# LCMS Convention Proceedings_St. Louis Missouri_1944_S702
# Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

118 MISSIONS

The undersigned and other blind fellow members of the H
Missouri Synod do hereby present the following urgent appeal ;
request to the Hon. Synod:

That the increasing burden of the combined mission work
both the deaf and the blind of the present mission board be relie
and made lighter by the separation of the mission for the blin
from the mission to the deaf, and that a special mission board fi
the blind be created and appointed, which will be a valuable
provement of the work for both missions. FREDERICK GRAEPP

[410]
Report of the Board of Foreign Missions

When on December 7, 1941, the radio reported the bombir
of Pearl Harbor and therewith our nation’s entry as comba
into World War II, the entire work of our Synod of necessi
was placed on a wartime footing. In occupied China our Ameri
missionaries and their families became prisoners of war, at
mercy of the Japanese enemy. Before very long, Japanese plan
bombed the island of Ceylon and other sections of South Ind
near our mission stations. Any hope of early mission work. ;
the Philippine Islands vanished with the oncoming hordes of th
enemy. Before long the rumor was current that foreign missic
work in general had come to a standstill and possibly would soo
die out altogether.

However, our Board of Foreign Missions can state, with thank: :
to the Lord of the Church, that all such frightening forebodings int
spite of almost three years of bitter warfare have become groun
less. Today, as three years ago, we report constant success:
operation of our missionary endeavor, although in China still i
a limited way, and urge our Synod not merely to continue energeti
support of our Foreign Missions, but to be ready for that day «
mercies when the Lord shall make wars to cease and throw ope
the doors now closed to us because of the war.

In looking back today to the early beginning of our fore
mission endeavor in India, we cannot but thank. God with bur
heart and lips for His exceedingly gracious blessing on our eff
to bring the message of salvation to the heathen in the Orien’
As is well known, we shall celebrate this year, if it pleases
the golden anniversary of our India Mission. It was on October
1894, that our first missionaries, Theodor Naether and Franz Moh
were solemnly commissioned by us for their missionary ta:
In spite of all our. weaknesses, of much natural and instiga
enmity on the part of the non-Christians, of heavy losses of S
sionaries and national Indian co-workers by reason of two worl