The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1930, Page 101

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THE LUTHERAN PIONEER.

101

a forceful manner, he told the seminarians how he
had been called to preach the Gospel to these silent
people. “One day,” he said, “I received a letter
written by a deaf person that was of more than
ordinary interest.” The writer of the letter said:
“I have been reading the entire Gospel according to
St. Mark this afternoon. While reading the 16th
chapter of the gospel, a verse fastened itself upon my
mind, and I have been thinking of it ever since. It
is the great missionary command of our Lord given
to His disciples in verse 15: ‘Go ye in all the
world and preach the Gospel to every creature.” It
is true, the Gospel of Jesus Christ is preached to
many creatures, and large numbers are won for
Christ and His kingdom. But, dear Pastor, how
is it that the Gospel is not preached to us deaf
people? Are we not also creatures and therefore
included in this missionary command of our Lord?
We see our hearing relatives and friends go to their
respective churches on a Sunday, while we must
remain at home because no one will preach the
Gospel to us in a language which we are able to
understand.”

Pastor Reinke was deeply touched, and then
and there he made up his mind to study the sign-
language in order to serve these much-neglected
people. After a few months of diligent study he
preached his first sermon in the sign-language to the
deaf of Chicago and vicinity. That was the begin-
ning of Lutheran mission-work among the deaf.

On that memorable day, thirty-two years ago,
in the seminary chapel, the aged pastor addressed
a fervent plea to the students to take up the study
of the sign-language in order that the Gospel might
be preached to the deaf. Three seniors responded
to that plea and after their graduation took up the
work either as full-time or part-time missionaries
among the deaf.

Pastor Reinke has gone to his reward, but the
work has continued ever since, and by the grace of
God seventeen full-time missionaries, serving twelve

organized congregations and 110 preaching-stations,

are now actively engaged in soul-saving work among

the deaf in many States of the Union and in Canada.
May the Lord continue to bless our missionaries

and make them a blessing unto many dearly bought

souls! Rey. E. A. DuEMx1Na,

in Northwestern Lutheran Annual.

oo

In doesn’t do for the Christian to sit still. He
must keep crowding evil along till it falls off the end
of the seat.

A Brand Plucked Out of the Fire.

Pastor Geo. Kase, the efficient and untiring city
missionary, relates the following touching incident
in the last number of the Cincinnati Lutheran: —

“In our large City Hospital lies a young man of
the middle twenties, tall, with blond hair and deep-
blue eyes. He is under police surveillance and, if he
lives to be tried for the crime he committed, will
have to serve some years in the State Penitentiary
to atone for his felony. He lost his parents early in
life and was thrown out upon the world in the
metropolis Chicago to make what he could of life.
If he had any chances to learn of Christ and His
love for the sinner, he did not improve them. So
he grew up irreligious, scorning the dangers of
human and divine justice threatening him day and
night in the life of crime into which he had drifted.
He became a member of one of the many Chicago
gangster organizations and with three other yeggs
began operations in Cincinnati. In November last
he was caught in the act of robbery here in Nor-
wood. His pals fled, leaving him alone to receive
three or four bullets fired by an officer of the law
into his body. Since that day he has undergone
three surgical operations necessitated by the destruc-
tive bullets fired into his vitals. This young man,
it is believed by the attending physicians now, will
likely recover. We are visiting him regularly.

“We have not the space here to give our readers
even a brief réswmé of the inspiring experience at
this bedside. The hideousness of his criminal career
is ever before him, and we had great difficulty for
a long time to convince him of the towering mercy
of God, which forgives all sins. The history of the
Passion of our Lord which we perused with him
during Lent finally made an impression on him.

- The story of the penitent malefactor and his recep-

tion into paradise, of which we had spoken to him
often before, now sounded sweeter to him than at
any other time, and he said, ‘It all sounds so won-
derful, and I hope that Jesus will help me to be-
lieve it.’ And last Friday morning this young man
made the following statement, ‘I believe now that
I can really escape the damnation of hell, that God
is willing to forgive me my damnable sins. I believe
that God will do this because Jesus died also for me.
Oh, how I wish I could undo what I have done
wrong to so many innocent people! Please do not
pass my door, but visit me often and help me with
your prayers and talks, so that I will not lose this
assurance again.’ This statement he made in the