The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1931, Page 152

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152

THE LUTHERAN PIONEER.

We wish you had been with us as the soft strains
of “God Be with You till We Meet Again” were
wafted heavenward, then grew in volume, then
dropped into a sweet fading decrescendo. We seemed
to have a, better conception of the feeling of the
psalmist when he said: “Lord, I have loved the
habitation of Thy house and the place where Thine
honor dwelleth.” W. B. SEEBERRY, JR.

An Interesting Home Missions Report.

We bring our readers part of the report of the
energetic and efficient Home Missions Director of
the California and Nevada District, the Rev. August
Hansen. We found so much of interest in this
report that we are certain that our readers will also
enjoy reading it. The mission-mindedness of this
District is most noteworthy, and the courage of this
comparatively small band of Lutherans is deserving
of recognition.

“Our field of work comprises fifty of the fifty-
eight counties of California and the entire State of
Nevada, with an area of 225,000 square miles. The
population of this field is 2,836,081. Over half of
the fifty-one active pastors of our District are mis-
sionaries supported by the District. Their number
is thirty-two. These salaried workers occupy fifty-
nine fields, while eight additional stations are served
by pastors of self-supporting congregations. There
are twenty-nine organized congregations and thirty-
nine preaching-stations.

“Some interesting facts concerning our mission-
fields. There was a net gain of 381 for the entire
field. Twenty persons were gained from the lodges,
140 from the unchurched. Nineteen adults were
confirmed ‘since January. Twenty different nation-
alities are represented, including Jew and Hottentot.
Eighty-four per cent. of the work is done in the
English language and sixteen per cent. in the
German. :

“Tn. the fall of this year-our field will be ex-
panded considerably with the placing of six new
men. This is a bold step forward, made possible by

an offering of approximately $4,000 through the

Call of the Hour movement.
“Much exploration work was done in the past

_ year.‘ Individual pastors, groups of pastors, and

students of California Concordia College, under the
Jeadership of the director of missions, canvassed ten

_ localities and five long exploration trips were made.

two instances kind laymen offered their time and
uto and paid all expenses. Plans are now in the

making to visit eight important cities, while it is not
being overlooked that we as yet have no representa-
tion in fourteen of the 50 counties composing our
District.

“Tn pursuing the duties of his office, the director
of missions delivered eighty-five sermons, lectures,
and addresses, attended many meetings, wrote 303
letters, and traveled 25,048 miles.

“An illustrated lecture on the history of the
District and featuring its mission-work is in prep-
aration. The director of missions also plans to
enter a Lutheran display at Sacramento State Fair
and at other localities.”

Zenana Work in India.

We bring our readers part of a letter written by
Deaconess Louise Rathke from Ambur, India, to
Pastor Poch of Fort Wayne, Ind., who is at the head
of the education of deaconesses among us. The letter
was published in a late number of the Lutheran
Deaconess, the organ of the Lutheran Deaconess
Association.

Assisted by Three Native Bible Women.

As you doubtless know, my work here is among
the women. We call it Zenana work. I have three
Bible women, with whom I almost daily visit some
villages. We instruct women for baptism and con-
firmation, try to further indoctrinate some of our
Christian women, and last, but not least, try to reach
as many heathen women as we can to bring them the
glad tidings of the Gospel. We also teach some of
our illiterate Christian women to read and write.
We want them to be able to read their own Bibles,
prepare them so that they can go to the fountain of
life itself and study Scripture. No doubt you will
be interested if I tell you about such a visit to
a village.

. Visit to a Village.

On a bright, sunshiny morning two of my Bible
women and I started out to visit a small village,
and as the distance was rather great, we went in the
motor car. We stopped our car in the caste village
and then walked over to that part of the village in
which the Adi-Dravidas or non-caste people live.
Each village in this part of the country has two
parts, one part where the caste people and another
part where the non-caste people live. ‘This little
village, surrounded on three sides by coconut palm
trees, was composed of small.mud huts covered with
palmyra leaves. Upon arriving, we immediately