# LCMS Convention Proceedings_St. Louis Missouri_1950_S286
# Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

362 MISSIONS

the Board during August and September of 1948.. On September 9 7
of that year he was able +o install the Rev. William J. Danks ==

as our first missionary in Japan. Since then, only. a year ang a
half later, the number of our missionaries has grown to its pres.
ent strength of ten ordained missionaries, their wives, and two
nurses. Footholds have been gained in a number of places, After
consultation with other mission groups a strategy was devel,
which looks to work by our Synod in the Tokyo and Yokohama
area and then northward. Accordingly, we have opened a station
at. Niigata on the island of Honshu. In the upper island of Hok.
kaido we are already active at Sapporo, Asahigawa, and Otaru.
Thus far we have no chapels of our own, but must meet in
private homes, in a rented kindergarten, in a small. clubhouse, in
rooms in the Y.M.C.A., or in a hotel. It is imperative that we
now proceed to the next step and acquire places of worship. We
cannot permit a condition to continue where a missionary tells us;
“J don’t dare say anything about a Sunday school because I don’t
know where to put the swarms of children who are clamoring for
a chance to come.” If we do not go forward and get places of wor-
ship, we cannot long escape the suspicion of the Japanese people
that we are not in earnest or that ‘we are a “fly-by-night” concem
In truth, the need is urgent. Now is the time! Now the situation is
favorable. It may not always be thus. In addition to the urgency
of securing chapels, it-is essential that we provide housing for our
missionaries. In a country of such acute housing shortages as
Japan, the matter of finding dwellings for our missionaries is of
immediate importance. We need equipment such as jeeps, vehicles
equipped with loud-speakers and projectors, and literature. We
need a seminary for the training of national pastors. Think of all
the things needed to set up a full-fledged mission effort in a highly
developed country like Japan, and you will appreciate the enormity
of the. task and the urgency of the challenge, and Synod will no
doubt rise to the occasion with a joyful though humble acceptance
of the responsibilities which the Lord places upon us in this un-
precedented mission opportunity and will support the work with
a generosity, that is in keeping with the dignity of the cause.

_ Qur mission personnel in Japan consists of the following men
and their wives: W. J. Danker, Ralph Egolf, Le Roy Hass, Paul
Heerboth, Paul Kreyling, Richard Meyer, George Shibata, Paul
Strege, Roy Suelflow, and Victor Zwintscher. Two nurses, Norma
Lenschow and. Adelheid: Mueller, are also working in Tokyo.

_ The chief work. of these missionaries is done in Bible classes
and Sunday schools, though services are also increasing in number.
We would not be reporting correctly on the situation unless we also
gave-a word of eredit to the civilians who are working for the

aan ene meta ne I RENO PRR AEA UR MeN uta ase be han ect Niet at

‘MISSIONS 363

Uilited: States Army in Japan and are volunteering their services
in' many ways. Also a goodly number of the Japanese themselves
aré assisting our missionaries and are directing them to new op-
portunities for spreading the Gospel. ;

New Guinea

- Synod will recall the earnest plea voiced by President Hoop-
mann of our Australian sister synod, at our last convention, request-
ing the-Missouri Synod to aid in new work opening up in New
Guinea. Your convention authorized our Board to take up work
in New Guinea. As a result, we were able to start there late in
1948. This work is in the Central Highlands, in an entirely new
area, where people were living as close to the Stone Age as you
can find: them anywhere on the surface of the earth today.. The
Australian sister synod has been most generous in contributing
manpower and financial means and “know-how” to the work among
this type of people. Beginning from absolute scratch, there now are
a number of mission posts, at Yaramanda, Birip, Irelya Yaibos
Kundic, and others. The missionary personnel consists ‘of three
Australians and their wives as well as two Americans and their
wives. The Australian missionaries are A. P, H. Freund, Ian
Kleinig, and Louis Heppner, a layman, who is supervising es e~
cially the buildng projects in connection with the mission. The
American missionaries are W. Burce and O. Hintze. , .

Astonishing progress has been made. Many hundreds of natives
assemble for the Sunday services. A number of national teachers
loaned to us by the Australians, has been put to work. Various out-
posts have been established. The language, which had never been
reduced ne has been studied by our missionaries to such
an extent that they could ge i i i
ar extent that | ny Noor out a little primer as the first piece

Our workers faced considerable hardships. i ime
is very agreeable, and in the high altitudes thee ra naming
still the missionaries must live in bush houses and walk man
miles from the nearest landing field and do ‘without most of the
refinements of civilized living, as we know them here at home.
Perhaps it should be explained that our field is accessible to the
outside world only by air. From the field our missionaries must
then walk wherever they want to go, and many days are t
in crossing the rough terrain of this section of New Guinea How.
mn our men do have a wonderful opportunity to bring the Word
4 God to natives who present a completely virgin field for mi
ston endeavor and who are in the mood to listen. ona
with Synod will understand, there are various needs connected
our work in New Guinea. First of all, we should add ‘to the

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