The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1908, Page 7

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The Lutheran Pioneer. ° r;

NOTES.

A New Votume. — With this number we begin
the thirtieth volume of Tue LurHeran PIONEER.
May the good Lord open many new homes for our
paper and bless its work also in the future. We
tender our thanks to all friends of our missions
who have helped in the circulation of our little
monthly, and earnestly ask their continued and
hearty co-operation. Since all the profit derived
from our mission papers is put into the mission
treasury, the wide circulation of these papers would
also be a help for our mission work. We sorely need
such help, as by God’s blessing the work is increas-
ing from year to year, and is calling for greater
efforts and larger contributions.

EpirHany.— The Epiphany Festival reminds
us of our missionary duties. The wise men from
the East, to whom the Christ-child was manifested,
were Gentiles. From this we learn that the Savior
born at Bethlehem is the Savior, not only of the
Jews, but also of the Gentiles. “He is the Savior of
all men, and it is God’s will that this Savior be
manifested to all. This the Church does in its
mission work, by which the Gospel light is brought
to them who yet sit in the darkness of sin. Those
who have found the Savior should be willing to help
in this work with their prayers and also with their
gifts. When the wise men from the East found the
Savior, they not only worshiped Him, but opened
their treasures and presented their gifts unto Him.

Liperat Givers.— At an annual meeting of
poor Zulu Christians in Africa a few years ago, it
was reported that the average annual giving was
one dollar and seventy-five cents.

A CuHancr.—In November, 1893, a sailing
vessel was wrecked on the coast of Formosa, near
a village containing a mission chapel. The pastor,
a native convert, beat a drum to summon the people
to the rescue, and all the crew and passengers were
saved. ‘That evening twenty-one Europeans and
one hundred and. forty-six natives united in a
thanksgiving service. Twenty-five years before, the
crew would have been murdered and the vessel plun-
dered by those same natives.

From Cryton. — It is a pleasure, writes a: mis-
sionary of Ceylon, to go about upon this great
island, and to find in the midst of the heathen land

mission stations, Christian churches and schools.
Thousands of natives of varying shades of counte-
nance go to the temple of the Lord, believe in Christ
as the only Savior, and sing His praise in various
tongues. Some time ago after the service a poor
man came to my study to talk with me about “my
great Lord.” The conversation with him was ex-
ceedingly pleasant. I read to him a selection from
the Word of God. He reverently rose, folded his
hands, after a while raised them up to heaven while
the tears flowed down his brown cheeks, and said,
“OQ my Lord, those are precious words!”

Mission Work IN Cuina.— During the year
1907 fifty new laborers have joined the ranks of the
workers in the China Inland Mission, which brings
the total number of mission workers up to eight
hundred and seventy-five. There has also been a
marked increase in the number of Bible schools for
the further instruction of new converts.

GrowrH or Brste Worx. — In 1800 only one-
fifth of the human family had the Bible in lan-
guages they could read; now nine-tenths of the
‘people have the Bible in languages and dialects
known to them.

The Deacon Enlightened.

A well-to-do deacon in Connecticut was one
morning accosted by his pastor, who said, “Poor
Widow Brown’s wood is out. Can you not take her
a cord?” “Well,” answered the deacon, “I have the
wood and I have the team; but who is to pay me
for it?” The pastor, somewhat annoyed, replied,
“Twill pay you for it, on condition that you read
the first three verses of Ps. 41 before you go to bed
to-night.” The deacon consented, delivered the
wood, and at night opened the Word of God and
read the passage: “Blessed is he that considereth
the poor; the Lord will deliver him in time of
trouble. ‘The Lord will preserve him and keep him
alive, and he shall be blessed upon the earth; and
thou wilt not deliver him unto the will of his ene-
mies. The Lord will strengthen him upon the bed
of languishing; thou wilt make his bed in his sick-
ness.” A few days after, the pastor met him again.
“How much do I owe you, deacon, for that cord of
wood?” “Q¥!? said the now enlightened man, “do
not speak of payment. I consider it a privilege to
have been able to supply the old widow’s wants.”

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