Collection › LCMS Convention Proceedings (St. Louis, Missouri) › 1938 · 37th Convention, St. Louis › Page 135
LCMS Convention Proceedings St. Louis, Missouri — 1938, Page 135

Scan: The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod
Transcription machine transcription, uncorrected

Missions in General 185

Stations assigned to him, writes: ‘The mission-field is quite ex-
tensive, but it is the most promising field in Rio Grande do Sul.
All told, 25 stations were served by my predecessor, Rev. M. This
is indeed a large number. It takes a powerful, robust man to
do this work. No one can bear the strain for any length of time.
We are happy indeed to have this large field. But how sad that
we lack the most important thing —the Christian day-~school!
Right here in F. and in B.U. we need the Christian day-school
badly. Then, too, the congregation is not by any means small.
It already numbers 81 families. At A. the congregation is fast
disappearing because the children no longer speak German. This
congregation belongs to another church-body. We are asked to
come to preach to them in the language of the country. ...
Oh, that the Lord would send at least one missionary into this field!
I should like to open two schools; but how can I dare to do this
in the face of the work I now have, not to speak of the four vacant
parishes? We are in need of men who could relieve us.’

“We need ten men, to tell the truth, fourteen, if we want
to relieve the situation. I do not know of any other time when
we so sorely needed workers. We can no longer continue this
way. We shall either lose some of our strongholds or experience
other sad reverses. Will the Missouri Synod, the Church with
the everlasting Gospel, in the days before the final coming of the
Master fail us?”

“Come and help us.” We hear the plea from beneath the
Southern Cross. Dare we turn a deaf ear to these pleas? The
King’s business demands haste. Let us be about our Father’s
business. ,

Foreign Fields. —India is about half as large as the United
States, but it has a poulation of 352,000,000 of which only 6,200,000
claim to be Christians. Tremendous, unlimited opportunities,

China.— A heathen country with an area of 4,275,000 square
miles and a population of 440,000,000. It is appalling to think
that every minute thousands upon thousands go down to their
eternal doom.

The Lord has privileged us to send our missionaries to these
distant lands; in spite of the many vexing problems, in spite of
the hatred and the animosity of the heathen world, God’s Word
has not returned void. In church and at school, with old and
young, the eternal light of the Gospel dispels the darkness.

Our Foreign Missions have sustained painful losses since
a number of the missionaries for valid reasons could not return
to their former field of activity. We therefore join the Board
and the friends of Foreign Missions in praying to the Lord that