The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1912, Page 29

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The Lutheran Pioneer.

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29

all that came and went took a blessing with them.
The patient submission of this child of God made
a deep impression on every heart. When, during
. my last visit, I rose from prayer and spoke the
benediction, he gently fell asleep in Jesus and en-
tered his eternal rest.

What a blessed fruit of our missions! What a
joy to hear a child of God like Hezekiah Poo pray
in childlike faith:

Jesus’ blood and righteousness

My jewels are, my glorious dress,
Wherein before my God I stand
When I shall reach the heavenly land.

Such is the victory of light over darkness.
Jesus lives! He is with us in the mission field, and
again and again we are permitted to see many a
fruit from the mission field gathered into the Lord’s
garner.

Yes, Jesus lives! And in the face of hardships
and disappointments and seeming defeats we. mis-
sionaries can gladly exclaim: “O Death, where is
thy sting? O Grave, where is thy victory? Thanks
be to God which giveth us the victory through our
Lord Jesus Christ!”

ee

There Is a God.

“he fool hath said in his heart, There is no
God,” Ps. 14, 1.

A number of such fools, who said not only in
their hearts, but also in a loud voice that there is
no God, sat together in a tavern. All in the room
could hear them say, “There is no God.” “TI need
no God.” “My strong arm is my God.” “My
reason is my God.” One who spoke the loudest of
all said, “his world was not created by any God.
It needed no creator. It came into existence by
itself and got into its present form by evolution.”

A strange traveler, who sat near by and heard
all this wicked talk, quietly took his watch out of
his pocket, and showing it to the company of loud
talkers said with a grave face that his watch was
a most wonderful watch, it had made itself, and
got into its present form by evolution from little
pieces of metal; it would also wind and repair
itself without any help.

“Do you want to make a fool of me?” cried. the
one who had before talked the loudest.

“Oh, no,” replied the stranger, “but you are
a fool if you deny the Creator of the world, whilst
even a watch requires a maker.”

| eae ail

Letter from Meherrin, Va.

As we are so glad to hear from our sister sta-
tions, may be you would like to hear from us.

Well, 1911 was a year of troubles with us, of
deaths, accidents, and misfortune, and the like. We
lost seven members by death and only took in two,
one by confirmation and one by baptism. Yes, we
were tried with many afflictions. It reminded us
of Job’s trials. It was one sad message after an-
other. We even had the message that the Rev. W.
Hallerberg was coming to sell our church; but,
thank God, Satan was overthrown. Our visitor
came as God’s messenger. He brought the good
news that we were not forgotten, and that they
loved us still. I know the good Lord sent Rev. Hal-
lerberg here the 16th of last October. He glad-
dened the hearts of all that heard him, even the
little ones. Fle, so to say, snuffed many wicks that
had burned so low, and never shall we forget that
night when he assured us that they still loved us.
I know we love them, and I doubt not that God
led them to know us. ‘The visit was a comfort after
the many troubles in which we had to pray:

O for a faith that will not shrink,
Though pressed by many a foe;
That will not tremble on the brink
Of any earthly woe!

Well, amid our troubles we did enjoy the con-
ference held here in August, and long for the time
when it is to meet here again. We are always so
glad to meet our brethren in the faith. You see,
we have no sister church that we can visit as so
many others have.. We are so often called an old
congregation, and indeed the church has been here
quite a while. But the Lord is taking away us old
members and the young that should be the strength
of the church do not always resist the devil’s temp-
tations who tries to train them for his kingdom.

Yes, as I said, the old are passing away. I am
left of the three that started our church, and I am
sorry to say that on the 17th of February the good
Lord took from us our dear old “Mamma” Rachel.
How much we miss her, especially in church!

Well, a few more words. How wonderful the
Lord is in all His ways! Just think, only a few
years ago, our dear brethren opened a school for
the training of ministers in Greensboro, N. C., ‘and
now we are already getting helpers in the mission
field. They have sent us one, and we are well satis-
fied, and pray that he may stay with us. May the
good Lord do all according to His will.

z M. A. D.