Summer Cuban Expedition For Missions
ism, missionary principles, customs, language, First Aid, cooking and dietetics, carpentry, child evangelism, and radio. A fter six weeks o f studying Span ish*, most o f the students were able to make the way o f salvation plain in that language. Trips were made to many sections throughout the island, and week long visits were enjoyed on several missionary compounds where the students had the privilege o f ob serving the actual problems o f mis sionary life and how these problems were met. They were exposed to every possible test and were able to see for themselves what it really takes to be a missionary. In addition to the training values received, there were many opportuni ties for actual missionary work, re sulting in the conversion o f a great number of the Cuban people. The pro gram was climaxed with a special Bible Conference in the city o f Ha vana during the last week, at which time Dr. Jose Morales was used of God in a special way. An account of his work with the children follows this article. Some of the students remained in Cuba to do missionary work, some returned for further training at the Bible Institute and in other schools, and one o f the students is preparing to leave for Brazil. Altogether, the Cuban expedition was considered a complete success, and a similar ex periment is planned for next year.
C C T J 0 0 K - L E A R N IN G ” is n ’ t | | enough to make a missionary. Missionaries are proven on the field where their theories are put into practice. With this in view, Practical Missionary Training, Inc., was born. Dr. Frank Lindgren, o f the Church o f the Open Door, is chairman o f a board o f directors composed o f lay men and pastors o f Southern Cali fornia, and Rev. Oran H. Smith, head o f the Missions Department o f the Bible Institute o f Los Angeles, is director. The purpose o f this organization, as the name implies, is to furnish some actual first-hand experience for the missionary candidates before their arrival, or even their appoint ment, to the foreign field. The ad vantages o f this experiment can scarcely be estimated. The missionary “ call” that will stand up under the test o f the sights, and sounds, and smells o f the “ real thing” will doubt less endure permanently, and be ac knowledged as the very voice o f God. Accordingly, in June 1950, an ex pedition o f thirty-eight persons, in cluding students from various Chris tian schools, and the staff members and their families, sailed to Havana, Cuba, where at a suburb, Marianao, a missionary compound had been set up for their use. There they remained through the months o f June, July and August, conducting classes and participating in regular missionary work which included ministry in *the churches, rural bohios, radio evangel ism, University centers, open-air meetings, tract distribution, hospital work and child evangelism. They cooked their own food and distributed the household chores among the group. The classes were taught by regular staff members including Rev. Oran H. Smith, Director, Mr. and Mrs. Donald Rose, Mr. and Mrs. Herbert Phenicie, Dr. Jose Morales, and Miss Mary Creswell. Carefully chosen mission aries were invited to spend a week at a time at the Institute to deal with some special phase o f missionary work, such as spiritual life, evangel
Reading from top to bottom: Students distributing clothing .in community of Cabanas. Proposed farm site for practical missionary training Institute. Transportation over a typical roadway in Cuba. Teaching an object lesson to a group of children in Cabanas.
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