The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1931, Page 149

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THE LUTHERAN PIONEER.

149

sionary has succeeded, by God’s grace, in teaching
this old soul twenty-seven Bible History lessons.
She can point to the pictures and relate one after
another the truths which she has now learned and
which the pictures bring to her mind. Whenever she
comes to the picture which shows the publican
standing with downcast look and contrite spirit in
the Temple, grandma’s trembling forefinger points
to this penitent sinner, and she says: “That’s poor
me, a sinner.” And when she sees the picture where
Jesus hangs on the cross, she points to her Redeemer
and invariably says: “There He hangs! How He
loved us! And He saved that bad man hanging
there next to Him.”

Oh, how happy this old soul is in the Savior,
whom she has found in these late days of her life!
“Your coming means so much to me,” she often tells
your missionary. Yes, it does mean much — it
means saved from hell and damnation and won for
Christ and heaven.

We could tell many other incidents which show
how streams of blessings are flowing from the teach-
ings of God’s holy Word into homes and hearts of
people in Mississippi; how blind students by means
of the Braille system are learning Bible-stories and
Catechism; how nearly 200 students and faculty
members got up in dark and chilly rooms to come
out to a five-o’clock Christmas service; how persons
lie awake in bed at night meditating on truths
which have startled them while at our services; how
successful efforts are being made to establish a Lu-
theran church in Jackson, Mississippi’s capital; how
colored people heard a Lutheran sermon preached in
one of Jackson’s streets one night; and also how
a white congregation has been established here
during the last year. But let this suffice.

Pray God to continue to bless His Word here
and everywhere. And support to the fullest of your
ability mission-work, the greatest work on earth, —

saving souls from eternal destruction and winning

them for Christ and heaven. Now is the time. Soon
it will be too late.

Jackson, Miss. G. A. Script.

How a Door for a Mission has Been
Opened to Us in Baton Rouge, La.

It is almost incredible that we have no colored
Lutheran church in Baton Rouge, a city with a pop-
ulation of about 25,000, the capital of the State,
located about eighty miles from New Orleans, the
largest Lutheran center in our Colored Missions,

and about 100 and 130 miles, respectively, from our
churches at Mansura and Alexandria, from which
places some of our people have gone to Baton Rouge
in search of employment. Baton Rouge is one of
the cities Missionary Doescher visited on his mis-
sionary exploration more than fifty years ago. Efforts
were made in the past to establish a mission among
the colored people in Baton Rouge, but they were
unsuccessful. Work would be abandoned for a season
and then taken up again. Superintendent G. M.
Kramer, fully persuaded that a Lutheran mission
among the sin-lost and Christless people of Baton
Rouge was greatly needed, courageously held on in
spite of the many difficulties and obstacles and his
many duties as superintendent of the field and served
Baton Rouge with preaching in a house and later in
an old disreputable hall for several years.

Finally a door was opened to us in Baton Rouge.
Pastor Kramer was forced to give up there on ac-
count of the increasing duties of his office. The
writer was given charge of the work at Baton Rouge.
Passing through Baton Rouge on his way to New
Orleans, before making his first visit, the writer
providentially met Mr. Moran Laconta, a former
member of St. Paul’s, Napoleonville, but who is now
a resident of Baton Rouge. A few words were ex-
changed between them, plans were made for the fol-
lowing Sunday, when the writer expected to hold
his first service at Baton Rouge. Superintendent
Kramer, finding it impossible to come and introduce
the new missionary, prevailed upon Professor See-
berry, who is well known in Baton Rouge, to present
the new laborer. The service was conducted in
ahouse. During this service five children were bap-
tized. Mr. Laconta manifested his interest in the
work by looking up Mr. Henry Alexander and
bringing him to the service. Mr. Alexander needed
no introduction, as he and his family frequently
attended the Lutheran church in Napoleonville when
the writer was in charge there. Mr. Laconta also
located Mr. Wesley Dimes, a former member of
Mount Zion, New Orleans, and brought him to the
services. It was not very long before the house
where the services were held was too small to ac-
commodate the people. A hall has now been rented
for services. Not only the attendance is increasing,
but also the membership. We now have nine com-
municant members. An adult class will soon be
organized. We have prospects of finding more mem-"
bers of our Lutheran Church who have drifted away.
This is the way a door has been opened to us in
Baton Rouge. May the Lord bless and prosper His
Church in Baton Rouge! C. P. THoxrson.