# LCMS Convention Proceedings_St. Louis Missouri_1953_S1120
# Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

448 MISSIONS

Hong Kong and Kowloon, and then also among the refugees wh
have swarmed into Hong Kong literally by the hundreds of thew
sands, and many of these are in very destitute circumstances, In
addition to the regular work of the mission, of Preaching, teach.
ing, preparing people for Baptism and Communion, there are some
special features in the work at Hong Kong, namely, a determined
effort at Bible training, by which people should be enabled to give
very effective witness for Christ. Perhaps 200 different People, to
a large extent men of rather good former training or Position, have
been given four to five months of training, five days a week, and
some for several such terms of intensive Bible study, combined
with active field work. They are to witness for Christ now already
in their own areas of Hong Kong and Kowloon, but we are thinking
particularly of the time when such people might be transferred
either to other countries, such as Formosa and Malaya, or when
they can get back into the interior of China again, as most of them
hope to do. In Hong Kong there is also very effective radio work,
and much effort has to go into the providing of literature. By the
very nature of things, relief measures must also be undertaken,
and this will also make demands upon the time of the staff although
they were able to enlist some well-trained Chinese personnel for
this work. ;

Missionary H. A. Hinz returned to Hong Kong in 1950, when
Missionary Holt’s health broke down and he had to return to this
country. The Board is keenly conscious of the fact that we are
understaffed in that area, but every effort to secure additional help
has been in vain thus far, with the exception of adding Miss Ruth
Proft to the staff in 1952 and have Mr. Arlo Nau, a seminary
student, help out in Hong Kong for 4% months in 1953. The Board
hopes, however, to return two experienced missionaries to the Hong
Kong area during the course of this year.

Formosa :

Partly as,a result of our work in Hong Kong, we then also felt
constrained to begin work on Formosa, where members gained in
Hong Kong and moving to Formosa formed nuclei for work in
Taipeh and Chia-I. Miss Olive Gruen began work in Formosa in
the fall of 1951, and the Rev. Roy Suelflow came there in May, 1952.
The Board hopes to add two experienced missionaries to the
Formosa staff this summer.

Philippines .
As to the Philippines, we are grateful to God to be able to

report steady progress. The last three years have seen a growth
of almost 300 souls and 80 communicants. This is very commend-

able, considering the newness of our effort. In Manila we are estab-

‘MISSIONS 449

Te in four strategically well-located places. Some 120 miles

is the nicely developing Binalonan field. Another 90 miles
er north. is the Candon area, which has shown very fine
~yelopment, for instance, an increase of four times the attendance
de Sunday services. In Baguio and north from there into the moun-
vains a splendid new mission development has taken place among
the Igorots, where the Rev. Simon Bilagot, who was ordained after
three years of intensified instruction by our missionaries, has been
great help, since he knows the local dialect. In Mindanao we were
ale to establish anchor points in Cagayan and Davao. Manpower
shortage has troubled us in the Philippines, with Missionaries
Buntrock, Buuck, and Wilenius leaving that field for health reasons.
and only one new man secured for that field in the last three years,
the Rev. J. G. Scholz.

In the Philippines a very determined effort is being made to
have this mission develop as an indigenous project just as much
as possible, and good progress has accompanied these efforts.
Nevertheless, there are certain needs which call for grants from
the home church: chapels, missionary houses, jeeps, or cars,
mechanical aids, help for literature, etc. Ministerial training must
also be developed in that country, as indeed a modest beginning
has been made. ~

Japan .

In respect to Japan, what we said at the beginning of this
report applies in a very special sense, namely, that we are now
in the second, not quite so spectacular stage of digging in, of con-
solidating our gains, of intensifying our work on the local level,
of training the members for personal mission work. In our report
three years ago we said: “Thus far we have no chapels of our
own.” Today there is quite an array of chapels, together with
a goodly number of homes for missionaries, and with our splendid
center in Tokyo, which is really proving to be a center in many
ways, and also a center for youth work in Sapporo on the upper
island of Hokkaido. We thank God that so early in our work in
Japan we are really a “going concern,” a well-established church
body, strategically well placed, and with plans maturing and con-
sistently carried out for progressive work in the northern part of
that country. Since our last report to Synod, when we had twelve
stations and could speak of but 193 souls and 114 communicants,
very good for the short time we were there, we can now report
568 souls and 459 communicants. In our services, classes, and Sun-
day schools, instruction for Baptism, etc., we reach many thousands
of people. This is true also of the broadcast of the Lutheran Hour.’
We may rest assured that the Word will not return void.

Our work was aided appreciably by a grant of $35,000 from