Lottie Moon: The Southern Belle Who Went to China
 Lottie Moon
THE GOOD LIFE
Lottie Moon sat on the back step of the sprawling Virginia estate, her cousin Sarah at her side. "I just can't imagine living anywhere else," said ten-year-old Lottie. "It's the most beautiful place in the whole, wide world."
Sarah agreed. "I'm going to miss plantation life when my family goes to Jerusalem."
In the distance, Lottie could see two slaves working in the fields. She wondered why her uncle's family was giving all this up to be missionaries. "Do you really want to go?" she asked her cousin.
"I really do," said Sarah. "My whole family does."
Grabbing a handful of pea pods crossly, Lottie tried not to cry. "Well I don't know why," she complained. "All Christians do is argue, and the Bible is just a storybook. It's a long way from Virginia to Jerusalem just to waste your time telling people fairy stories!"
Sarah looked hurt. "Don't say that. You used to believe too."
"I'll say anything I want," said Lottie. "And anyway, being a missionary is not for girls. Girls should learn to be ladies and have the biggest, grandest house they can get!"
"Well, when you get your own big house, I'll come back and visit you," answered Sarah. "Meanwhile, promise you'll write to me, Lottie. I want to hear all the news from home."
Lottie took her cousin's hand. "Every week, Sarah. I'll write to you every week."
A few years after Sarah's family moved to Jerusalem, Lottie went to boarding school. In those days, wealthy Southern belles were groomed for marriage and were not to be "overeducated," yet Lottie's father had left money so his daughters could have all the education they wanted. In 1857, Lottie took the bold step of enrolling in college.
A MEMORABLE BIRTHDAY
"What are you two talking about?" Lottie asked Kate and Laura one day on the way to French class.
The girls looked uncomfortable. "We were discussing whether to go to the special services at the Baptist Church," Kate admitted.
"I suppose I could give myself an 18th birthday treat and go along too," teased Lottie. "Poking fun at sermons is always good for a laugh."
Her friends looked embarrassed and changed the subject. They were even more embarrassed when Lottie appeared at the church, took a seat right in the front row, and turned around and winked at them!
"I must be losing my touch," Lottie thought, as the service went on. "I've not wanted to burst out laughing once so far. What a waste of time!"
 That night she tossed and turned and turned and tossed. At last, she rolled over to think. "I wonder if there is anything in Christianity. I stopped believing because I saw Christians arguing with each other when I was a little girl, but maybe that was not logical," she reasoned. "People might argue over a game, but that doesn't mean they should stop playing it forever."
By the following morning, Lottie eagerly desired to become a Christian. She got up early to attend a morning prayer meeting.
"What does she want?" asked Kate when Lottie arrived. "I bet she's looking for trouble."
But Lottie was not. She was looking for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. By the end of the day, she found Him. Lottie became a Christian.
Find out what Lottie Moon did after becoming a Christian in Part Two of this "Glimpses for Kids" children's worship bulletin insert.
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