The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1928, Page 9

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THE LUTHERAN PIONEER. 9

a Ford “will go everywhere,” it cannot easily nego-
tiate the three miles of dry sand that lies between
us and Ovari. At this village we find friendly
shelter and rest in the home of an acquaintance.
But as the accommodations are primitive and not
at all promising, we decide to cross the desert-strip
the same night.

Luckily the carriers whom we requested to meet
us are at hand. Parcels and packages are carefully
distributed in order to burden no one unduly, and
off we start, very much in American Indian file.
At first the experience is very novel and delightful.
Up in the wonderfully translucent sky hangs the
crescent moon. Here and there stars of the first
magnitude gleam and glitter like diamonds em-
bedded in the heavens. Over there glories the
Southern Cross, almost ready to set. The scattered
palms rising at a distance high into the night and

which do real damage if you get into contact with
them. Every now and then the guides by their cries
warn us to steer clear of “entangling alliances.”

Well, there is an end to all things, so also to the
desert near Ovari. At a late hour of the night we
are drawing nearer to the town. Our Christians
are still assembled in large numbers. ‘They are
astonished and rather disappointed to see us there
so soon. As we are not expected until the morning,
the preparations for our reception have not yet been
completed. After greeting us and hearing our
explanations, they make us comfortable for the night
by helping us in putting up our camp beds and the
mosquito netting. Almost reluctantly they with-
draw to their little homes, and we retire for
the night.

Ovari is a rather large fishing village. Its
population is largely Roman Catholic. Several

The Ovari Church Pandel.
To the right the new house of the schoolteacher.

waving to and fro lend a bit of weirdness to the
scene. And now the balmy breezes caress and cool
our feverish face. It is weird and wonderful at once.

The march across the desert dunes demands a
real physical effort. Not at first, it is true, as we
are buoyed up by the novelty of the experience.
But as we proceed, our step grows less elastic and
our conversation less animated. The dry sand
underfoot offers no resistance to our pressure, and
we sink in an inch or two at every step. Gradually,
but surely the unaccustomed exercise begins to wear
down our muscles and our energy. Nor is it wise
to remove the tropical topi, or helmet, from our
head to permit the breezes to strike our perspiring
forehead. The moon is almost full, and it is
dangerous to walk unprotected from its light. In
Southern India the moon “smites” by night. Ps.
121,6. No Indian will sleep in the open.

Our friendly carriers are careful of our welfare.
The desert has very dangerous growths of thorns,

years ago there was a division among the members
of the large Roman Catholic congregation, brought
about chiefly by the typically domineering spirit of
the priests. Our mission was ultimately appealed to.
After careful and conscientious analysis of the whole
situation our missionaries found that it was their
Christian duty to minister to the people who had
asked them to come. But neither the Roman Cath-
olic priests nor their people permitted our mission-
aries to enter unopposed. Obstacles of all kinds
were thrown in their path. The Christians who had
separated from them were persecuted in every pos-
sible manner and were made to feel the chicanery
and the hatred of the papists. Here at Ovari the
Roman Catholic Church showed itself in its true
colors—as an enemy of Christ and His Word.

‘Had the Romanists been in possession of political

power, they, to all appearances, would not have
stopped short of the horrors of the inquisition. By
the grace of God a large number of the original