256
T H E K I N G ' S B U S I N E S S
August, 1933
BIBLE IN STITU TE IN CHANGSHA, HUNAN, CH INA
W Ld G O D M I S S f OAJS - I
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B y FRANK A. SELLER* Changsha, Hunan, China
m i s s i o n a r y whose station is in the northern part of one o f the most distant provinces wrote us about two stu dents who desired to enter the Hunan Bible Institute. One o f these students was only fifteen years of age. I at once wrote to the missionary telling him that students must be fully twenty years o f age before they can be received; therefore the boy o f whom he wrote could not be accepted. In some unusual way, my letter was delayed en route,
not a Christian and was not very. willing to have the boy come. But he yielded to the influence o f others and let him come. Since the boy has been here, he has received such a blessing that he wrote to his fa ther confessing some acts o f dishonesty that occurred when he was at home and asked his father’s forgiveness for them. This letter o f confession so touched his father’s heart that it convinced him of the truth and power o f
and the missionary did not receive it until some five days after the two students had started for Changsha. When they arrived in Changsha, we were amazed to see this boy and told him that we had notified his mission ary that, he could not be received. The boy’s home is so far distant that he could not travel back alone, and his,., traveling companion was an evangelist who had made great sacri fices to come to Changsha and take this course of study. How could we insist on his turning around and go ing back home with this boy ? A l though so young, the boy, Han Peh Hsiang, had done a great deal of study and was very bright and active. In spite of his youth, he seemed really qualified to undertake the course o f study. The evangelist and the boy pled most earnestly to be allowed to remain here. It did seem that God’s hand was guiding. We had a special faculty meeting and de cided that we would permit the boy to remain in the school and attend the classes as an auditor, not as a regular student. Now for the wonderful sequel to this story and the evidence of God’s hand in it a ll: Little Peh Hsiang is always so bright and happy, it does us good to look into his face every time we meet him. How he does love to be here in the school! But best o f all, he has re ceived a real spiritual blessing here. When he came to us, his father was *Superintendent o f the Hunan Bible In stitute, the China department o f the Bible Institute o f Los Angeles.
Christianity, and as a result, he gave his heart to the Lord Jesus Christ. He at once began to close his shop on Sundays and to attend church. He wrote a beautiful letter to this boy, granting him full forgiveness and telling him that his letter of confes sion was worth all he had spent to send him to the Bible school. W h a t t h e H u n a n B ib l e I n s t i t u t e I s a n d D o e s We have here in Changsha a large and well-equipped Bible school. We have an exceptionally fine fac ulty and a choice body of students who have come to us from all parts o f China. Our regular course o f study, leading up to graduation and a diploma, requires three years o f solid work. Our students come from many different denominations. This work had its beginning in the Biola Evangelistic Bands which were started about tw e n ty -fo u r years ago. The Bible school was launched several years later. These bands go out into the fields o f va rious missions on the invitation o f those missions to do a work o f inten sive evangelism in parts o f the field where, the gospel has not yet been preached. A t the present time, we have eight evangelistic bands, each band being made up o f a leader and six evangelists. These bands do not go to some established church and hold a short series o f meetings and then pass on to some other church, but they locate in some center and go out two by two from that center in every direction for about five
China’s Militant Leader Speaks
\ HIANG K A I SH EK , Chairman of the Military Council, the highest military office in China, visited the Hunan Bible Institute. Addressing the stu dents, the Generalissi mo said:
CH IANG KAI SHEK
“I consider it a real honor to visit your Bible school today. The moment I en tered your compound, I was conscious of the fine spirit of this place. “There are certain people who are sus picious of mission schools. This is be cause they have not understood them or their work. I believe that institutions like this are of the utmost value in the work of establishing peace and unity in China and improving the condition of the poor. “There are many plans suggested for saving the country, but I am convinced that the Jesus who is taught by this Bible school is the only power to save and strengthen a country. “Jesus saves men through His great love and the sacrifice of Himself. He re garded neither His personal comfort nor impending danger. His one all-control- ling purpose was to accomplish His task. “We want to save China; let us have the spirit of Jesus and the self-sacrifice of Jesus. I trust that you young people will go out- in the spirit and power of Jesus and influence for good the youth of this land. Take the gospel of Jesus and with it save China and her people— this is your great duty. My hope is that each o f you may fulfill your supreme ob ligation to bring salvation to this land and to its people.”
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