Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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THE LUTHERAN VISITOR B unary 16, 1902 Roman's f^ltssionavy gep.trtm nt •*'Whi*t«»oev«r H« mitb x^nl B you, do it.” ;®«g®8®»B8®»BS®K*«KKaeM IhISULTS OF WELL-DIRECTED Missionary effort in japan. [Read befor'e the Woman’s Home and .toreiffn Missionary Convention of the Isooth Carolina Symd ] The rtqnest from your Secretary has just reached me and tLisOioru- joulRladly write to you to tell oa a little about our work m this far-away land. It is a source of oinch Rratificatiou to us to koow you are so deeply interested in our irk. We like for others to in- irterest themselves in what lies so [close to our hearts, and to such ’riends and fellow-workers it is a leasure to write and tell them [that we know they are eager to heir. Our lives are very different [from the ones you live in yonr [Christian land, where everybody owe of the Saviour. W« truly live iong heathen. Our neighbors 1 either pray to the son or stones never pray at all, so we have to in at the very beginning to h them the way of life, this often difficult, becun.-e the Jap- ie are a proud, self satisfied , and do not feel the impert- ice of religion nor the need of a laviour. Then, too, we have a rath- hard time getting at. the women, for they are not tree beings like American women. When I call on I household, ot course, I mean to call on the wife, but if the man is tt home he comes iu to talk to me, •biie the wife busies herself about miking tea, etc. When ske has •trved it, she sits back iu the room, and all my questions must be ad dnssed to the man. It is hard to at a woman’s heart through a ■am. I am always glad when the oeo are away, for then I can talk othe women and tell why I live °W here. Not long ago, one rainy day, I ^ over to my next door neighbor’s hoping I could say a word for wist. Fortunately the man was ***y, so the mother and daughter •slcomed me, and we all sat to- Wher on the floor in that humble tatne, and had a real pleasant chat. **7 listened attentively to all 1 Wo them about Christianity and Ntned deeply impressed. Since time Vhe daughter has been to Church twice, and I am praying that soon the whole family will be brought to Christ. It is jnst the little seeds we drop here and there 'that spring np and grow wh*u we least expect it. We mothers, busy with oor households, babies and all the duties incumbent on wives, cannot give our foil time to the much needed work. We cannot go out and sow a field with grain, but we can in our daily life drop a few seeds in the soil near us, where they will grow. God is wonderfully good to us, and has blessed our efforts abundantly iu the past mouths. He is offering the hearts of the people to an ac ceptance of Christ. . All over Japan the attitude to ward our faith is changing. Since the beginning of this year, the Christians in all the cburcbs have been aroused to a keener sense of their obligation. A greater iffort has been pnt forth to make known the glad tidings of peace. Much preaching has been done. In some placee services were held every night for weeks with favorable re sults. Hundreds of people learned tolove onr precious Saviour and have openly accepted Him., All this newe reached Saga and sur prised the people here. So when onr special work was begun in Jane, crowds of people came to hear the sweet, old story. We were encour aged to see the church filled with eager laces, as the pastor pointed them to the Lamb of God who tak eth away the sins of the world. Yes, we who had worked and waited so long felt that God was answering our prayers in behalf of Saga The people are beginning to bear gladly and we are longing to see them sate within the fold. Pray that God may help us to bring them it ! Before I stop writing I want to tell you about two of our Christian women who never get to hear the Gospel. They live away up in the mountains near Ogi. The father learned of Jesns at at our Ogi chapel, soon accepted Christ and began a very sarnest life. He was anxious ahoiU Lis mother and wife, and as they could not read, Mr. Yamanonchi went often to instruct them in the Catechism and to teach them of God’s word. They too believed and soon askrd for baptism. It a was glad day when the whole household was ushered into the holy church! Sometime afterwards the father asked if someone could not come and administer communiou to them. The two women bad never seen a white woman and were anxious to se^ one, and determined to go along. It was a brautifnl ride along the country r—rf; with broad fields of green i-ut waving in the breezes, with h< r*- aud there little fields of yellow moatard, fill ing the air with its sweet odors. The mountains stood as the back ground, tall and majestic. All "as calm and peacefnl, and as I i > i 1 along I thought what a beau titui rtr'd God had given the Jap auese, t. d what rejoicing there would bi iu heaven it they would acknowledge Him as>Lord of all and sing praises to His great uame. We rode up to the mountains, where the lather came out to meet us. Then he led up the nar row path to his home. We were ushered into the kitchen, where the mother and old grandmother were waiting for ns. They bowed low and often until they could get ns into their best room where mats were ont for us to sit on, and tea cakes ready to be eaten. After mm:b insisting we were ptrt-nadtdto sit down, and then we met the children and noticed their home. The house looked its best. No doubt the mother bad been up before early dawn cleaning it. The wood work shone l.ke a mirror and every nook was dusted Flowers bloomed in the yaid out side and tall pines surrounded the whole place. Their little girl baby was cure aud curtesied sweetly to us. We knew the boys, for they often come to Saga to make speeches at the Christmas enter- tainmeut. It was a sweet home, and lovelier because God was there. After a friendly visit pastor Yamanonchi proceeded with the services. We sang a hymn, prayed, the confession was read, then he explained the Communion iu simple words that the old grandmother could understand, and told bow precions it is to us all. Then tie bread and wine were distributed, and we celebrated with the desr sisters their first feast at the Lord’s table. It was sncb a solemn, im pressive service, out iu that lonely mountain home with these few tiusting believers. We all met with Jesus and learned of Him. I went away feeling that it was good io have been there, and as I rode home 1 couldn’t help tbiukiog how these dear old souls fought their fight of faith. No helpful sermons, do meetings with Christ ian friends to encourage them. No Bible reading to strengthen their faith, except what the father read to them, only prayer and His holy spirit to gnide them into the paths of trnth How many of us would dosowellf May we all meet these two faitful ones iu the better land beyond, is my prayer I With greetings from ns all, and wishing yon a real blessed com munion together, I am, Yours in Christ’s service, Lettie Rich IVery. * The Cry of the World —From Africa's teeming tribes, from In dia’s perishing multitudes, from China s mighty millions, from Japan's throbbing life, from every soul among the thousands and mil lions that know not God, the cjy of derpair—its inarticulate cry for help—goes up. The weary world in all its conti nents, with all its nations, wants to know more of Christ’s message, and of that lovs which stoops from heaven to cleanse sin and chase away sorrow. China has uo sorrow that his message cannot cnre; India has no problem it cannot solve ; Japan no question it cannot answer; Africa no darkness it cannot dispel. - The cry of the pagan world for help has resounded in every gen eration since history began. It ascends a pleading, pathetic cry— testless in its very helplessness. No Christian heart can refuse to hear it, and no Christian heart can hear it and retrain from prayer and pity If we love Him, we shall go in person, or by our gifts, to every land and city and home whither His feet are moving, with Him to plead and pray and win a life.— Judson Smith, in Presbyterian Re cord Remarkable—Because Sooboona gam renounced the superstitions of BraLministn for the Christian re ligion, her father, whose is a grad uate ot the Madras University and a subjudge of the district of Ma dura, India, disowned her and made her an outcast. She is treated as dead by her father and relatives, and funeral services lasting three days having been held where an (ffigy of the yonng woman was burned, her treasures broken and everything devoted to her personal use was given away or destroyed Another remarkable feature con nected with her conversion is the fact that her renunciation of Brah- manism also costs her the loss rf her inheritance, estimated at sev eral millions, and her jewels of fab ulous wealth. This shows the re markable influence of Christian missions.