year.
I believe it was the first year on these grounds that we rented the Bluebird, a large barge that would carry 1000 people to take us to the baptismal service on Swan Island, but still it was overloaded. After this we usually went to the Columbia River on special streetcars until a number of years later in June 30, 1929 when we built the baptistery in our tabernacle. This was such a help and blessing as it would sometimes take 8 or 10 special cars besides the automobiles of the saints to take us all to the river.
In 1921 we built our permanent tabernacle and also improved the grounds more each year. We also built a permanent tabernacle for the Children's meeting.
We had many wonderful experiences that summer building the sixth and Burnside church. It was so blessed to see how the Lord took care of everything. It took about 10 loaves of bread a day which we used to get at a bakery near Morgan’s shop. One day we forgot and went without buying bread, but when we arrived at the shack there were 10 loaves of bread lying on the table, then we could see why the Lord let us forget it. Another time a sister was going to fix a meat roast. We told her we thought 10 pounds would be plenty, but the Lord laid it on her heart to fix 20 pounds instead; and that day there were about twice as many men as we had expected.
On another occasion the men were at the table eating, and the dishes were almost cleaned up. They were nearly through, only it seemed we needed something for them to finish off on. Just then I heard a knock at the door, and when I opened it there was one of the sisters with a large basket of cookies. We hurried and placed them into plates and put them on the table. It made such a nice finish for the men.
Also on another occasion during camp meeting, just as I was ready to leave the grounds with the food, a sister came to the car with three cans of canned salmon. I put it with the rest of the food, but you would almost wonder how you could use it for 70 or 80 men. But I believe it was that very day or soon after, when we thought the men had all eaten, and the meat was pretty well all cleaned up, that three or four men came in who had not had their dinner. We were surely glad that we had the salmon. It did our hearts good to see God’s hand in everything.
Brother Raymond laid the first brick, and his mother, Sister Crawford laid the last one only about six weeks apart. The Lord surely helped our secretary, Brother Bill Paulson, in engineering the building. I shall never forget how happy he was the day it passed inspection. He said he felt like throwing up his hat, and called us all to have our picture taken. The building was ready for dedication on August 27, 1922 in the fall, after camp meeting closed. The hall was full, and many extra chairs had to be carried in for the services.
Our camp meetings seemed to be more wonderful each year. Every year we made more improvements on the grounds. I believe the cottage on the campgrounds was built in the spring of 1924. The meetings were wonderful, and it was such a blessing to have our own grounds.
In the winter and spring of 1935 and 1936 a number of the saints were seriously sick. Sister Crawford, Brother Damron, Sister Samuels, and myself also Brother Mosee, had been seriously hurt. The Lord wonderfully healed Brother Mosee, and Sister Samuels was also healed. But the Lord took Brother Damron, Kendall Damron, Charles and Brother Forrest’s father, Home to his reward, on Easter morning. Then our founder, Sister Florence L. Crawford, went home on June 20th, 1936. It surely was a time of mourning for the saints. Sister Crawford’s funeral was held on the campgrounds on Wednesday, before the opening of camp meeting the next Sunday. This made it possible for many of the visiting saints to be there. Someone said the funeral procession was about three miles long.
I was out of the meetings at this time for one year and about four months. It was a little taste of heaven to see the saints when I did get out for a meeting at camp in 1937.
The children's tabernacle was enlarged before camp meeting in 1936, making it much more convenient for the children as it had been so crowded before.
In the spring of 1939 we decided to enlarge our tabernacle 18 feet on each side as the crowds were so large. This was a wonderful help, and seemed to improve the looks of the tabernacle. During camp meeting of 1939 we built our new printing plant at N.E. Sixth and Hassalo Street on the new property we had purchased in the spring near the Ministers’ home. The building was finished during camp meeting and has been such a blessing as the plant at Sixth and Burnside was overcrowded.
In the spring of 1940 our Children's tabernacle was enlarged again. Now we have a beautiful tabernacle for our Children's meetings. Our camp meeting in 1940 began on the 7th of July. We had a most wonderful camp meeting. I believe it was the best we ever had. My youngest of the children, John, and I were both able to go so the whole family could move onto the grounds. And we surely thanked God for the privilege.