The Early Years
Oswald Jeffrey Smith was born on November 8th, 1889 near Odessa Ontario as the eldest of ten children to Benjamin and Alice Smith. His early years were troubled by ill health and a delicate constitution. He was once out of school for two whole years after a bout of pneumonia. He said, "It was generally accepted that I hadn't many more days on this earth." In spite of dire predictions, he did survive frightening illnesses and grew into a young manhood. On January 28th, 1906, during a Torrey Crusade in Toronto, Smith committed his life to the Lord and from that time, his burning desire to preach the gospel became the focus of his life. Smith said, "I know as sure as I'm alive, I must preach the gospel. There's nothing else in the world for me."
Because of his early dedication to spreading the gospel, Smith offered himself several times for missionary service but his frail health prevented his acceptance. Deeply disappointed, he set about gaining more training and experience.
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