7 he ^w 0W n fyi¡racle By Dick Hillis*
O NE morning recently the Bible Institute Hour fea tured the need of Formosa in its morning broad cast. Alert to today’s spiritual opportunities, the school realizes that here is an island of great strategic importance to the church. My own recent trip to Formosa completely confirmed this view. When World War II ended, China seemed a land with her arms outstretched to the gospel. It is true that a few missionaries went back, but most people appeared to be far more interested in new cars and refrigerators, and the return of goods to the markets. So we failed the great land of China—one fourth of the world’s population— while we were busy building houses made of wood, hay, and stubble. General MacArthur pleaded for 1000 Protestant mis sionaries for Japan, and we sent only a handful. Soviet Russia was right “ on the ball,” for she has sent 300,000 communist propagandists into Japan. They took Japanese prisoners of war back to Russia, trained them thoroughly in all the diabolical methods of Communism, and then sent them back to Japan. The day General MacArthur leaves Japan, they are ready to spring into action, and another 80 millions of people will disappear behind the iron curtain. From 1946-1949 the doors of Korea were open as they never had been before, but it seems again we muffed the ball. We could have sent missionaries into Korea, but again we failed to buy up our opportunity. Just 90 miles off the coast of China is the little island of Formosa, 250 miles long and 75 miles wide, with a population of 10 million's. These are unsaved men and women, condemned, dying daily without God and without hope. Furthermore, the Communists have their eye on that island and declare they will invade and conquer it. If they take it, the heads will roll by the thousands. The greatest slaughter of human beings in the present gen eration will take place there for these people who have stood up against Communism. Three millions have come
from the mainland, following Generalissimo and Madame Chiang Kai-shek, saying, “We would rather lose all we have than our liberty.” They are a people waiting for death. Are we going to fail them too? Are we going to deny them the gospel? By the grace of God, a miracle is taking place on For mosa today. Not the least of the miracle is that many groups of God’s people are united in the one purpose of evangelizing the island. Youth For Christ has observed how God has burdened organizations and individuals all over this country to get together in a concentrated effort to evangelize this needy land. I believe that the way God’s Spirit is working, the entire island can be reached for Jesus Christ this year. Here are some examples of the way Christians have worked: A group of Christians from Ohio sent us a million tracts and three millions are to come. The other day I received a letter from one of our men on the field, who said that three men had mailed in those tracts, each testifying, ,C1 was won to Christ through reading this.” Before we left for Formosa, Gospel Recordings gave us a ton of gospel records in various Chinese dialects. Now every radio station on the island is using them! The in teresting thing is that they use them at any time. Wher ever they run out of programs, they just put on a gospel record! When I came back, I said to Gospel Recordings, “ Listen, Madame Chiang Kai-shek would like to see a little gramo phone in every military hospital. There are some 30 of them. Won’t you do something for us ?” They answered, “We will give you thirty immediately.” (I think they are already on the way.) I wanted more, so I said, “ There are 54 aboriginal churches there, and they ought to have those hand-grinding phonographs.” They said, “ How many do you want?” And forwarded the necessary number. Bob Pierce returned from Formosa, saying, “We must have a team out there.” Youth For Christ replied, “ All right.” Bob continued, “ But we must have 500,000 Gospels of John to put in the hands of every soldier on the island.”
*Missionary of China Inland Mission
Students in public services and with personal workers seek light from God’s Word. A P R I L , 1951
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