will keep praying people awake to the needs.” Virginia Nicholson of the Ramabai Mukti Mission in India tells of the burden upon her heart: “We need more of our girls and women to dedi cate their lives wholly to God’s serv iced The spiritual needs are always first.” Others re-echo these sentiments: “We need revival in our own lives and the African Church everywhere,” writes Catherine Klein of S.I.M. in Nigeria. “We need the power of the Holy Spirit convicting men and pointing them to the Saviour,” declares Foster Tresise of the Brethren Missionary Society in Hawaii. “We need a deeper spiritual exper ience for all the missionaries and for our people— a willingness to put into practice Romans 12:1,” Frank L. Jert- berg of ABWE in Brazil declares. Alvin D. Oyer of Southern Baptists in Hawaii states: “We need more con secration on the part of church mem bers,” while Robert Smith of Chile says: “ A deep need for revival of the Holy Spirit.” Van V. Eddings, founder and di rector of the Orinoco River Mission, asserts: “ Our greatest needs are mission aries, national preachers and teachers, a revival in the national churches, and a school building for our mis sionary children is a very urgent need right now.” Everett Bachelder of Alaska de clares that the need is for: “ A sep aration from the things of the world by the believers among the Eskimos that will speak to the hearts of the unsaved . . . There is an increased hunger for the Word of God and we trust a revival is not far off.” The story is the same everywhere: “We need,” writes Anita Vance of Pakistan, “ a Spirit-filled ministry” ; “ A truly surrendered native church,” states B. Bower of Mexico; “ A deeper spiritual life,” pleads Mrs. Ray Zuer- che r of C o l omb i a ” ; “ Spirit-filled, born-again, victorious home-makers, more Bible-trained young men and women on fire for the Lord'—every Christian a living witness in the home,” is the conviction of Harold Coen of Nigeria. It seems the need on the mission field is exactly what it is at home! The work of the enemy is intensi fied: “We have felt the pressure of Satan’s attacks on the mind, the body and the spirit,” writes Peter Nicolay of the Philippines, and John Dedrick of Mexico declares: “ Our greatest need is for understanding, constant
of godless education and development in the most obscure lands? From James R. Walters of TEAM in Japan came these searching words: “What is the greatest need of our work? I would prefer to suggest the great need of the entire mission field: missionaries, with a positive, objec tive message, convinced that the Bible alone is sufficient, both for the mis sionaries’ own spiritual health as well as the nationals’ salvation and growth in Christ. An experience of some sort is much more attractive to the sus ceptible native, and the defeated mis sionary, too, but it does not build for stability, and is not of faith in God’s Holy Word . . . The emphasis should be upon the person and work of Christ who is our wisdom, righteousness, sanctification and redemption. Be cause of trying conflicts on the mis sion field, one can be drawn subtly into a negative attitude . . . W e need a victorious message, and in Christ we can claim victory without reserva tion. Above all, this is the true heart need of these people ‘having no hope and without God in the world.’ ” “The greatest need,” writes W il liam T. Webster of the Maili Bible Center in Hawaii, “naturally is pray er, but prayer for definite things. First of these is the spiritual needs of the missionaries themselves and the native Christians—for a work of the Holy Spirit in personal consecration of believers and building up in our most holy faith of those who come to trust the Saviour.” With this statement John Gillespie of Arctic Missions is in hearty agree ment. He says: “ Of course, prayer, but real, prevailing prayer, based on the facts of the needs; real prayer warriors who will keep current with every-day needs; mission boards who At the left below, Ray Mainwaring min isters to the white homesteaders of Kasilof, Alaska. The picture to the right shows the "central heating system."
BIOLA Medical Missionaries in Pakistan tell the Easter Story to ambulatory pa tients. prayer help. The Yaquis are a hard, ‘impossible’ people. Do not fail us.” C. T. Hibbard of Peru says: “ Prayer support is needed as the translated Word becomes available for new be lievers in many tribes, for the be lievers and for the translators, that they may be able to stay steadily at the job until finished.” Frank Bundy of Central American Mission ex presses his opinion that the greatest need of their work is that “ The na tives may learn to support the work by prayer, attendance, offerings, and be evangelistic.” Kathryn Gurzi of TEAM in Africa declares: “ For the people, our heart’s desire is to see them have a real pas sion for their own people and a desire for training in order to reach them. Since we do not know how long the door of Africa will remain open, we long to see the people become inde pendent of the missionaries.” John Bergen of S.I.M. reiterates: “ Africa’s greatest need today is for more Bible-believing people through out the world to pray, to give and to come to help the Christian forces, missionary and local church alike, to reach Africa’s millions for Christ NOW.” Jackie Jenkins of FEGC in Japan declares earnestly: “Most answers will be, ‘We need prayer.’ Prayer for what? In our work the greatest need is for the salvation of men who are heads of families. In any land where the family system is as strong as here and where the eldest son is expected to carry on the ancestor worship, it, is rare to see new converts stand un less the head of the family is a Chris tian, and conversely, it is true if the head becomes a Christian, very likely the other members will believe. Re cently an elder in one of the churches accepted Christ. The Lord’s working in his life is a joy to behold. He is respected in the community and has held positions of influence. Slow to accept new ideas, when he is con vinced that the Scriptures teach a par ticular truth, nothing can move him. His eldest son, his wife, then a second son, and two younger daughters have been saved. The aged parents live (Concluded on N ext Page)
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