tee, besides helping in relief work, has sent a doctor into one of the tribal areas in the' south, and an other Mennonite missionary couple is to arrive this year. The World Council of Churches had a representative here for six months helping in rehabilitation and relief work. The Seventh-day Adventists have a number of missionaries, and a hos pital in Saigon. The oldest and largest missionary group in Viet Nam is the Christian and Missionary Alliance. They have work scattered thinly over most of the country in the south, and a few small groups in central Viet Nam. They are also reaching several tribes of mountaineers in the southern plateau areas. Our Operation Service is a new organization recently established to reach many of the unevangelized mountain tribes, first of all in cen tral Viet Nam. We expect to open a dozen tribal centers within the next few months. Several are al ready occupied by Vietnamese mis sionaries. What then is needed now? One or two more strong evangelical mis sionary societies should take im mediate steps to occupy the unevan gelized cities, towns and villages. One hundred and fifty sturdy pio neers, linguists, teachers, medical personnel, secretaries, etc., are all desperately needed if this unprece dented opportunity is to be grasped. The most vocal in urging such a course are the national Christians themselves, who are praying for a great forward movement in the coming days. The Vietnamese peo ple are intensely interested in Chris tianity at this time. Wherever the missionary stops, a crowd is sure to gather, eager to hear his message. Great open air meetings, formerly banned by the French, are now pos sible everywhere, and a rich harvest of souls is waiting to be gathered. Government officials are most co operative. During the past ten months since Operation Service (known here as “Christian Propaganda Society,” translated from the Vietnamese name) was organized, we have
>
V
Viet Nam tribesmen are often suspicious and hostile because of so little contact with civilization. The Smiths gained access to this village (Katu tribe) but once they left were forbidden to return. To back their firm stand natives blocked trails, flashed huge spears.
A
made an intensive survey of the tribal areas in four of the coastal provinces of central Viet Nam, and have opened work in some areas. For 28 years we have studied the needs of the 150 or more tribes in Indo-China. We know who and where they are, approximately how many, and how best to reach them. By jeep, sampan and on foot, we have penetrated into the mountains to see where tribal mission centers should be established. Some of these areas have from 30,000 to 60,000 tribespeople, all abso lute ly un touched by the gospel. We are plac ing Vietnamese missionaries in them, but the great need is for consecrated, enthusiastic foreign missionaries with their cars and equipment, schools, dispensaries and scientific translation work. Hun dreds of mountaineer evangelists will have to be trained. Some of these tribal areas are comparatively easy to reach, with scores of villages in valleys near roads. Most of the tribes, however, are very difficult of access, their villages perched on steep mountain sides back in vast unexplored areas where the people have never had
any contact with civilization. Some make human sacrifices. Many have never seen white men. They have no contact with the government and live independently, unsubdued and hostile. It is fantastic that in this the second half of the twentieth cen tury, hundreds of thousands of primitive tribespeople are still living in ignorance, misery and without any knowledge of Christ, even as they have for centuries. These tribes respond to the gos pel. Our Bible school has been es tablished only a few months and already 10 mountaineers are study ing the Word of God, coming from two different tribes. Others are eager to learn. This is the time for Christian leaders to get together, to come out here and make a proper study of the needs of Viet Nam. Denomina tional “ holdings” should no longer bar strong evangelical societies from entering where the need is so great. As long as we have breath we shall cry out to Christian America to take positive action and accept the challenge of these 12 millions in Viet Nam now. END.
p.
T
APRIL 1957
49
Made with FlippingBook - Online Brochure Maker