December, 1942
THE K ING ' S BUS INESS
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us can answer “Yes,” but do they not- have something, at least hands with which to beg, or a shirt upon their back? This woman had no home, no family, no friends, no fingers; no toes, no health, no food, no water, no clothing, nothing save a faintly beat ing heart. She had never heard of Christmas and of the Christ-child, but she had heard of a “ promised land,” and she had walked 250 miles to get there. She had stumbled along for many miles over the rocks and through the tall grass begging a cup of cold water or a bit of cassava pudding to keep her tortured body barely alive until she could reach her desired haven. Finding her was a glad ending to such a happy day. Natural human in stincts revolted at the sight, but it is at such times as these that the love of Christ constraineth us. Had we not found her, she would have become a prey to hungry beasts during the night, but at the end of her long dark trail she found Light. Tender Christian hands bathed her and dressed her and fed her and gave her the first real home she had ever known—all in the name of and for the sake of Christ whose coming we were cele brating. When.she became better the old woman said, “I’m glad I’m a leper. I’d rather be a leper and bask in the sunlight of Christ’s love than to be physically well and live in darkness." Christmases in Africa Christmas for the lepers is a 'time of feasting and festivity. It is at this time of the year that they get a bite of meat to eat. The rest o f the year they must remain content With a few fried ants or roasted f i e l d rats or vampire hats to season their greens,, but at Christmas time we kill one Cow for five hundred lepers. One five- hundredth of a Cow for each is not much, but-it spells a'Christmas ban quet for them. Christ probably spent His first birth day in Africa. There was no room for Him in the inn, but Africa made room for Him on her soil. Today Africa’s children, who have no stockings to be hung by the chimney with care, who know nothing of festooning silver balls on glittering trees, are taught to make room for Him in their hearts. They bring their gifts in their hands to Him, francs by the thousand, each coin the equivalent of a day’s hard Work; they bring their gifts on their heads to Him, fragrant firewood from the forests; they bring their gifts on their backs to Him, baskets of home grown produce; they lead their gifts by the hand to Him, bleating goats and squawking chickens; they offer their gifts on their knees to Him, white gifts of crystal salt and beaten flour; they dedicate their hearts to
first time, I think, that there was a difference between Christians and other Gentiles, and they almost began -to feel as though they and the Chris tians were one! Barriers were broken down. We rejoiced to be free to minis ter to them. But the world conflagration spread rapidly. Germany declared war on Yugoslavia and invaded that coun try. And again, because I had formerly served there, I lived, in imagination, with those I knew—through the na tion’s fight and the subsequent occu pation. Again I wondered about my friends and about the work they had done. Rumors grew sinister; day, by day difficulties mounted until it seemed that, in truth, we lived and worked on the edge of a threatening volcano. It was little surprise, therefore, to us, when, on December 7, the world’s radios carried the news of Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor. I was still in Budapest. I was an enemy alien, in a Nazi- controlled' land. What did the Lord have for me next? [T o Be Concluded ] and mail from home. We took a walk among the palms at sunset and found her completely exhausted in the path. At first I thought she was an old dis carded brown coat, but I should have known that no one discards a gar ment, no matter how old, in Africa. She proved to be an old leper woman who had fallen by the wayside within sight of her goal. Have you ever looked into the face of any one who had NOTHING? If we mean some beggar at our door or some ragged child in the alley, all of [Other stories of how Christmas is spent in Central Africa are printed in Chapter III of Mrs. Kellersberger s re cently printed book, God's Ravens, pub lished by Fleming H . Revell, N .Y ., all of the royalty of which goes to foreign missions. Mrs. Kellersberger began her service in Africa in 1930, H er husband, E. R. Kellersberger, M . D ., is General Secretary of the American Mission to Lepers. During his 24 years of service in Africa, he performed nearly 3,000 surgical operations and was responsible for the care of a total of 1,488 lepers and 11,125 patients suffering fro?n sleeping sickness. To the lepers he was known by the significant title of " The Man Who Is Not Afraid to Touch Us ." In 1940 Dr. Kelletsbetger was called back to America to occupy his present executive position in the work of the American Mission to Lepers, 156 Fifth Avenue, N ew York,' N . Y . This organization cooperates with the many mission boards which devote all or part of their effort to leper work. —E ditor .] MY CHRISTMAS SHOPPING LIST [Continued from Page 450]
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A Complete Listing of Gospel Music LILLENAS PUB. CO. b S nsasciw ® mo . Him, hearts that once were dark but now are full of Light. Oh, I wish you could see them—Africa’s children at Christmastime. The Light of His Countenance will help us, too, to sing in the rain, will turn our own rags into regal robes, will fill our tfngrateful hearts with thanks, and will make us royal givers ourselves. That is why my Christmas shopping list for myself, my family, my friends, for you and for the whole world reads thus: For Julia Lake..__, More Light. For Roland________________.MoreLight. For Helen ____ ...____ .More Light. For Beth ....._____ ,___More Light. For YOU ................. ....More Light. For thp World____ .„...More Light. It is ours for the asking. If you’ve already received it, ask for more and yet more. Ask for the expansion of your soul, for the assimilation of It, and then for power for the dissemina tion of it unto the uttermost ends of the earth. HOME A T CHRISTMAS [Continued fom Page 447] I do not ask that I may do some great Magnificent achievement, bringing fahne; I do not covet larger fields to roam: I only Want to keep alight the flame Of God’s love shining from a Chris tian home. ,
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