TIE SCOPE OF HISSIOSS
Ed ited b y Oran H . Smith Chairman, Dept, of Missions, Biola Bible College
My Country andMy People
George Nishida him through school and being dis couraged, he was found weeping over his failure. Some Christian students saw the predicament and quickly provided the finances needed to put What are churches for, but to make missionaries? What is education for, but to train them? What is commerce for, but to send them? What is life itself for, but to fulfil the purpose of missions, the enthron ing of Jesus Christ in the hearts of men? —Augustus H. Strong him through school. Through the testimony of these students, he was converted and was preparing to go back to his people with the gospel when he was taken ill and died. But his example stirred the hearts of many, among them a student at An dover, Hiram Bingham. He volun teered to go to the islands in Oboo- kiah’s place, and on October 17, 1819, he, together with others who saw the vision, left Boston. The trip aboard the crowded brig took 157 days—days of stuffy quarters and jeerings of the crew that cared noth ing for the gospel. When they finally reached Hawaii there were new problems to face. White traders had cheated the natives, so they were slow to believe anything the mission aries had to tell them of Christ and the way of salvation. Some of these natives, though quiet and shy, accepted the message with eagerness after keeping the mis sionaries under close surveillance for a long time. Only after being con vinced that the missionaries were there to help them instead of hinder them did they open themselves to the Word of God. Salvation in Christ was a new experience for them after liv ing in spiritual decadence for genera tions, but soon some became revived in the Lord and passed up the old things which were so much of their lives for a long time. The Picture Today The picture of the early begin nings certainly looks good, but diffi
H awaii, made up of eight islands forming a chain, has much in store today for consecrated mis sionaries. Pagan Africa and Commu nistic China have nothing over the islands for the lack of ministers and missionaries in proclaiming the riches in Christ. To many the challenge of the Great Commission was meant for the other places in the world, but God forbid that we overlook the Hawaiian Islands and their need of salvation through Christ. In 1894 Hawaii became a repub lic, and by 1898 was annexed by the United States and still later organized1 as a territory under the American flag. Hawaii is American soil, using the same language, the same cur rency, the. same postal rates as the mainland United States. United States citizens traveling there need no passports and pay no customs *on goods bought or sold. The advances in these phases have been remarkable and appreciated by the people there, for by the grace of God, we have been privileged to live as free Amer icans. The picture is not bright, however, fo r ,the church of Jesus Christ. In stead of advancing toward the win ning of souls and the edification of believers through the years, it has gone back to the traditions of men. The church has suffered because of paganism but the deepest regret is that many that claim to be Chris tians have turned their backs to the very source of Christianity, even the person of Christ. How far back the present conditions will take the church will depend upon the con viction of believers in getting the Word of God in its fullness to the people. Will Christian America per mit further catastrophe at such a time as this? Obookiah and His Influence Through the efforts of one man, Obookiah, missions in Hawaii began. Stirred with the condition of his fel low men before he came to the main land, Obookiah was determined to go back to his people after obtain ing an education. Brought to the United States through the efforts of a sea captain, he did not have the finances that were necessary to put
culties set in later to wreck the fine work and dedication of the natives in keeping the gospel before the people-. Idolatry was introduced when the Japanese and Chinese brought in their heathen beliefs and customs to the islands from the East. Other hindrances came after the annexation to the United States in 1898 and also after the islands were organized as a territory. Roman Catholicism, Buddhism, Shintoism and Modern ism made much headway among the people in the ensuing years. These, along with the advance of Seventh- Day Adventism, are still prevalent today. Though the early beginnings were blessed by the Lord with the win ning of many to Christ, today in the Hawaiian Islands there is much god lessness and unconcern for spiritual things. The early years were cer tainly ones of rejoicing as many were saved because of the faithful witness of these emissaries of the Lord. What a blessing it is to us as we anticipate the rewards of those who, in spite of opposition, were faithful to their high calling. However, the work of the gospel has suffered many setbacks and has lost its appeal to the people. A sad testimony for Christ, but nevertheless true as we look at the churches sup posedly to be those of the Christian faith standing where suffering and sacrifice once reigned on the behalf ' of Christ through the faithful am bassadors for Him. “Say not ye, there are four months and then cometh harvest? behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white unto harvest.” Yes, even as the Lord Jesus made that marvelous statement after the conversion of the Samaritan woman beside Sychar’s well, the same can be said of many fields even today. There may not be as many as in the previous years of Christian witness but there have been some fields harvesting precious souls for Christ. For these fields and laborers, we can thank and praise the Lord of the harvest for the way the gospel has been sent forth with the prayer that Hawaii will be included in this group. CONTINUED ► 27
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