Sannois, France, June 27, 1922.

Beloved Brother:-

I again thankfully acknowledge your precious gifts of literature and the monthly magazines. All of which are much appreciated.

I have been helping Mr. Brooks of Nantes to whom you also send literature. I have the oversight of two halls at Nantes and St. Nazaire for the evangelistic meetings, and we are encouraged by the increasing attendance. A few 1 believe have truly turned to the Lord. Two Catholic families have recently abandoned their "church," and come to all our meetings; one son has definitely come out on the Lord's side.

All this in the midst of the terrible world currents. Catholicism advancing with giant strides. Bolshevism rampant and Spiritism fast penetrating Protestantism. I enclose a little outline of the work here, which we send to interested friends.

We are situated about eight miles from Paris in a very Catholic district.

At first it seemed impossible to get in touch with the people living in the neighborhood until one of our workers in the house, Mile. Heldwein, conceived the idea to help the children with their education after school hours. She began by inviting one or two, but 12 came for the first lesson; it has increased to 30 children and young people.

Mile. Heldwein was soon able to introduce hymn-singing and then stories from the Bible. The next step was to include Sunday afternoon and a second Bible lesson. There have been moreover mixed meetings when the parents came and our room was filled. I cannot do better than translate a description of the work from Mile. Heldwein's own pen :-

"How do you repent?" I had wrestled in spirit some hours with the lad who asked this question, endeavoring to weed out and destroy all the absurd fables, and blasphemous notions which had been sown in his mind concerning God and the Creation. Several times he interrupted me in our reading of the book of Genesis by saying:"I prefer the explanation of my schoolmaster." Then after reflection he asked dubiously:"How do you know that God created the earth?"

Of the 30 children and young people with whom I have come in contact in this locality, only one among them can be considered as more than a nominal Catholic (that is to say who goes occasionally to church), and he is the lad I have just mentioned. The remainder had never heard speak of the Lord Jesus.

The first time I opened the Bible before them, their comments and their astonishment might have given me the impression that I was addressing children of a far away pagan land instead of some living within half-an-hour's distance from Paris.
When I asked, if they had ever heard anyone speak oi the Cross? With one voice they replied No!

These children evidently receive no other religious instruction than that which is given in their homes or at the day school, and the parents are utterly indifferent to this, although they pretend to have "their religion." As to the school influence, from a spiritual point of view it is deplorable.

One of the little ones asked me recently on seeing a picture of the child Samuel.

"What is that boy doing?"-He is kneeling.

"Why?"-To speak to God.

"Do you kneel to pray to God?"-Yes.

A few days later, a little hand reached for mine, and the child said:"I've done what you said!" and as she saw my puzzled expression, she continued:"You know! just like the little boy in the picture."

I grasped her meaning:So you knelt down ?

"Yes! and my little brother too, and we spoke to God, with our eyes shut."-What did you say to Him ?

The little one replied, fixing me with her big eyes, astonished :

"Why, nothing at all!"

One of the boys, 13 years of age, gave his perplexed comrade the following interpretation:The devil? It's just like a cat with mice; and the mice, its you and me.

At Christmas time I offered motto text cards and copies of the Gospels to all comers and I was curious to know what reception they had received from the parents.

The first door at which I knocked was that of a market gardener. The mother was preparing a sauce by the fire, whilst singing heartily:"Ecoutez les chants des anges" (Hear the angels sing). Upon the walls I recognized the texts, and upon the table the Gospel. I had similar experiences in all the homes. One mother confessed with tears that for 40 years she had not heard anyone speak of God. And she is a, Protestant!. . At the end of the third Bible lesson, the children, at their wits' end, asked me how I could know the history of the Lord Jesus after so many centuries ?

