Written enroute, May 30, 1944 Printed and mailed from office, Box 111, Eugene, Oregon Dear Co-Workers: Another issue of The BULLETIN is past due, but I have been so busy broadcasting eight time a week from Des Moines--every week day, and twice on sundays--in addition to preparing and recording programs also for all the other stations, that I have not had time to prepare it. And so I find it necessary to rush to you just now, in the meantime, a special and VERY URGENT letter. I have just concluded three weeks of DAILY broadcasting from Des Moines, in a special radio Bible-study series. I have been so happy to have Mrs. Armstrong with me this trip, and we have met many listeners personally, visited a number in their homes, had Bible studies with several. Before going to Des Moines, we met a number of our listeners in San Antonio, Texas, following a Sunday night broadcast from there, and I was surprised and much pleased to find that so many of the ladies were more interested in meeting Mrs. Armstrong than me. Several expressed surprise and great joy in learning that her whole heart is in God's glorious work, just as much as mine. The fact is, it is thru her that I was really converted and brought into God's work. And while her voice never is heard on the air, she has from the first been just as actively a part of this work as I. Since I have learned, on this trip, both at San Antonio and at Des Moines, that so many listeners have felt it is a rare thing for a man's wife to be whole-heartedly WITH him in a work of this kind, I thought I would just make mention of this fact in this letter for ALL our Co-Workers to know. Somehow I have always had a conviction, even before I was converted and drawn by the Eternal into His work, that God Himself really selected my wife for me, and while it's rather a personal matter, I don't mind saying just to our inner family of Co-workers who are WITH us in this work, that even before I was converted I never went to sleep at night without praying and thanking God for giving her to me. She has been constantly by my side, and during the seven long, hard years when we were getting this work started from NOTHING, growing to a nation-wide power and influence--in the days when we had just one small, little inside office without window, or fresh air or sunlight, she worked tirelessly in the office, printing The PLAIN TRUTH on a hand mimeograph machine, folding, sorting, mailing them and other literature, writing letters to many listeners, helping every way she could. She helps me to prepare the broadcasts, checks over the script with me before it goes on the air, also articles for The PLAIN TRUTH before they are sent to the printers, and in every way is a most important part of this work. We have four fine children, two boys, 14 and 15, and two daughters, one married, and the other financial secretary in our office--and still more, we have two VERY fine little grandchildren, a boy not quite two years, and a girl just four months. Now I didn't intend, when I started this letter, saying a word about my wife, but I felt that God has blessed me so ABUNDANTLY in so many ways, and first of all--aside from the promise of salvation--with such a good wife, and incidentally I feel sure from their expressions that all our listeners and Co-Workers who have met her this trip feel the same way. What I started out to say is this: I have just completed three weeks of daily broadcasting from Des Moines--we are now on our way back home--expecting to stop off this evening a few hours in Kansas to visit a man and wife who were converted by the broadcast, and whom I personally baptised last August. And, after being at my office in Eugene for a short time, I feel I must return soon to Hollywood to broadcast another daily series of Bible studies over station KMTR, to our listeners throughout Southern California. And then, if we can get the time from 11:05 PM, following an 11 PM news broadcast, over station WOAI, I hope to be able later to return to San Antonio for a daily series there--and if not available over WOAI, which reaches the entire HEMISPHERE at that hour, from the tip of South America to the North Pole, then at least to conduct a daily Bible-lecture series over one of the local San Antonio stations, or possibly a Texas net-work, for our many interested listeners in that section. And in connection with that I hope soon, now, to be able to prepare, print, and have ready for free distribution, the series of articles I have had in mind SO LONG, taking the reader thru a THOROUGH course in Bible study, going much DEEPER into vital spiritual subjects than I can over the air or in The PLAIN TRUTH. I have a heavy burden on my heart for this series of articles--but it means much more work and effort and expense than one would realize, and will take a little time. In these DAILY broadcasts I can start on a series of subjects and go into