The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1923, Page 93

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The Lutheran Pioneer.

93

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sionaries need our prayers in their difficult and
oftentimes discouraging work. Let us, therefore,
work for the Lord’s cause with heart and hand.
How about the new pledges? We are not alarmed.
We are sure they will be forthcoming in the same
liberal manner as in the past.

“There is now one more member in the mis-
sionary’s family that is looking to us —a Max, Jr.
Congratulations to the happy parents! May God
bless both parents and Max, Jr.!

“Our missionary has sent us a number of wood
carvings and another highly interesting letter.
These carvings are to be sent to the societies of the
district for exhibition. The letter will be sent to
all societies as soon as it can*be copied. Lest we
forget — we wish to call attention to the article
in the October Messenger by our missionary.”

Christmas Seals and Missions.

As in former years the Walther League is again
selling the Wheat Ridge Sanitarium Christmas
seals to raise funds for the fight against the white

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plague which annually carries away 250,000 young
people in our country. The fund realized through
the seals enables many a Lutheran to fight the
dread disease among friends and fellow-Lutherans
at the excellent sanitarium maintained by the Wal-
ther League in Colorado. The $26;000 raised last
Christmas made it possible to give free treatment
or reduced rates to that amount during the past
year. ‘This year the League hopes to realize
$40,000. The most of us use seals on our Christmas
mail and packages. Let us patronize our young
people and use our own seals. Surely our own Lu-
theran sufferers are closest to us and should be
taken care of first. So do your Christmas shopping
early. As you prepare to commemorate the coming
of God’s great gift in Bethlehem, help give some
unfortunate fellow-Lutheran that temporal gift
which is most appreciated — health. Buy at. least
one book for twenty-five cents.

Remember that in buying these Christmas seals,
you are supporting a most important mission enter-
prise. By making it possible for poor tubercular
patients to procure free treatment at our Wheat
Ridge Sanitarium, you are also making it possible
for them to be under constant Christian influence
and care.

What Makes the Missionary?

First, a deep and abiding conviction that this
is a lost and sinful world, and that it is the business
of the ministry to hasten its redemption. Secondly,
a deep and abiding conviction that the only means
of redeeming the world is the Gospel of Jesus
Christ, which is the power of God unto salvation.
Thirdly, a deep and abiding love for the souls of
men, such as will drive him to become all things to
all men in order that he may by all means save
some. If this will not set a missionary on fire and
make him a “live wire,” nothing else will.

To this may be added three qualifications or
characteristics on the human side that cannot well
be left out of account. The first is initiative —
a disposition to do and to dare things in order to
reach a fixed goal. ‘The second is resourceful-
ness — the gift of devising ways and means where-
by to reach that goal. The third is inspirational
“pep” — that warmth of spirit and of action which
will spread like a contagion, warm the hearts of
others, and marshal them into line for action.
Under such leadership missions are bound to pros-
per, and no cheap, sensational methods need be
resorted to to insure their prosperity. — Lutheran.

First Influences towards Christianity.

What first influences heathen men and women
to pay attention to Christianity, thus giving them
the first impetus to leave the religion of their
fathers and to accept the teachings of Christ?

On the island of Formosa the Christian workers
sent out inquiries to about four hundred church-
members who were not the children of Christian
parents. ‘The answers received gave most interest-
ing results. Of those asked, 37 per cent. answered
that they had been urged to attend Christian ser-
vices by friends; 22 per cent. had embraced Chris-
tianity because they had found it a help in sickness
and distress; 20 per cent. had by chance heard a