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T H E K I N G ’ S B U S I N E S S
On a different kind of battlefield, In a leper colony where the mission aries battle against disease and the “ powers of darkness” to make Christ known to the dark-faced natives, maimed in body and in spirit, a missionary was distributing Bi bles to those who had qualified for them. The lepers crowded around, ea-* ger to receive a precious Book from the White Teacher who was not afraid to live among them. That inight the missionary wrote ‘to thè president of the Gospel Sowers: “The Hausa Bibles which you let us have are now in the Garkida Leper colony. I never s aw people more eager and hungry for God’s Word. You are doing a' great \^ork.” * » • In a crowded ward of a large city hospital, a young girl turned away im patiently as a hospital worker tried to tell her the way of salvation. Quiet ly the visitor left a Gospel of John on the bedside" table. When she ap proached her again a few days later, she found the girl eagerly reading the Gospel and anxious to hear more of the "good news.” It was not long until she had accepted the gift of Life, and another had reason to thank 1the Gospel Sowers who had purchased the Gospel portion that had shown her the Way: * * * A roll call around the world1would reveal many other instances where the hands of the girls who compose the Gospel Sowers Association h a v e reached, in the form of Bibles, Tes taments, and portions of the Word, to bring life to others. Letters on file from South America, Ch i n a , Cuba, Mexico, England, Africa, Peru, and from many separate fields of work within the borders of the United States —hospitals, prisoners in jails and pen itentiaries, and from those who work among youth—are evidence sufficient. Just before the outbreak of war a shipment of Gospels had been sent to Wake Island. The girls have often wondered whether they fell to the captors or the prisoners. Bibles have been sent to Chaplains in New Zea land as well as to many camps here in America. How They Began Amy Flink and Gunhild Carlson had just left a meeting of the Gideons one November Sunday afternoon in 1939. They had sat in the service and listened to the accounts of*the power of the Word unto salvation as the Gideon Bibles in hotels and else where brought conviction of sin and need. The longing that they, too, might have opportunity to serve the Lord grew to fill them with- a kind of hunger. Employed in domestic po sitions as they were, it was impos-
I T WAS the Christmas season as a group of .young women gathered in the Social Hall at the Bible In stitute of Los Angeles for their De cember meeting. By very contrast to 'the wartime Christmas rush of t h e city about them, the serenity, quiet purposiveness, and real joy of t h e group spoke eloquently. There was work to be done when the .Gospel Sow ers—girls employed in domestic posi tions in homes in the city—could get together, even at a combined Christ mas and birthday meeting. There was the Father’s business. They had enjoyed a program of Christmas carols and special songs, sung in Swedish, Norwegian, German, and English, a longer program than normal, for this meeting marked the fifth birthday for the group. Now the moment for business had arrived—a time always looked forward to. . “Madam Chairman,” one said, “ I move we send fifty Bibles to . , . .” * - * ' * The scene changes. There was no thought or time for Christmas on the
narrow strip of beachhead the Marines were holding tenaciously against Jap anese resistance in the cold gray light of dawn. Behind them their own ships poured shells into the jungle foliage and upon the almost indestructible pill-boxes of the enemy. Before them towered the sinister fringe of coconut trees that concealed Japanese snipers, while overhead, fighter planes an d bombers dove to rake the island with machine-gun fire and bombs. At the very'edge of the beach, the Chaplain moved carefully from o n e wounded man to another. Suddenly •his heart lifted as he saw one boy— then another—lying horribly wounded, yet calmly reading a New Testament while waiting for the stretcher bear ers, seemingly unmindful either of the crescendo of the heavy guns’ , thun der, the chattering machine guns, fol his own wounds. More than one was to give thanks for the peace that was his because of the Word read that day —from a gift Bible that was made pos sible by the Gospel Sowers Associa tion. * * *
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