known as—the Deep Well Youth Cen ter. This is only a few miles from the Red Chinese border. A few weeks ago, it was my privilege to speak to more than four hundred and fifty grammar school boys and girls who are in daily attendance at this school. On the Lord’s Day a church ministry is carried on. They come from the shanties and shacks nearby. Again the Lord granted me the joy of speaking—and this time it was to the village folk who attended the services. This is their only oppor tunity to hear the Gospel. Now, after these ten years, and fol lowing the retirement at the first of this year by Dr. Roberts, BIOLA has realized that the time has come to entrust these ministries to the hands of the local church and existing mis sionaries on the field. For the past two years Rev. Robert Phillips has been working hand in hand with Dr. Roberts and has assumed the full load of responsibilities for the past several months. I was never more keenly aware of the grave foreign situation than in these past weeks, seeing first hand the communist pressures. We feel that this step has not come any too soon. Through the prayers of dedicated hearts and the sacrifices of God’s people these past ten years, we have invested many thousands of dollars from consecrated stewards in the Hong Kong ministries to the glory of God. I wish that you, too, could have seen the radiantly happy boys and girls, men and women, who have been trans formed by the Gospel of Christ, because you, at home, have been faithful. May I ask, are you just reading words or is this miracle of being a Christian a priceless thing to you? If you could see this “driftwood of humanity” in the Orient suddenly find an anchor in Christ and see the new life that lights up faces etched in de spair—then, perhaps, it might prove to be the greatest sermon you would ever have preached to you. But to return to the new procedure 24
REPORT (cont.) Then, of course, when Communism came in, the tremendous plant which the Lord permitted us to maintain, was taken over completely. Our missionaries were able to take the land deeds, which are registered with the State Depart ment of our Government. Whether we shall ever be able to return is some thing only the Lord knows, and it is in His hands. Dr. and Mrs. Charles A. Roberts, who had headed the work at Changsha, China, then moved to Hong Kong— the last outpost of freedom and de mocracy. They took a watchful posi tion, hoping that the overrunning of Red forces would terminate shortly. Of course, history reveals what hap pened and the current situation is now on the brink of history. During the intervening ten years, the Lord led the Roberts to institute and carry on a wide program of min istry and evangelism. Today, it is a tribute to them that God has given such an outstanding program of Christian testimony in this overcrowded, poverty stricken area of the world — Hong Kong! An English speaking church is attended by several hundred each Sun day, with a program for high school and college young people well attended each Lord’s Day evening. Since people in Hong Kong are eager to secure materials to read, a well stocked book room is maintained right on the main road of Kowloon, a part of the Hong Kong area. Dr. Peter Jenkins, a British physician and consecrated Christian, has been maintaining our Emmanuel Medical Clinic. Here he ministers to the spirit ual needs of the poor people of the area, of which there are countless thou sands. By helping to alleviate their physical ailments, the gospel witness is given. Several years ago, accepting a chal lenge from Dr. Roberts, the students of BIOLA took from their meager earnings enough money to build, what is now
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