SPRING 1920 SWITZERLAND
Announcement published in Confidence, p.
12 January-March 1920
Brother Smith Wigglesworth, (of 70, Victor
Road, Bradford) is proceeding to Switzerland. He holds meetings
for ten days (From January 31st) at Berne. His address will
be - care of Anton B. Reuss, Chalet Rambolz, Goldiwil ob.
Thun, Switzerland. Then more meetings at Thun.
* * *
Report published in Confidence, p. 19-21 April-June 1920
Bro. Smith Wigglesworth’s Visit. Graphic Letter from
Mr. Anton Reuss.
MARVELLOUS MEETINGS.
My very dear Mr. and Mrs. Boddy,
It is some little time since I last had the
pleasure of writing you. I first wrote Bro. Smith Wigglesworth
at your address, for I had forgotten his. Thank you for sending
on my letter.
Before I begin to let you know how the Lord
blessed our brother here in Bern and Thun, let me thank you
for having always encouraged Bro. Smith Wigglesworth to come
to us as he told me, for the enemy tried all ways and means
to prevent him coming to us. Some one who ought to have known
better told Bro. Smith Wigglesworth that “If you go
to Switzerland now you will not get enough to eat!”
We did our best to feed him up with our best, so that he exclaimed
“You are determined that before I leave I shall have
to go out of the door sideways in order to be able to get
out at all!” Another well-meaning friend said “If
you go to Switzerland now you will suffer from cold!”
Well, we have not had a cold day since he has been here, and
if we had we could have found ways and means to have heated
the rooms and halls, etc. The enemy tried and failed to keep
our brother in England.
I met Bro. Smith Wigglesworth at Neuchâtel Station on
Saturday, the 31st January, and we had a slow but comfortable
journey to Bern, where he stayed with me and my wife at the
house of a sister, who is one of the mainsprings of our work,
Sister Wüthrich.
Castle at Neuchâtel
AT BERN.
I had taken the hall in the Casino, Bern,
for our first Sunday meetings, as I rather expected a crowd
of friends, but the crowd did not turn up until Sunday, February
8th, when afternoon and evening the hall was crowded. The
meetings, as you know, began in Bern on the 1st and continued
until the 10th February. As fast as our brother became known
(and the healings too, for we had many healings) the people
began to come in crowds. Every morning from 10 till 12 o’clock
we had prayer meetings - entrance only by card, as we wanted
to keep the curious and opposers to the speaking in tongues
out - and we had many blessed meetings. It was not an uncommon
sight to see several people laying full length stretched out
on the floor perfectly unconscious to anything and everything
around them as our brother continued his preaching, for the
Holy Ghost had begun to fall upon them, and they were there,
the slain, so to speak, of the Lord. Several definitely received,
but there were so many seekers that we had to have special
waiting meetings every afternoon, where our friends were packed
in like herrings in their anxiety to receive blessing.
Healings continued the whole ten days, and
often from 10 o’clock till 11.30 p.m. at night our brother
was anointing and dealing with the sick, who had to come up
in rotation, having first stated in German the nature of the
ailments, which I interpreted to him in English. We had two
excellent interpreters, a Bro. Steiner from St. Gallen, and
a Sister Kummer from Zürich, whom I think you met in
Labilliere’s time. Scores, I can faithfully say, were
healed, the unsaved saved, and Christians stirred, sanctified,
and several baptised. We had ministers and preachers come
both from German and French Switzerland. So many calls came
to our brother to come and visit the sick in Bern, which,
of course, was impossible, that at last, as these dear people
implored me to bring him to them to see a son, a father, etc.,
I said “Pay my taxi, and I will bring him.” This
was the beginning of events, for after that, for two whole
afternoons, Bro. Smith Wigglesworth and I hurried all over
Bern in a taxi visiting the sick, whom he could not possibly
have visited otherwise.
It may interest you to know that dear Mme.
Gaullieur, who received her baptism in Sunderland on the same
day as I, August 22nd, 1908, but who had only once since spoken
in tongues, again spoke and continues to speak. Her maid also
received the Baptism and spoke in tongues. To God be the glory!
The meetings lasted ten days in Bern, and
on the last evening, Tuesday, we had a missionary meeting,
the proceeds to go to the P.M.U., London, and the Congo Mission,
in which Bro. Smith Wigglesworth’s daughter is interested.
Well, the Lord gave our brother the word, and the friends
in Bern had been so blessed and interested that they raised
the fine sum of frs. 2,100, which amount was subsequently
raised to frs. 2,800, more than £100.