them much deeper than I can on the Sunday programs. But of course, while it does a TREMENDOUS AMOUNT of good, all this costs added money, and reports from the office in Eugene indicate very little money coming in again the past ten days. The PLAIN TRUTH is all printed, and half mailed out, but this sudden let-down in tithes and offerings received has prevented my staff from being able to mail out the remainder. The postage ALONE for this issue costs $350.00. The fact is, there are about 20,000 copies yet to be mailed, and for this we need at ONCE an additional $200. I wonder if our co-workers realize one vital DIFFERENCE between our work and that of other broadcast programs. In the first place, we have no denomination or organization back of us to finance this work and guarantee the bills. All must come, as it has from the small beginning, by FAITH. Secondly, we NEVER ASK FOR MONEY, or even make known our need, over the air, or in The PLAIN TRUTH, or in ANY literature we send out, except in the BULLETIN, or a very rare letter such as this one, which goes only just to those who have VOLUNTARILY, and without solicitation, become one of our co-workers. NONE other of our listeners or PLAIN TRUTH readers ever receive ANY request for money from us, in any form whatsoever. The Gospel MUST NOT BE SOLD. We cannot put a PRICE on any Gospel literature. Of the 35,000 who receive The PLAIN TRUTH, more than 33,000 of them have NEVER received any request or solicitation for money from us in any form whatsoever! I'm afraid some of our Co- Workers never realize this. In every religious or gospel broadcast I know of, there is a request for money sent out OVER THE AIR in every program. You NEVER hear this on The WORLD TOMORROW program, because I do not believe it is God's way or His will--and if we can't carry on His work HIS WAY, and according to His will, we won't attempt to carry on at all. If I ASKED for money over the air, put a PRICE on The PLAIN TRUTH, or begged for money in it of all our 35,000 readers (or probably over a hundred thousand, because we find more than three people read every copy), then we would receive at least twice as much money as we do. But it isn't God's way. I CAN'T DO IT! Another thing, sending out The PLAIN TRUTH and other literature make necessary a great deal of added office expense in keeping our mailing lists constantly checked and up to date. As a result, we have to maintain an office staff two or three times as large as others conducting similar broadcasts, for the same number of stations. The publishing work, sending literature FREE to so many, costs just as much as the broadcasting, so that the cost of the broadcast is only HALF of out total expense. Some might say, "Why not drop the magazine and publishing work?" but if they knew, as we do, he good this is doing they would never suggest that. No, we shall NEVER drop the publishing work! It has resulted in too precious a harvest of souls. Rather, my aim and determination is to get the publishing work now better established, so The PLAIN TRUTH comes out more often and REGULARLY. But the net meaning of what I have here explained is this: For the size of our broadcast, we have double the expense of others, while, by being faithful to God's way of not charging for the Gospel, selling it for a price, putting a price on it, or begging for money over the air, our income is probably cut in half. That simply means we have to TRUST GOD to lay it on the hearts of our loyal co-workers to DO THEIR PART liberally, cheerfully, constantly and continuously. We simply have to depend upon a few, who are able (even at sacrifice) to send in reasonably large sums of a hundred dollars or more. Some COULD place as much as five or ten thousand dollars in God's work, and never did the work of the Almighty, so vital in these closing days, need it as now! There simply are not enough of the one, two, and five dollar offerings to keep this work going--and growing! But to many, a dollar or five dollars means just as great a sacrifice as a thousand or five thousand would to a few others, and if you are one of them, God will bless you MORE than He will the one who COULD place five or ten thousand in His work, but only puts in perhaps twenty-five or fifty. All do not have the same ability. God knows YOUR circumstances, and is abundantly able to supply you with enough to have a continuous and active part in HIS GLORIOUS WORK, and to make up to anyone whatever sacrifice they make for HIS CAUSE! The need is URGENT, and GREAT. A self-addressed envelope is enclosed. Will you rush, even by air-mail if possible, the largest possible offering you are able to place in God's work at this time? Remember, GOD'S WORK should come FIRST above EVERYTHING. Seek ye FIRST the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all those things (material needs) shall be added to you. God bless you! HERBERT W. ARMSTRONG