The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1932, Page 40

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40

THE LUTHERAN PIONEER

rounded the unsuspicious missionary while he was
repairing his boat. They had decided to kill him
with their battle clubs upon a given signal from
their leader. The signal was given, but not a single

blow fell. ;
Angel Protection.

One of the five later testified that, when he
would lift his club, his arms seemed to be paralyzed.
From that time on the natives were sure that Pao
was under the direct protection of a higher power.
But though they now feared Pao, they still loved
their sins and did not want to turn from them. No
really satisfactory results of the Gospel were ap-
parent. The coming of other native mission-
workers did not improve the situation. On the con-
trary, their advent only seemed to embitter the
people of Lifu. This bitterness and prejudice was
increased by the breaking out of a fatal plague on
the island soon after the arrival of the new mission-
aries. Naturally the ignorant and superstitious
natives blamed the Gospel-messengers for this sick-
ness. The result was that more and more people
decided upon the expulsion or death of Pao and his
associates. These people were particularly encour-
aged to carry out their evil intentions by the rene-
gade Cannibal Charlie, for he plainly saw that the
victory of the Gospel on Lifu would mean that he
must leave the island. But since the blind Bula
faithfully clung to the Gospel, the enemies feared
to proceed with their murderous plans.

Bula, Pao’s Protector, Dies.

It was a sad day for Pao and his adherents when
Bula died. The result was that Pao and his fol-
lowers were compelled to flee. It was with a very
heavy heart that the zealous Pao left the shores of
Lifu. But his four years of faithful labor had not
been in vain. The seed which he had so generally
scattered over the whole island grew and bore fruit,
as it always does in accordance with God’s promise.
For a while, as was quite natural, the enemies of the
Gospel triumphed; but it was only temporarily.
Heathenism in all its cruelty and ugliness showed
itself. Soon every man’s hand was against every
man. Murder and crime of every nature ran ram-
pant. But gradually the more sober-minded began
to compare heathenism with Christianity, and the
result was that a slow, but determined opposition to
heathenism showed itself all over the island. In
“many hearts the Word had struck deeper root than

they themselves had realized. In their distress
_t™many began to pray. Added to this, news came
from Maré, the neighboring island, where Chris-

tianity had triumphed, that all was peace and good
will there. Within about three months the people
of eastern Lifu asked Pao to return. And such was
the success of the Gospel now that in a very short
time the people of the west coast of Lifu expressed
a desire for the Gospel. Haneka, a heathen priest,
and his son, after visiting Pao, were completely won
over to Christianity.

The Triumph of the Gospel.

The white renegade Cannibal Charlie had not
awaited this victory, but had fled to the Fiji
Islands, there to make his home among the most
savage cannibals. What finally became of him is
not known. But in Lifu the Gospel gained one vic-
tory after the other. When the English mission-
aries came to Lifu in 1850, they were astounded to
see what Pao and his companions had succeeded in
doing by their faithful testimony.

After a life of faithful and arduous service Pao
died on Lifu, greatly mourned by all. The grateful
people of Lifu have erected a monument in honor
of Pao, “the Apostle of Lifu,” as a proper recogni-
tion of his labors among and for them. TI. J. L.

Our Orphanage at Shihnan, China.

Shihnan is a walled city, beautifully situated
above a rippling river in Western Hupeh, China,
some four days’ travel by footpath up and down
mountains from the Yangtze River. The popula-
tion of Shihnan, as far as I can ascertain, has never
been definitely fixed by census, but is guessed at as
being approximately from thirty to forty thousand.

Our Missouri Synod opened up work in Shihnan
in 1920. Thanks to the grace of God we now have
one of our most flourishing Chinese congregations
in that city. The senior missionaries are the Rey.
A. H. Gebhardt and wife. The junior missionaries
are the Rev. R. J. Mueller and wife. The dis-
pensary is in charge of Miss Gertrude Simon, R. N.

In this city of Shihnan we maintain a growing
orphanage, whose beginnings go back some ten or
eleven years, when serious political disturbances.
prevailed in Western Hupeh, especially in the
neighborhood of Shihnan. When visiting the city
in the fall of 1921, I found that our missionaries
for the love of our Lord had opened their doors to
a motley gathering of people, chiefly women and
children, many of whom came to us for help, driven
by famine, disease, and fear. I recall that an emer-
gency dispensary had been opened and that our mis-