October 1928
T h e
K i n g ' s
B u s i n e s s
598
in his church, at six o’clock the following evening. Not withstanding the short notice, sixty or seventy Chinese gathered together. They said they would like me to tell them a little about the latest news from South China, and the present political conditions there. They would like me to score the Communists a bit and also tell them some robber stories. T o combine all this with a Gospel message to the hearts o f these men was my task. Could you have’ suggested a text? For over an hour they listened most eagerly and especially when I pleaded with them to forsake all and follow Jesus. It was an evidence of what could be done for the Chinese o f this great city, if a live Chinese worker could be sent to Makassar. H arvest R eady — No W orkers ! _ The one great burning
of introduction, and felt very dependent upon the Lord, and very conscious that He would lead me. I asked my Chinese friend where he was going to stay in Makassar. He told me the name o f the hotel, and I said I would accompany him. We entered a dirty little, half-caste, dis reputable inn, and got the last room they had. I felt instinctively that it was no place for me, and left the next morning for a more respectable place. That first evening about seven o ’clock, my Chinese friend and I started out in search of missionaries, or Chinese Christians, op whatever connection we could find with the Gospel in the city. I felt sure He was leading me. The first store that we entered was a photograph er’s, and we found a young Chinese. Cantonese speak ing, who seemed to be greatly delighted to meet one who could converse with him freely in his own tongue. He called his wife from the back of the store and they literally danced around with joy, as though an old friend had come from their own country. They knew nothing o f the Gospel whatever, and could give me no information as to whether there was a Christian in Makassar or not. Next we entered several other stores, but with no result. Finally we were told, “ Yes, there is a Christian here. The name over his store is JACOB.” W e soon found ourselves in front of the furniture store with a big sign— JACOB— on the outside. I went in and asked some of the young men standing there if they were Christians. “ Yes,” they replied, rather half-heartedly. I said, “ Is your employer a Christian?” With more emphasis they replied, “ Yes, indeed he is.” By this time Mr. Lay Chun Wing, known in Makassar as “ Jacob,” overhearing the conversation, came out to meet me. It did not take us long to get acquainted. As I sat down with him in earn est conversation about the Lord, in his office, I realized, that on the first night, in half an hour, the Lord had led me to the one earnest Christian brother in Makassar. His wife had been a Christian worker in Canton, and they, with their seven children, were a happy Christian family. This brother had won a very close friend o f his to the . Lord, and they two had witnessed for Christ in Makassar until a little church of fifty members had been organized. They had fallen, however, on evil days. Their Chinese preacher had left them and they had not been able to secure another in his place. For three years they had not held a service. Mr. Lay said sadly, “ I fear we cannot find a dozen Christians in this city now. But how did you find your way to this city of ours? It is as though you have dropped from heaven,” he continued. When I told him I had come by way of Sandakan, Balik-papan and Samarinda, he said, “ That is like coming in at the back door; no one comes here that way.” All the more I felt assured that He had led me directly to the darkest parts of this field. Mr. Lay gave up his entire time to me during the three days that I was in Makassar. He took me to visit the Chinese Christians, some being Fukienese and some Cantonese. W e went to see the Dutch pastor, who at once suggested arranging a meeting for the Chinese Christians,
■THE CALL OF THE ISLES • Map of the East Indies
desire o f the Christians whom I met, was that I should help them to find a Chinese worker to save their dying c h u r c h . I promised to do my utmost. Their great difficulty lies here— that they h a v e no connection whatever with China. There is no one who will take the responsibility to recommend or send a Chinese worker to t h e m .
The white spots represent the entrance of the Light of the Gospel. The black represents the darkness of heathenism and paganism. Jesus said, “I am the Light of the World.” “Ye are the Light of the World.” WHO W ILL HELP LIGHTEN TH E DARKNESS ?
They had had one failure; a Chinese worker who had failed God and dishonored the name o f Jesus in their midst, and they feared to again take the risk .- When the time came to leave Makassar, I felt that I had found warm, earnest Christian friends, and a number of them came down to the boat to see me off. Two days brought me to Surabaya. I did not expect to tarry here, for I understood that there was a Chinese church under the Methodist Episcopal Mission in this city. I had the day before me, however, and expected to take the train the next morning early for Batavia. I asked the Lord again to lead me quickly to the Chinese church, as He had done in Makassar, but this time, for some reason, my prayer was not answered in the same way. I had. difficulty in making myself understood. I asked to be taken to the “ Chinese Church— the place where the Chinese worship God.” They took me to an idol temple! I said, “ This is not the Church o f God.” They protested that this was where the Chinese worshiped. ¡¡“ This is the devil’s church,” I said. They next took me to a Roman Catholic school, where no one seemed to understand either English or Chinese. Finally one of the pupils in the school led me to the chapel. I found that three companies o f Chinese Christians worshiped in this place: the Fukienese Christians, the Amoy Christians, and the Cantonese Christians, all speak ing different dialects. They had different hours of the day on Sunday at which they held their services. The Foochow worker did not speak Cantonese, but we con versed some in Mandarin. When he found out who I was? he produced copies of The Bible Magazine dating back to 1913, upon which he said he was still feeding. He took me out and introduced me to a Cantonese Christian near by. This brother insisted that I should meet as many of the Cantonese Christians as possible that evening at six o’clock. “ I will telephone to as many as possible,” he said, “ and we will gather together in the chapel at six o’clock.”
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