July 1931
303
T h e
K i n g ’ s
B u s i n e s s
FRUITS of EVANGELISM CHINA . . . By GRACE PIKE ROBERTS
[The author of this interesting letter, with her husband, Rev. Charles A. Roberts, is a member of the staff of the Hunan Bible Institute—the China department of the Bible Institute o f Los Angeles. Mrs. Roberts was graduated from Biola in 1921. Her sister Bessie, to whom she refers in the letter, completed her Institute course in 1913. Another sister, Florence, graduated in 1915. Each of these missionaries has done remarkable work for the Lord in China. Through an oversight, which we deeply regret and for which we apologize, the names of Mr. and Mrs. Roberts were omitted from a list of representatives of Biola in China, recently pub lished in T h e K in g ' s B u s in e s s . T o correct the wrong impression which, may have been received, we are glad to publish elsewhere in this issue an appreciation of Mr. Roberts’ work, written by Dr. Frank A. Keller, superintendent of. the Hunan Bible Institute. Dr. Keller adds: “Rev. and Mrs. Everett Harrison have not yet been in Changsha, but have been in Peking, studying the lan guage." — E ditor .] ; h e village of Peh Lu Ch’iao (White Bridge) received the gospel for the first time when my sister, Miss Bessie Pike, visited the place just a year ago. The people were so impressed that they pleaded earnestly for a chapel to be opened in their village. But the already understaffed missionaries on that field had received many similar requests. Last autumn, the Christian and Missionary Alliance sent an urgent invitation for one of our Biola Evangelistic
One evening when the small chapel was packed to more than its capacity with eager listeners, this old gentle man of culture arose and asked for the privilege of say ing a few words. For nearly an hour he related how he had tried various religions, but had found that none gave him peace or satisfaction until he found Christ. Peo ple listened respectfully and were greatly moved, for every one knew and revered the aged scholar. A widow living with her grandson, accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as her Saviour. She took the ancestral tab lets of her deceased husband and son, fondly handled them, and threw them into the fire! A sacrifice indeed! One night, at the close of the meeting, when the oppor tunity was given to accept Christ, the village headman who had been an earnest inquirer of the gospel, jumped to his feet and exclaimed, “Who wouldn’t accept this Christ who has done so much for u s !” Another man who had been a vegetarian for seventeen years, and who had signified his desire to accept Christ, was invited to a meal where he ate meat, thereby breaking his vegetarian vow. As an ardent follower of Buddha, he believed in transmigration of souls; but now, in Christ, he has become a transformed soul. A young woman who had been converted, and who
Bands to come over to Hanshow County, Hunan, to assist in evangelizing the field. My sister and two other ladies are now at work in this district. Biola Evangelistic Band No. 6 was sent to Hanshow, and the village of Peh Lu Ch’iao was the first place assigned to them. The Lord h a d t h u s answered the prayers of a year, and the people were given an op portunity to respond to the gospel message. And re spond they did. From early morning until late at night the evangelists had large audiences. A f t e r a few months of diligent study of God’s Word through the faithful ministry of the
was anxious to study her catechism, was bitterly per secuted by her mother-in- law, who refused to buy oil for her lamp, to enable her to study at night. Un daunted, the young girl would read under the can opy of her bed as soon as it was daylight and would take every available oppor tunity to study and read the Bible from which she received so much comfort and joy. The Biola Evangelistic
Band No. 6 has now moved on to the next village, ten miles distant. There it is meeting with splendid re sults—already twenty per sons have accepted Christ. and in Peh Lu Ch’iao, an evangelist with his family has taken up residence to shep herd the young converts. China today, with the kaleidoscopic changes in ideas, offers an open and effectual door for the preaching of the gospel. May we be wise and seize the golden opportunity that is still ours! “The harvest truly is great, but the laborers are few: pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he would send forth laborers into his harvest.”
B io la E v a n g e listic B a n d N o . 6
band members, over fifty people definitely decided for Christ. What a triumph this was, when one considers the gross superstition of centuries in which these people have lived! Among the converts were heads of families and in fluential people of the village. One old man, nearly sev enty years of .age, scholarly and well informed on present day affairs, burned his ancestral tablets and other house hold idols when he accepted Christ. His entire family are now devoted Christians.
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