The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1892, Page 23

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: The Lutheran Pioneer. 23

Te Evanelia.

Among those who were first attracted by
the power of the Gospel in the Island of Bora-
bora, in the South Seas, none were, perhaps,
more eager to learn to read than Notopu and
his wife. He soon acquired a little proficiency
in that art from some who had been in the
Windward Islands, where there were some
missionaries. It was, therefore, with deep
interest that he heard of te Zvanelia, that is,
the Gospel, in the Rarotongan language, which
arrived in Raiatea, having been printed in
Eimeo.

After a few days the wind, turning round,|to touch it nor stir from the spot till he re-
proved fair for Borabora. All preparations | turned, sprang again into the violent sea,
were made, food procured, and Notopu, re- | swimming for his wife, who was drifting with
joicing as one having found a great prize, set | the current farther from land. His poor wife
sail again with his family for Borabora. ‘The| had, in the meantime, great trouble to secure
wind proved stronger than agreeable, yet all|her two little ones from the violence of the
went pleasantly as long as they were within| waves, Hardly had she set the one on the frag-
the boundary of the great coral reef which| ment of the canoe, telling him to hold while
surrounds both Raiatea and Tahaa. But as|she swam after the other, than the waves, be-
soon as they came to the open sea their pros-| fore she could secure the second, would wash
pect seemed very bad; the wind had risen to} off the first, and so again and again. At last
a gale, and Notopu would willingly have re-| her husband reached his poor, struggling wife
turned if that had been possible. His chief | and took one of the children on his back, while
care was to secure the Evanelia from the} she, almost exhausted, took the other, and both

Borabora was at that time in a very un- | wet.

settled state; heathenism was still prevailing,
and neither property nor even women and
children were safe if left
unguarded. — Willingly
would Notopu at once
have proceeded to Raia-
tea to obtain the great
treasure, of whose: ar-
rival he had heard, but,
in the unsettled state of
the island, it was hardly
safe to leave his wife and
three children alone and
go on a journey which
might take much longer
than he thought, because
without a favorable wind
he could not return. He
consulted his wife, who
was equally anxious to
obtain the much-coveted
prize, but unwilling to be
left alone with her fam-

| He wrapped it in several banana leaves, | Struck out for the shore, which they reached
covered these over with native cloth and tied|in safety.

the bundle with a handkerchief on his head. |

‘*We did not care,’’ said Nopotu’s wife many
years afterward to the
writer, ‘‘for the loss of
our fine canoe, though
we never got one equal
to it, nor for all our lost
property ; the joy of hay-
ing now te Evanelia far
outweighed the loss of
our property. We sat
day and night reading it
over and over again, till
we knew it by heart.’’
The writer adds that
all the three boys became
Christians, and two of
them yaluable assistants
to him during his labors
in Borabora. The eldest
became superintendent
of the school, and haying
a very good memory,

ily. ‘They both resolved, keen perception and a
therefore, to go, and take skillful hand, he became
; theirchildrenandalltheir a useful helper in case
; valuable ‘property with The Prodigal Son leaving his Father’s Home. Luke 15, 11—24. of illness in the island.
them, as he was posses- __ eae ie iat er enn SCORE TS a oy dee Words of Life.
sor of avery large canoe.
They left with a fair breeze, taking some|'The canoe was driven through the fierce waves Sins Blotted Out.
te bamboos of oil with them for the purchase of| with fearful speed, though only a small part ————
ij the Gospel, yet fearing that they might arrive|of the sail was up, both Notopu and his wife] “J cannot. think what becomes of all the
{| too late and find all the Gospels sold, and| steering, whilst the eldest child baled out the] sins God forgives, mother,’’ said a little fel-
thus their journey prove useless. water which kept dashing in. low one day, as he took his favorite seat on
The favorable breeze soon carried them to} Already was Pitiao, the utmost corner of|his mamma’s knee.
H the nearest coast of Raiatea (Huaru), being] the Borabora reef, in sight, and Notopu hoped} «hy, Charlie, can you tell me where all
i only thirty miles, but on landing and inquiring | that their earnest prayer was answered, when |} the figures are you wrote on your slate yester-
; after the Gospel they were told that it was in| a huge wave, towering high above them, broke day ?’?
i Opoa, on the other side of the island, twenty-| over their frail bark whilst yet about two miles] «<7 washed them all out, mother.”’
five miles farther; moreover, they were told| from the reef, dashed it in half, and turned} «nq where are they then?”’
i to make haste, as nearly all were sold. The}the fragments over. All their property sank ‘<Why, they are nowhere; they are gone,’’
\ wind was very light inside the reef; the canoe} at once, while both parents had a hard struggle | .aiq Charlie.

'

made but slow progress, as it seemed to the
anxious couple, though they helped with all
their might by paddling. But it was.very
late when they arrived at Opoa. Notopu,
the moment the shore was reached, slung the
two bamboos of oil across his shoulder, sprang
ashore, and hurried to the house’ where the
Evanelia was reported to be, and, to his joy, re-
ceived one of the few remaining copies, which
he at once began spelling out word by word.

to rescue their dear children, one of whom
was entangled in the ropes under the canoe.

This accomplished, Notopu swam with his
eldest boy ashore, telling his wife to take care
of the two little ones. Several Boraboranians
were on the reef fishing, but would render no
assistance; they were still heathen. Being an
expert swimmer, Notopu arrived safely on the
reef, took the Hvanelia off his head, tied it on
the head of his little boy, commanding him not

‘Just so it is with our sins; if we believe
in the Lord Jesus Christ, they are gone—
blotted out—to be remembered nomore. ‘As
far as the east is from the west, so far hath
He removed our transgressions from us.’ ””
= ;

s+ oe ee

Fairu makes the Christian. Life proves the

Christian. Trial tests the Christian.
crowns the Christian.

Death