The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1931, Page 175

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THE LUTHERAN PIONEER

175

struggle of these faithful ones. so lately heathen
themselves as they go about their duties from day
to day among their old companions? The thrilling
experiences of the missionary, such as rescuing a
baby buried alive, another baby left in the forest to
perish, freeing imprisoned women, giving medicine
to a suffering one, are none of his pleasures. He
accepts it all as part of his dark life, he has neither
authority nor ability against the rulers of darkness.
But he is always striving to remove the cause of
these conditions by preaching our Jesus.

Oh, for more men to teach our native helpers
from day to day, men giving their whole strength
to this one cause! Well does the native know the
man who truly loves Jesus.

How can we strengthen our helpers spiritually ?
By having them hold counsel and fellowship with
the missionaries and with their fellows of the same
spirit as they meet in conference from time to time,
by prayer and uplifting them in prayer.

Often they are so pitiably childish. Their eyes
seem to feast on the white man’s attire, and they
want to obtain it, the burden that they love to wear
and which will help them perspire and blister their
feet. One man, clothed as for a bleak December day
at home (moth-eathen clothes bought from a mer-
chant), came to me asking for bunion salve; and
only on the addition of an ingrown toe-nail did he
leave off the “beautiful, strong, loud-talking,” one-
size-too-small leather shoes, such as are made in
France.

We have a little schoolhouse, but no church here.
The old men and women fold themselves some way
into and on top of the desks and benches and listen
to the Gospel-story, with many outside, plantain-
leaves making good umbrellas when it is raining.
They have reminded us of this lack, and we our-
selves have been aware of the fact.

The natives at all of our outposts have built neat
little chapels, of which they are rather proud. Many
of them are tithing, every now and then we receive
a chicken, a duck, a few yams, some peanuts, a part
of all the first fruits, nuts gathered in the forest,
and wild honey. The money from this, however,
goes to pay the evangelists’ and teachers’ salaries.
We have a small population here. The church would
need to be large enough though to accommodate the
schoolboys, who come from great distances; if it
were just for those living here, the church problem
would be easily solved. We hope to have many more
gathered into the fold here as soon as we can give
more attention to personal work.

What does it mean to these dusky sisters to be

free? They are still bought and sold; but they are
free from the witch doctor, who must have the blood
of the best goats and chickens to smear over the sick
and himself, whose greenish, slimy medicine, made
sometimes from the dead, must be taken and paid
for—and oh, the fear that haunts one on every
side! Fear, fear, is in everything — until Jesus
comes, who casteth out fear.

Last year word came to the minister, who was on
the road, that a woman was imprisoned by her hus-
band. On investigating, he learned that the woman
had buried her baby alive, her only child. She was
told by a witch doctor that the child was the cause
of the bad sickness (smallpox) that had seized the
village, and it must die. (The doctor was probably
an enemy of the husband.) The mother, anxious to
put the child to death humanely, went into the forest
and placed her baby in a hole and covered it with
sticks. The child died, and perhaps the witch doctor
used the poor little body to carry on his business!

Aw Arrican Missionary’s WIFE.

A Missionary Book.

Every book in the New Testament was written
by a missionary.

Every epistle in the New Testament that was
written to a church was written to a Foreign Mis-
sion church.

Every letter in the New Testament that was
written to an individual was written to the convert
of a foreign missionary.

The one New Testament book of prophecy v was
written to seven Foreign Mission churches in Asia.

The disciples were called Christians first in a
Foreign Mission community.

The map of the early Christian world traces the
missionary journeys of the apostles.

The problems which arose in the early Church
were largely questions of missionary procedure.

Of the twelve apostles chosen by the Lord Jesus
every apostle except one became a missionary.

The only man among the twelve apostles who
did not become a missionary became a traitor.

NOTICE.

The Atlantic District has called the undersigned to do
missionary work among the Lutheran patients in the
sanitaria for consumptives at Trudeau, Saranac Lake,
Tupper Lake, and Raybrook, N.Y. Any one knowing of
such patients will kindly send their names and addresses to

Rey. Orro SIEKER,
P.O. B. 14, Saranac Lake, N.Y.

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