"Sister" Flora Bilkiss, an eccentric and often unorthodox street evangelist and mission operator in Spokane, Washington believed that any soul willing could be saved, even those whome everyone else had turned their backs on- prisoners, immigrants, drunkards, etc. Every morning, she would leave her modest shanty on the bank of the Spokane River and head downtown, where she would perch upon a soapbox, deliver a hearty sermon, then invite those in attendance for a free meal at her small mission in the heart of Spokane's seedy saloons and cat houses. In 1909, in an effort to drive out a growing labor union known as the Industrial Workers of the World, the Spokane City Council passed an ordinance that prohibited public speaking on the streets of downtown... Sister Bilkiss played a significant role in getting the ordinance overturned and would continue to grow her following and help those in need for decades to follow."-- back cover