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called. He asked what the Cowmans were going to do with
their home and furniture. God did His miracle! Within the
hour, Robert Fisher bought everything.
God began to provide money for the Cowmans. After
Charles preached in a small church, a little old lady went to
him, and like the widow in the New Testament, she handed
him one dollar. That was the first money anyone gave toward
the Cowmans’ ministry in Japan. It didn’t matter that it was
such a small amount. God was good at making a lot out of a
little. In the years that followed, people would give more than
two million dollars for God’s work in Japan.
One man sent a letter to Charles with a check for $300. The
enclosed letter read, “Please accept this gift for your boat ticket
to Japan.” The man had sold his farm and sent his tithe, a tenth
of the money he had received. That amount covered the fare
exactly! Charles and Lettie knew God was leading them.
Another man put a $240 check into Charles’ hand, saying,
“Please accept this for the first year’s rent of the Bible school
you want to start.”
After they sold their house and furniture and had enough
money to buy their boat tickets to Japan, Charles and Lettie
were ready to leave. On February 1, 1901, friends of the
Cowmans went to the wharf to say goodbye. They prayed for
God to care for the missionary couple as they began a new
adventure with Him. The gangplank was raised, and the huge
steamer named China Maru moved away from the dock onto
the ocean.
The sea was not always calm. An angry storm began. The
wind blew fiercely, and the waves crashed against the ship.
Would the ship sink? Would Charles and Lettie make it safely
to Japan?

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