My first sermon to the Wild Indians was preached on Sunday July 24, 1877. It was preached through the medium of four interpreters. I spoke in English, the wild Indian interpreter put it into Comanche, a Waco chief put it into the Wichita language from the Comanche, another interpreter spoke it in Caddo and still another one in Delaware, and yet some were present who could not understand. The arbor was filled with parts of about six different tribes. They came painted as usual and sat for about four hours, and gave good attention. They would laugh, in a quiet way, when anything in the discourse struck them as being ludicrous, and they responded with a startling Wah! when they approved. I tried to give them an outline of Bible history, and dwelt briefly upon the fall, emphasized the consequent depravity and necessity for a clean heart. I lingered on the birth, death, and resurrection, and ascension of Christ. It was all strange to them. Their association of ideas is so different from ours, e.g. they laughed when told that the chief priests bribed the soldiers to lie about the resurrection. I found out afterwards why I had such a crowd and why they listened with such respect. They received the impression somehow that their great father Washington sent us with government authority to tell them of the Great Spirit. Their food and blankets came from Washington (as they call the United States Government,) and all the white men that have yet come to talk, to them have been government agents or commissioners and it was altogether a natural supposition. I can but hope that the talks I gave them may prove to be the good seed sown on good ground and that it may yield its fruit in its season.
Wewoka, Indian Territory (Oklahoma Territory) - A. J. Holt.
____________ From the September 8, 1877 issue of The Baptist: "Eld. A. J. Holt will shortly move from Wewoka, Indian Territory, to the Wichita Agency to prosecute his missionary labors among the wild tribes."
=========== {From The Baptist newspaper, August 18, 1877. Scanned and formatted by Jim Duvall.]
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