Brethren missionaries came here and encountered Deborah’s family near the end of the 19th century. They preached the gospel to Deborah’s great, great grandparents. According to the diary of their daughter, Lorinthia, they brought the message of salvation by grace alone, eternal security, and the final judgment. God’s kingdom was expanding as Jesus promised His disciples in the parable of the mustard seed and the leaven in Matthew 13. The gospel came to Deborah’s family through ordinary people. They had the leaven of the gospel in their souls, giving them urgings to leave their homelands to sow the seeds of the kingdom of heaven in other places. I am so grateful for these missionaries.