by Dick H illis
Written by Mr. D ick Hillis, General D irector o f Orient Crusades. Orient Crusades is a mission working in Formosa, V iet-N am , the Philippines and Argentina. The mission is asking fo r God-prepared workers to go w ith them to the uttermost part o f the earth.
they were afraid of demons and fear ful of death, they had little or no con cern about sin. Yen was tireless in his preaching. In addition to classes for children, he started church meetings for the adults in each of the six villages of the is land. He was so fervent in his prayers for the salvation of the Yamis that as they listened to him, they began call ing him, “Mr. Amen.” They did not understand the meaning of the word, but they heard it so often that they made it his nickname. The adults seemed hardened to his message. Relatively few of the island’s 1600 inhabitants attended his meet ings In fact, it was whispered to him that some of the men were hatching a plot to murder him because he was so fervent in his prayers that the Yami tribe might be converted. One night not many weeks after Yen arrived, he was attacked by a mob of angry men. Several of the men hit him with sticks. The leader grabbed him by the throat and growled, ‘“We have pledged our selves to kill you for your preaching.” Yen broke away but did not run. Turning to the leader, he spoke boldly. “ I have come all the way from Taiwan only to tell you of Jesus Christ. He alone can take sin out of your life. He alone can save you. He alone can de liver you from the burdens that weigh you down. He alone can give you peace and joy and everlasting life. He can change your heart.” The men grew quiet as Dwana gave his own testimony how that Jesus Christ had taken away from him the power of sin, the power of sin’s grip and the fear of death. As Dwana con tinued to speak, almost as one, the Yami men dropped their clubs to their sides. It was evident that the Spirit of God was at work and men were under conviction, so Dwana went on: “ There-
overlooked the Pacific. On a clear day, he could see the distant island of Koto- sho. Although he knew they needed Christ, he never dreamed of being a missionary. Then came that life changing Sunday. Pastor Loh used as his text, “ Go ye into all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature.” He concluded his words with the sim ple question from the book of Isaiah, “Who will go for us?” No hands were raised, but known only to God, Dwana surrendered his life for missionary service and answered God’s call with the words of the prophet, “ Here am I, Lord, send me.” And now, here he was on his way. Dwana Yen was not a good sailor. His head throbbed with pain; he was dizzy and sick, and as the boat rolled slowly on, loneliness, and discourage ment almost overcame him. The fish ermen seemed to enjoy the fact that he was so sick. They tried to needle him by asking him if he would like to swim back to the Formosan shore. Fourteen long hours after he had said, “ Good bye” to loved ones, the little fishing boat pulled into a small harbor off Orchid Island .There was no wel coming party; the children were shy and ran away. The adults treated him as an outsider. Yet, Yen determined to make himself one of them, that he might reach them for Christ. Feeling that it would be easier to reach the children, Yen started classes for them. Telling stories and using object lessons, he never failed to gath er a crowd of curious, big-eyed chil dren around him. Sometimes, even the parents would come out to hear his stories of the love of God. As he lived among the people, his heart rejoiced when he found out that a few had never heard of Buddha; but he was deeply saddened that none had ever heard of Jesus Christ. Although
I n a u g u s t 1952, while the world was caught up in the Korean war, a little diesel fishing boat moved off the southeastern comer of Formosa with a crew of hardy Formosan fishermen and one lone passenger. His name was Dwana Yen, an Ami tribesman from the hills of Taiwan. His destination was Koto-sho, forty-five long miles away. His purpose in going was to reach the most primitive tribe in the Formosan group of islands. Long years, the Yamis had lived in super stition, ancestor worship, and darkness without having ever heard of Christ. As Dwana Yen’s boat ploughed through the heavy seas, his sharp ori ental mind went back to several out standing events in his own young life. He saw again in his mind’s eye that first American making his way up the steep pathway that led to his own tribal village. Filled with curiosity, he watched as the missionary opened a strange book and read, “Repent and be ye converted.” Deep conviction had filled his heart as the missionary went on to explain the meaning of his mes sage. Understanding it, Dwana Yen had believed. Dwana also thought of the hours he had spent faithfully completing the Bible correspondence course in which he had enrolled after he had confessed Jesus Christ as Savior. One verse he would never forget, “ And the instruc tions which you have heard from me, along with many witnesses, transmit and entrust as a deposit to reliable and faithful men, who will be competent and qualified to teach others also.” II Timothy 2:2 His whole tribe must be reached for Christ, For this, he lived. God had blessed his work, and he had seen three villages turn from their supersti tion to serve the living and true God. His village, high on the hillside,
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