On August 10, 1908, as the wife of Robert Semple, the Evangelist
under whose preaching I had been converted, I entered the ministry.

Together we traveled and preached in Canada, the United States,
Ireland, Great Britain; and finally went as missionaries to China.

On August 10, 1910, my husband laid down his life in China and I was left a widow when not yet twenty years of age.

September 17, 1910, my little daughter, Roberta Star Semple, was born and because they told me she could never live in that climate,
returned with her to the United States.

I wanted to serve the Lord and I wanted to build a suitable monument to Robert; and decided that the thing which would make him most happy, if he could know, would be for me to continue to preach the Message of Full Gospel Evangelism which ever burned so brightly in his heart, and which he had preached as long as he lived.

My first meeting was in a very small hall, which proved so inadequate that we moved out of doors where I preached from piazza and the congregation sat upon the lawn.  The farmers put their lanterns in the trees for light.

With my first collection received, I purchased a second-hand tent.  By careful saving I soon had enough to purchase a new and a larger one, until finally I had a beautiful white tent large enough to accommodate thousands of people.