How Mother Bailey Got Over

By Purnell E. Johnson Sr. J.D.

This book while addressing the experience's of Missionary Erma Bailey who made the ultimate sacrifice of giving her life to a cause she deemed worthy, it is also a solute to the many Faithful Missionaries that have sacrificed their lives in fulfilling the Great Commission of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

• Language: English
• Publisher: BookBaby
• Release date: Dec 1, 2017
• ISBN: 9781543912838

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This book is one over which I have prayed as I wrote each chapter, that while being a tribute to Erma Bailey, it might above all things give recognition to all missionaries.

The thought of writing this book has lingered with me for some time. I can vividly recall my last conversation with Erma prior to her death. We were sitting in her bedroom at my cousin’s Sidney and Alberta Moore’s home in Brandywine, Maryland, where she was continuing her recuperation from her ordeal in Liberia, West Africa. We had a long, interesting discussion, mostly about family, and what we referred to as the good old days, relating back to the days when I was still a child growing up in Anacostia, a suburb of Washington, D.C. We also reminisced about the old homestead, a large tobacco farm in Brandywine, Maryland, which served as the central gathering point for family members, especially on Sundays. We also talked about my mother, Catherine, and father, Norman, and how helpful they were to her during her missionary tour.

Erma and my mother, Catherine, were cousins and very close and stayed in constant contact with one another during her missionary stay in Liberia, up until my mother’s death in 1983. I can vividly recall my mother regularly sending packages to Erma. They were items not readily available to her in Liberia, or that were too costly for her to purchase on her budget. My mother and Erma had something else in common—they were both nurses, so my mother was a big help in getting Erma what she needed to assist her in her ministry. Occasionally, Erma would send back items that were made by the villagers in Liberia.

I never did really know Erma very well personally, but on the other hand, I felt as though I had known her all of my life. My mother and her sister Martha Duckett were very close to Erma and would constantly talk about the missionary work that Erma was doing in Liberia. Because of their closeness, Erma would share a lot of her personal experience with them. She would later develop a close bond with my sister-in-law Darlene Johnson, who corresponded with her on a regular basis and contributed heavily to Erma’s personal needs after the death of my mother. The correspondence shared between the two was very helpful to me during my research.

One particular day, I was so anxious to hear more about Erma and her experiences as a missionary, particularly in Liberia, because I had heard so much about the history of that country and their turmoil and was somewhat intrigued as to the turmoil in Liberia and why all of this was occurring. Erma was very helpful in sharing with me some of her experiences and insight, and most importantly, the reason for her willingness to give so much of herself and endure such hardships while she was assigned there.

Erma described the country where she spent many years as a picture of total devastation. All around was evidence of total, senseless, futile war. She talked about how her heart ached for those that she left behind; those that depended upon the mission help. Erma’s feelings were not filled with hopelessness. She portrayed positive feelings about Liberia. Erma had at one time been held captive while there, and she never spoke a word of bitterness toward her captors. There was, of course, so much more that I wanted to learn about her experiences, but it was apparent that she was still suffering from her ordeal from the effects of the war, so I didn’t press her further.

After our conversation, I said to her, I hope that when you’re well again, that you will write of your experiences as a missionary in Liberia. After briefly hesitating, she said to me that she would certainly love to do so, but did not feel that she would be up