The power of suggestion was strong indeed! Had Proverbs 22:17-29 not promised that dili gence would be rewarded by royal favor? And were we not the sole witnesses under orders to share the gospel with every creature? But I recoiled from gate-crashing, and fearing an overstepping of the Lord’s timing, I wisely refrained. The charitable clinic we opened according to Mission instructions seemed magnetic. The very uniqueness of its religious nature drew Tibetans, Nepalis, Moslems and Hindus o f every caste. “We trust you,” said one spokesman for her companions, “ because you not only give medicine, but also pray to God for us!” Others refused medi cine, explaining, “We came only to hear the Pic ture’ !” The élite and lowly mingled together, being drawn by a common two-fold need of healing and a meeting with the Saviour. This latter always took precedence as it was the recognized prelimi nary treatment. The palace staff also frequented and appreci ated the Clinic’s services, while we in turn received the skilled services of the Raja’s technicians when required. This resulted in a happy though indirect relationship developing behind palace walls be tween the concealed Rani and ourselves. Through two illnesses afflicting choice members of the Rani’s household, this friendship was deep ened. The local Dr. Singh strode into our Mission house one night, deeply distressed that the Queen’s cherished maid lay desperately ill. Knowing our medical personnel had increased, he begged the assistance o f two nurses. “ Respectable women o f your area remain in doors after dusk,” had been instilled into us, and unwilling to jeopardize the ministry, we demurred. But the doctor insisted! Conscious of the Lord’s timing, we acquiesced. After sterilizing instru ments, two nurses were sent on this mission of mercy. They returned elated with the venture, and deeply impressed with the Rani’s devotion to her afflicted servant. But despite all efforts, the servant had died. Though the Rani was plunged into grief, she had penned a queenly letter o f gratitude, enclos ing a generous gift for the clinic, then shared her personal feelings, confident o f our understanding sympathy. We recognized a golden opportunity in our “ thank you” note, and took this occasion to point her to the One “acquainted with grief,” “ the God of all comfort,” knowing from experience His sus taining power. Strangely enough, one o f the first to accept Christ was the wife of the Rani’s chief host, who served as overseer for all visiting nobility. Until her initial visit to the clinic, she had been kept in strict seclusion. Later she was permitted to come and go with perfect liberty. From her first visit,
b y «V ean B u c h a n
T he palace chauffeur and escort chatted con tentedly in the driver’s seat of the Queen’s sparkling green limousine while waiting for the Rani’s appearance. Though I had served years in India, this balmy spring afternoon of 1961 offered me my first op portunity to view inside the palatial palace walls. I stood by the gleaming vehicle silently listening to the men’s soothing Hindi chatter, and reflected upon events precipitating this initial visit with the Rani of our district. This day’s outing climaxed fourteen arduous years of service since replacing our W.E.C. pio neer missionaries Mr. and Mrs. Andrew Laing in Uttar Pradesh. They had blazed the trail at tre mendous physical cost and now requested to be transferred. Their house was said to be “ haunted,” their gardener “ demon-possessed,” and to crown the unpalatable package, the Sub-collector deplored the inexorable crookedness of the people in general. The Laings had won the affection of all, even to being feted at a tea on the palace grounds. However, the neighbors displayed utter dismay when fellow crusader Julia Malic and I arrived. After explaining circumstances influencing our coming, their attitude changed. Now they wanted us to enjoy simliar rights and privileges, urging me to contact the King to arrange a similar re ception.
THE KING'S BUSINESS
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