I showed them my Bible:Several of the class desired to touch it, and one remarked, in handling the volume with respect:"For such an old book it is very well

A few days later a youth related with some excitement that his father, to whom he repeated all I had been teaching, remembered he had stored away in an old box, a book of the same sort as my own; after much searching the Bible was recovered where it had been placed and forgotten for 30 years. The boy was very proud that his Bible contained exactly the same facts as the one in my possession.
A young girl 17 years of age, for many evenings was searching in the scriptures all the verses and chapters from which our lessons had been taken, when all in the house were asleep.

I have frequently been astonished at the rapidity with which these young ones understand the meaning of the Cross, and the necessity of the new birth.

Pray for these young people and little ones, for as soon as they seek the Saviour, the devil attacks with rage. We are in touch with from 60 to 70 persons in this suburb of Paris. May the seed sown spring up for His glory and an abundant harvest of souls.

My letter is already long but I must let you know that God has blessed the work in the gospel halls at Nantes and St. Nazaire throughout the winter.

It has meant stiff conflict for many of the young people to free themselves from the terrible entanglements of the world and the Satanic influences bearing upon them.

Praise God they have stood their ground, and give us joy by their growth in grace.

In the Nantes area within a radius of forty miles, every month, at the lowest estimate, 1,000 fairs and markets are held. It has been our joy to visit many of these to announce the precious gospel. Often we take a stand in the market, paying for our place in order to have the same right as others who sell their goods, or we mix with the cattle dealers and others, that out of a conversation we may develop an impromptu meeting. One day, at Nort, a young farmer gave me an opportunity by asserting that Bretons were all Christians.

I affected great surprise. Really? Do you mean, 1 queried, that these men and women who habitually blaspheme God's name, are followers of Jesus Christ? What more could you do against God if you worshiped the devil?

The men around us were listening and I endeavored to make clear to them that a religion which employed the sign of the cross to protect sin and the sinner, really encouraged evil, and it was not for such a purpose that the Son of God died on Calvary, but to take away sin, and have the believer to share in His life of holiness. I exposed the fact that men served themselves of a cross with a view to escape the righteous anger of God, instead of turning to a crucified Saviour to be delivered from the power of sin and Satan.

Following on these talks we distribute our Scripture portions and New Testaments.

At Ancenis Mr. Brooks and I were mistaken for two Catholic friars who were holding a mission in the town. The cross we exhibited, however, was by the placard text, John 3:16.

"Religion is for the old women and children," sneered a young fellow.-Quite right I answered. Come along, all you old people. Listen to the story of God's love to you; and they did listen !

I saw tears in the eyes of more than one, and it seemed as though they would have remained indefinitely under the sound of that message.
I commit these details to your hearts for prayer.

Dear brethren :- June 21st,1922.

From May 31st to the 15th inst. I enjoyed a good time with the Cabory Lake brethren, visiting also other points of interest. I did not find many new conversions, but was glad to see the believers' steady progress in the faith, and had much intercourse with them. Brother Aristides is working on the house, both soul and body, expecting to open it for meetings and for the school by the first days of August. We are thankful that the Lord has raised such a faithful and whole-hearted worker as this brother is,-a man of noble ancestry, very fine education, of a mild and humble spirit and thoroughly conversant. with the needs and ways of this our peculiar native people. In may days, for hours we have talked together of the wondrous ways our Father works in love, as illustrated in this brother's past and recent history:how he was led to trust in Christ after many years of marvelous preservation. So we are bound indeed to say, " Praise the Lord with us! "

With considerable labor, I have succeeded in ascertaining the address of some thirty brethren of the various denominations in Brazil who can read English fairly well; with each of whom I have begun some hopeful correspondence. All of them are men in charge of one or more "churches," with many believers under their influence. I am sending you their names and addresses, that you may have them on file; hoping the Lord will some day raise a steward to pay a subscription of "Help and Food" for them. I am also making a bold order of your pamphlets, having these brethren in view; having been deeply exercised before the Lord for spreading the Truth to them, which perhaps you can supply out of your "Free Tract Fund."

Your brother in Christ,

J. Penna Ribeiro.