If you ask me what the people thought of
Bro. Smith Wigglesworth and his methods, I will only say that
my friends who are in a position to judge say that Bern has
never seen anything like it. It was completely stirred, and
the enquiries were so many, also the requests that Bro. Smith
Wigglesworth should again come to Bern, that I feel sure the
biggest hall in Bern will not be too big for him, should the
Lord graciously send him to us again in the near future.
A YORKSHIREMAN.
But what of Bro. Smith Wigglesworth? Well,
we are all agreed that he is one who has been very specially
blessed of God. Before he came I told my people that I rather
believed Bro. Smith Wigglesworth to be an apostle who had
apostolic power, and we can say that what we experienced was
in a very marked measure apostolic, in spite of the times
in which we are living of indifference and unbelief. Bro.
Smith Wigglesworth’s language, which had a delightful
Yorkshire touch when he is in the natural, is not always good
English, but when he is under the power of the Spirit his
tongues are glorious! The interpretation of the same majestic!!
and the English perfect!!! We have never seen anything to
equal it in Pentecostal circles in Switzerland.
Swiss street scene
Many of our brethren in Switzerland and Germany
are greatly taken up with visions and prophecies, but Bro.
Smith Wigglesworth brought us the Word of God, which the Holy
Ghost especially emphasised by these powerful utterances in
tongues and interpretation. Bro. Smith Wigglesworth is very
humble, and the naive way in which he told us that he could
not read before he was 23 years old, and that his wife taught
him, moved many, and led us to magnify the Lord, who chose
fishermen and other working people to be His representatives
when He left the earth. When he is in the natural, which is
not often, one sees the humble origin, the imperfect education,
the man of the people; but when in the Spirit one is conscious
of the presence of Someone else who is altogether lovely.
Bro. Smith Wigglesworth’s great strength is his humility
and his love for Jesus, and longing that He alone should have
all the glory.
We began at Thun on Wednesday, the 11th, and continued for
six days, the meetings being larger every night. We had morning
meetings of waiting upon God in my chalet, of which I enclose
you a postcard. I need not say how it would delight us to
see you and dear Mrs. Boddy out here for your holiday. It
would do her a lot of good. Well, the meetings increased so
through the many healings, that I was forced to take the largest
place in the town in the Hotel Fresenhof. It holds, they tell
me, 800 people. Well, we had quite 600 on Sunday afternoon,
and again on Monday evening, our last night. Scores and scores
were healed, I can faithfully say, and, what is astounding
to us and our opposers, so many unsaved were healed.
A preacher came to Sister Wüthrich and said, “Can
you help me to understand why in Bro. Smith Wigglesworth’s
meetings so many unsaved were healed? I myself brought a very
dear young child of God to his meetings in the hope of her
being healed. Many unsaved were healed, but not she. How do
you explain it?” She quietly replied, “The unbelief
of God’s people.”
We had about 30 visitors from Lausanne, French
Switzerland, and from all over Switzerland people wrote and
came to the meetings. If they had only continued longer in
Thun I verily believe we should have had a revival, and this
is the feeling of many to whom I have spoken in Thun. Naturally
the enemy was not going to take it lying down, so he set his
satellites to work, who accused me of making money out of
these healings. It is true that in many cases my wife and
I were offered money by the grateful sufferers who had been
healed, but we always naturally refused. Some would receive
no refusal, and these left us 28 francs all told for the poor,
which we shall gratefully distribute. But on the Saturday
morning when Bro. Smith Wigglesworth left I wanted to accompany
him to Liyem, when we were to meet my brother-in-law, R. Ruff,
of Zürich, I had to go before the Police Inspector in
Thun to give an account of my doings in respect of taking
money from the healed. I went with another brother-in-law,
J. Nievergelt, an engineer in Schaffhausen, and after I had
denied the charges my brother-in-law gave the inspector to
understand in his own vernacular that this was a put-up job.
The inspector was very nice as soon as he saw there was no
truth in the charge.
Bro. Smith Wigglesworth left here to preach
in Zürich, where I went to support him, and also in St.
Gallen. He returns via Basel n the 2nd inst., but he tells
me he is invited to Chèxbres (Vaud), French Switzerland,
for the 16th March, for a week’s convention. He returns
from Bradford for this week. If he were to return again I
believe the Lord would use him to move Switzerland, for, as
I say, we have not seen anything like this in Switzerland
since the Latter Rain began to fail in 1906 and 1907.
