Tropic Treated Trainees
M IS S IO N S continued tian experience to which it leads wears thin quickly on the mission field. Without the constant light of the Word he will stumble. Without the constant strength of the Word he will be cast down. In over-gadgeted America the trainee has been taught to over-em- phasize the importance of his equip ment. He has learned that his audio visual aids will apparently do for him things that formerly could only be accomplished by prayer and much soul preparation. He leans heavily on these crutches and that often to his soul’s detriment. These good things often become enemies of the best in his daily conflict with the powers of darkness. In some cases these aids have become the shallow est means of reaching the shallowest minds with the shallowest truths of the Scripture. Some of our modern missionary conventions in the U.S.A. illustrate this point graphically. Let the missionary candidate be well assured that he is ordained and sent forth by the great I Am. Let him take careful inventory of his re sources. Let him prove his armour in hand-to-hand combat and then go forth knowing that he will be more than conqueror through Christ Jesus. This will save his own soul and the souls of them who hear him. Note: In considering this retreat it should be understood that the cas ualty rate is not nearly so high in most of the well established mission ary societies which carefully screen their candidates. Furthermore, one must not get the impression that for eign missions in general are retreat ing. This retreat referred to by Hil- lis has to do with our preparation of missionary candidates, which prob lem has been recognized and is being rapidly overcome by many of our missionary training institutions, such as the Bible Institute of Los Angeles, which are now using various chan nels for practical missionary train ing. Here on the homefront there is an increasing appreciation for the quality of missionary candidates over against the quantity. — O.H.S. Don Hillis, Biolo '32, is a missionary to India serving with The Evangelical Al liance Mission. The work which he has done in connection with the Bible corre spondence course is worthy of note. Catching the vision of this effective type of ministry more than two years ago, he prepared a Bible correspondence course which was published in one language. To day the course is offered in several lan guages with 70,000 students in India enrolled. The expansion of this program has been so great that other missionary groups have been called upon to assist. The course is advertised in the news papers and on bill boards. 28
niques and devices, the average can didate is woefully lacking in the disciplines of life. The real problem on the field is not created by the climate, the in sects or the heathen, but by the mis sionary himself. Although there are occasional signs of resentment, for the most part our Practical Missionary Training stu dents respond heartily to this much- needed spiritual emphasis. Experience The soldier has his boot training, and the doctor his internship; while the schoolteacher engages in prac tice teaching to insure him of his fitness for the job. One of the encouraging signs in the sphere of missionary activity is the growing demand for thorough ness in the training of missionary candidates. To meet this demand, a group of pastors and Christian laymen have banded together in forming the Prac tical Missionary Training organiza tion.
Thirty-five prospective missionaries from various Bible Institutes and Christian Colleges are scheduled to leave Los Angeles on June 2, bound for the Practical Missionary Train ing Center in Majagua, Cuba. The program is under the direc tion of Professor Oran H. Smith, head of the B i o l a Missions Depart ment, and is in the sixth year of
operation, offering actual, on-the- field experience to missionary train ees. This unusual method of bridging the gap between the Bible school student and the mission field meets a modem missionary need in three ways. Orientation The mounting list of missionary casualties and misfits calls for a more rigid screening of candidates. In its orientation course, Practical Missionary Training exposes the can didate to the basic and universal problems of missionary life. This on-the-field training has proved helpful in confirming the true missionary call, and has served to remove the glamour of the foreign field for young people who are mo tivated by a mere emotional exper ience. Discipline With all of the modem advance ment in missionary methods, tech
For a reasonably low cost a young person with a missionary vision can benefit by this training experience in near-by Cuba. The summer term be gins the middle of June and con cludes the middle of August, but a year-round program is open to a lim ited number.
Scriptures in 1,059 Languages Some part of the Bible has been published in 1,059 languages and dialects, as of December 31, 1952, according to a statement issued by the American Bible Society. Languages in whichthe whole Bible has been published 197 Languages in whicha complete Testament has beenpublished257 Languages in which at least a Gospel or other whole book has been published 605 Total languages in which some part of the Bible has been published 1,059 THE KING'S BUSINESS
Made with FlippingBook HTML5