. . .Occasionally she would ask him what the preacher had talked about at the service on the previous Sabbath, or to relate some particular thing that he had heard or read. He would not only be able to repeat, almost verbatim what he had heard or read, but to mimic the gestures of the speakers as well.

Possibly she and her aristocratic associates had been impressed with his mental vigor and been led to think that he might be utilized in some way in arousing an interest in church affairs. Possibly it may have been sympathy for him and the kindness of their hearts that prompted them to think of him in connection with their revival project. What they did was to get up a numerously signed petition to the bishop of the diocese, to appoint Niels to act as a lay preacher or exhorter—a kind of home missionary—to visit the members at their homes, hold semi-private services, etc., and to be paid a regular stipend therefor out of the funds they had collected. It could . . . Read More