I feel I have written you a long enough letter
to enable you to judge by the details that our Bro. Smith
Wigglesworth’s visit to us here has been signally blessed
of God. I verily believe that many pastors and preachers,
far more highly educated than our brother, have been forced
to ask themselves how it is that this dear brother has so
much more power and acceptance with the people than they have,
for signs and wonders do so naturally follow his ministry.
His coming brought us a little bit of old
England and of Sunderland, as I heard Bro. Smith Wigglesworth
preach at Sunderland, which has always had a very warm place
in my heart, and should the Lord open the way for me to come
to England this year, I will certainly take the opportunity
of coming to see you and dear Mrs. Boddy, for I never forget
it was at Sunderland God began first to really bless me at
a time in my life when I needed His blessing. Good-bye, dear
Mr. and Mrs. Boddy. By the time you receive this Bro. Smith
Wigglesworth will be with you and be able relate more of his
experiences to you.
With Christian love
Yours affectionately in Him
ANTON B. REUSS
* * *
Chalet Ramholz
Goidiwil, ob. Thun,
Switzerland.
28th Feb., 1920
Bro. Wigglesworth (70, Victor Road. Bradford,
Yorks.) writes that he received for Foreign Missions whilst
in Switzerland £303. The amounts devoted to P.M.U. are
recorded in our list at the end of this paper. The balance
was given to the Congo work as represented by Bro. Salter.
* * *
Report published in Redemption Tidings, p. 3 February 24,
1939
PENTECOST IN SWITZERLAND
Report of a visit by Smith Wigglesworth to
Switzerland in 1920 found in a pen sketch of Pentecostal history
in Switzerland by Lester Sumrall.
The year 1920 marked another memorial page in the Swiss book
of Pentecost. Our beloved Brother Wigglesworth came to them
with Apostolic blessing. As he moved from city to city, mighty
miracles were witnessed by the power of Jesus’
Name.
Lester Sumrall
Great crowds gathered to hear the unique
messenger and see the wonders of God made manifest in our
generation. The fruit of our brother’s ministry is seen
in the nine Assemblies still remaining, brought into being
by his visits. Also, there are still men and women in the
respective Assemblies who received and have retained healing
under his anointed ministry.
This season of revival gave
NEW IMPETUS TO THE WORK.
Inspiration and faith increased in the hearts
of those who heard him, and resulted in a general benediction
upon the entire Movement.
* * *
Report published in Pentecostal Evangel, p. 15 April 17,
1920
GOD BLESSING IN SWITZERLAND
Bro. Wigglesworth was at Sion College on
Friday night, and told of his recent trip to Switzerland.
He reported that the Spirit worked in a wonderful way upon
the multitudes. He said he was at a disadvantage in not knowing
the German language that is mostly spoken there, but he could
watch the Spirit of God brooding over the people as he spoke
through an-interpreter. He went to several towns, one of which
was Zurich.
Official building at Zurich
On one occasion a woman with a cancer on
her nose and upper part of her face came forward to be prayed
with and he got her to stand right in front of the people
and said to them, “Look at her. She will be here tomorrow
night and you will see what God has done for her.” He
prayed and she left the meeting. The next night she attended
the meeting and it was seen that the cancer had gone and there
was a new skin on her face. There was another case of a young
woman whose face was in a terrible condition through some
disease she had contracted. She was prayed for and the next
day appeared with a perfectly clean face and the new skin
had a brilliant appearance.
A young man came to the meetings to ridicule,
but he appeared to be struck dumb, for he could not speak.
The brother commanded the demon to come out of him and his
tongue was loosed. At another meeting three insane people
were sent and put in the front row with a view to creating
a tumult, but the brother had discernment, and in the name
of Jesus commanded the demons to keep quiet and there was
no further trouble. Souls were saved and bodies healed at
every meeting and in many instances baptized in the Holy Ghost,
with a bursting out in other tongues.
Of course the devil was very angry at the success and the
medical men in one town applied to the Magistrates for the
brother’s arrest, but God frustrated them and the devil
was checkmated.
A child was brought to one meeting very ill.
The doctors said the sickness had to do with the head. Bro.
W. was shown by the Spirit it was the stomach, and as he laid
hands on the stomach and prayed, a worm, sixteen inches long,
came out of the child’s mouth.
Large building in Zurich
He told the people of Switzerland about the
Pentecostal work amongst the heathen, and when collections
were made, he was able to bring back to England three hundred
pounds. Many offered themselves.
Pray for our brother that he may be kept faithful. One brother
prays for him three hours a day and sometimes five. Therein
lies the secret.
A. H. Badger,
London, England. |