heard our cries. As for Mohammed, he lived, but he died, and is still dead. He cannot answer. Our Saviour, Jesus, born o f a virgin, lived, died, and was buried, but He came out o f the grave, and today He lives, and waits to hear our cry, and when we cry He hears us.” When asked what one o f God’s promises gave him the right to claim rain, the native Christian immedi ately turned to James 5:17, 18 and read: “ Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space o f three years and six months. And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought forth her fruit.” Without another word, the missionary turned to the great congregation and announced that they would hold a prayer meet ing the next night. It was not long before the pagans and Mohammedans heard about the prayer meeting, and they said they would soon see who had the real God. The pagans had cried for a week, and no rain came. The Mohammedans had cried and fasted for a week, and still there was no rain. They said they would now see what the Christians’ God would do. The missionary asked that no one come to the meeting who did not be lieve that God hears and answers prayer. Monday evening the bell rang at seven o’clock to call the people to prayer, and in about ten minutes the missionary reached the church. There was not a cloud in the sky, and hu manly speaking, no rain could come. The church was so crowded that the missionary had difficulty in enter ing, but when he did get in, he saw that the natives had with them the big umbrella hats they wear in the wet season. These hats are twenty- six inches across. The missionary asked the Christians why they had the hats in the church. They an swered, “ Are we not gathered to pray fo r rain? We will need these hats when we go home.” They firmly believed in a living Saviour, the One who could do ex ceedingly above all that they could ask or think. James 5:17, 18 was read aloud, and all fell on their knees (Continued on Page SU)
BIG HATS A True Missionary Story
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By Thomas Titcombe*
our prophet, and he will send us the rain.” All day and night the mission aries could hear the Mohammedans at prayer, and at the close o f a week, the Mohammedans sacrificed a lamb. But still there was no rain! The cry went up from all: “We need rain, or we starve.” All week the missionary had been praying that the native Christians would realize that they could trust their heavenly Father and that they themselves would ask for a special meeting to pray for rain. On Sunday he had just finished giving a message from the Bible, when someone touched his elbow, and as he turned around, he saw the native pastor, dressed in a white cloth, with his feet bare. The African pastor said, “ Is it not time for us to pray?” The missionary tested him, say ing: “ The pagans prayed for a week, and no rain came. The Mohammedans prayed, and they got no rain. Do you think we can get rain?” The native replied: “White man, we are not pagans, for they have only wood and stone. It is true that the idols have ears, but hear not, eyes, but see not. It is true that we used to worship the idols, but they never
^ -p ^H E cry kept going up in the midnight air: “ A fe ojo o, a fe ojo o ! ”— “We want rain! We want rain!” All over a large section o f Africa this cry was heard. May was almost past, and there had been no rain for more than a month. The shoots o f the yams had come through the ground, but because there had been no rain, all the crops were being destroyed. In great distress, the natives cried out for rain, and the witch doctors with all their bluster and noise prom ised they would bring rain. They took out Sango, the largest idol they had, and went out into the bush. For a week they cried, shouted; beat their drums, and blew rams’ horns to bring down the rain. If noise had been suf ficient, they would have brought down the heavens. Two o f the witch doctors climbed a palm tree, thinking they could get nearer their god so that he could hear. At the end of the week, they sacrificed a cow to the heathen god, and poured the blood all over the large image. But there was still no sign o f rain. The witch doc tors said that if the white man had not been there, they could have sacri ficed a girl, and then the rain would have been sent. The Mohammedans said scorn fully: “ Of course you have no rain. How can idols answer? You are only pagans, but we will bring the rain. We will fast for a week and cry to * Missionary, Sudan Interior Mission. Page Sixteen
J U N I O R K I N G S B U S I N E S S
Martha S. Hooker
T H E K I N G ' S B U S I N E S S
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