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T H E K I N G ' S B U S I N E S S
August, 1936
ly speaking, there was no hope. But there was one thing the doctor could do, point the dying man—as well as those that gathered around the rude bed— to the Great Physician who could heal the ills o f the human soul. As the gospel message was given in sim plicity and in reliance upon the Holy Spirit, the mission ary prayed that God would somehow make it possible for the darkened mind of his patient to understand. R esponse to the •G ospel During all this time, Gachitma’s heart was cold and hard. She had no inter est in the missionary. Had he not been deported from his own country ? Else why, thought she, would he leave his native land to live in Mongolia? No one would leave his homeland if he were not forced to leave it ! No, she would not listen to his words. She would not allow little Pilchet to listen to them. But God was at work in that solitary desert tent. As though in answer to the doctor’s prayer, the poor sufferer laid hold o f the
made up the funeral proces sion. ; , Once, when Gachitma’s fourth or fifth child had died, she came back to the tent in the late evening, w on d e r in g w h e th er she would ever see any of her little ones again. Would she see the baby that had so re cently died ? She did see that child again—a horrible sight — for in the night the dogs that had frantically clawed at the little body had dragged it home again and deposited it, a mangled mass, at Gachitma’s tent door. On that awful morn ing, when Gachitma lifted the tent flap, and was con fronted with the heart-rend ing sight, there was not a soul to comfort the sorrow ing mother, not a person at hand to care. U nexpected H appenings T o this point, Gachitma’s story is no different from that of the average Mongol woman. But two unusual things happened in her life. Her husband declined to divorce her, as many men divorced their wives o f whom they grew tired. And in s o m e strange w a y
truth o f personal salvation through faith in Christ. With years o f cruelty and debauchery behind him— a vile and worthless record— this Mongol husband embraced the gospel and be came a new creature in Christ Jesus. “ Ah, I understand!” He breathed softly. “ I understand it all since H e has come.’’;, Gachitma thought her husband spoke o f the visit o f the missionary doctor, and she replied cynically, in bitterness o f spirit, “ He has come—- and gone.” She might have added, “ And I am glad o f it.” “ Oh, but you do not understand.” The husband’s face lit up with joy. “ The Man in White has been here— the Man who can save a soul. I under stand . . . everything . . . since He has come. “ And, Gachitma®” the voice was low and weak. “ When I am gone, I want you to take the child and go to the mission station.” B orn A gain Gachitma determined not to obey— but she went. Arriving at the mission station; the mother and child were gladly taken in. They watched the missionaries, they studied the lives of the few Mongolian Christians, they [Continued on page 319]
Gachitma, who had lost all o f her own children, was allowed to take a little three-year-old foster child and to lavish upon her all the love of her mother heart. When the little daughter was five or six years o f age, Gachitma’s husband became desperately ill. The lamas were sent for-—Mongolia’s so-called holy men—who shook the devil drum over the patient, and muttered mean ingless prayers as they fingered their rosaries made of human bones. But their ministrations did not help. It was evident that the man would soon die. Finally, a relative who was calling on the sick man ventured to say timid ly, “ You have tried everything. There is a white man who lives yonder who has the power to make sick people well. Won ’t you send some one for him?” A fter d u b iou s discussion, two camels and their riders were dis patched to Dr. Joel Erikson—a man who has given twenty-five years to Mongolia, healing her sick and preach ing the gospel. Dr. Erikson listened to the request o f his visitors and ac companied them to the tent o f the patient. He saw at once that, human-
Hulda E. Wiklund, who has spent seven teen years as a missionary in Mongolia, is shown wearing a native costume made of silk. Mongolian men and women wear robes of the same design, the only difference being that the women's garments are heavily embroidered. In Miss Wiklund's hand is a brass buckle bearing the sign of the cross. This object— one of many that have been unearthed— is many hundreds of years old, belonging to the period when Nestorian Christians took the gospel into Mongolia and other regions from the fifth to the eighth century, and required that the sign of the cross appear on their personal apparel and on their horses' bridles and saddles. On the table are prayer beads made of human bones taken from 129 skulls. The object on which the rosary is resting is a food bowl— the kind of utensil that serves every Mongolian as plate, cup, and silverware combined. It is formed to fit the face and provide for easy lickingl Sometimes so-called "holy men" have their food bowls made from human skulls. At the right is a "devil drum," made from two baby skulls and used by the heathen Mongolians in an effort to ward off evil spirits. It is felt that in combating the devil and other unseen enemies, anything made of human bones is especially effective. The wall hanging at the back of the pic ture is a blue-and-gold silk motto, using the Syrian alphabet characteristic of Mongolia, and bearing a message which, translated into English, would read: "Praise the Lord God Jesus, and look for that blessed hope." This wall decoration was given to Miss Wiklund by Christian M o n g o l i a n s on the occa sion of her leaving the field for furlough.
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