VESSELS OF HONOR/ by Ruth Samarin
B R A I L L E BOOKS, PAMPHLETS, TRACTS Evangelistic — Devotional FREE to the Blind (as the Lord provides) "That those who see not may see' Write: CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP FOR THE BLIND INTERNATIONAL, INC. F r e e I n fo rm a t io n How you can study the Bible BIOLA EVENING SCHOOL 558 So. Hope St., Los Angeles 17, Calif. HONG ■ » is the GATEWAY to Asia used by The Bible Institute of Los Angeles, Inc. 558 South Hope Street Los Angeles 17, Calif. GOSPEL PREACHING — Emmanuel Church holding regular services in English and Chinese in the heart of the colony and the Countryside. MEDICAL MINISTRY — Emmanuel Clinic with two doctors and a regular staff of nurses and evangelists, treating over 1,500 monthly. PRINTED PAGE — Biola Book Room, a large evangelical book store in downtown Kowloon distributing Bibles and literature in English and Chinese. YOUTH CENTER — Recently built in the New Territories. Primary and Evening Schools for factory workers and their chil dren. Summer and winter Bible Confer ences. For complete information and gifts, please write Charles A. Roberts, D.D., Supt. The Bible Institute of Los Angeles, Inc. Hong Kong Department 558 South Hope St., Los Angeles 17, California A FOUR FOLD MINISTRY
Escape!
Sara’s father, and uncle and Kobo, the native pastor, and also the village pastor and last of all there was Sara. Her head was bowed and she tried to be as quiet and small as possible; yet there was none of this morning’s sad ness about her. The men had been talking for many hours. Kobo had declared that Sara had come to him making known her wish not to marry the choice of her Uncle. Kobo had added that she, a Christian girl, should not be forced to marry a pagan. Sara’s father and uncle an swered with angry words. At last Kobo presented a new plan. There was a brother in the family of the uncle’s choice. This boy was a Christian. True AiAhe had no sewing machine, but he had gone to the mission school and he was educated. He wished to serve God. Would Sara’s father and uncle consider him as a husband for Sara. The uncle was about to answer no, when an old man stepped into the firelight. He raised his hand for si lence. “ I’m not a Christian” he spoke out in a clear voice, “ but these men of God speak wisely. Our road is full of problems. Let us let the girl marry one who walks her road. One less problem is a good thing.” The crowd gathered in the darkness outside the firelight grunted in approval. The men talked longer, but the wish of the old man had made the decision. Later that night as Sara lay on her mat, she rethought the day’s events. The “ road of escape” had not been easy. All her life Sara knew she could never complain, for she would always be reminded by her pagan relatives that she had chosen this way against their will. Perhaps this Christian boy would not be handsome and they would laugh at her choice. Yet she did not care. She had chosen God’s road and she was full of joy. For an African girl, who has never made an important decision by her self, and who has never defied her father in the smallest way, this took real courage. But we American girls, who have made decisions for years and should find this choice easier, still fall into Satan’s trap. Christian girls date unsaved fellows, Christian girls marry unsaved men. This choice al ways brings sorrow, for we have no right to marry into paganism. Dating is different you say. Sara would not understand our system of dating. Meet us here in the pages of the King’s Business next month to walk with Sara along life’s road in Africa again.
E d it o r ’ s N o t e : W e continue in this issue of the King’s Business, with a series of articles on missions for young people. They are printed hy permission of the Brethren Missionary Herald. Ruth Custer Samarin and her husband are graduates of BIOLA. They are laboring in Africa under the Brethren organization. T h e r e was great excitement in the air. The Christians smiled and greeted friends from neighboring vil lages with warmth and love. Even the village pagans stopped in their daily routine to stare. Kobo, the ordained elder from this area, had arrived that morning. The Christians were gather ing now by the river, near the spot where the women drew water, to wit ness a baptismal service. Sara stood there with them, but a stranger would have guessed her a pagan. While all those around her sang hymns joyfully, she scolded and pouted. Nambona, the pastor’s wife, watched her sadly. This was a hard affair, she thought, for a young girl. Had not Sara learned to read her New Testament and had she not memorized Bible verses in Sango and in her own language. Yet Sara could not now join the church because she wished to marry a boy who was not God’s child. At the end of the happy service, the people went to the tiny village chapel to partake of the Lord’s Supper. Sara’s heart was so full of her own troubles that she left the singing group and crept into the cool darkness of her own house. There by the light coming from the open doorway, she opened the New Testament she had just been able to buy with her share of the cot ton crop money. She quickly found the verse the pastor had shown her about not marrying someone that was still in darkness. She had thought her uncle had found a good husband this time. The boy owned a sewing ma chine and Sara knew that this meant clothes and shoes for her. This had gladdened her heart, for every girl would like to marry a man who could give her clothes. But now she was sad. Her father and mother and uncle were all pleased with this match, but God was not pleased. But, she argued, a girl never refuses to marry her rela tive’s choice. Then across her mind flashed a verse she had learned just last month in the village chapel. “ . . . God is able to open a road of escape.” That evening there was great ex citement in the village. Everyone was gathered around Sara’s father’s fire. All eyes were on the group that sat in the circle of the firelight. There was
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