January, 1934
T H E K I N G ' S B U S I N E S S
8
The FIELD
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REAPING MID MANCHURIAN STORMS By ROSALIND GOFORTH Szepihgkai, Manchuria
[For nearly half a century, the author and her husband, Dr. Jonathan Goforth, distinguished missionaries of the Canadian Presbyterian Church, have been sowing and reaping among the Chinese. They continue still, with marked blessing,, although obliged to "carry on under severe handicaps." Referring to these, Mrs. Goforth says: “My husband lost his sight last March, and I am becoming increasingly deaf, but God is able for this! Pray for us and our band of fifty evangelists.”— E ditor .] feven years ago, Dr. Goforth and- I, accompanied by three other workers just arrived from Canada, came to Manchuria seeking a field for our Canadian Presbyterian Church. There were great regions, practically untouched, lying to the north of the Trans-Siberian Railway, but our choice of a field was a vast region bordering for some seventy-five English miles on the South Manchurian Rail way, but reaching westward an almost unlimited distance into Mongolia, and as far northwest as the border of Russia. While parts
T he N eed S upplied Seven years have passed since that step of faith was taken. Workers came in answer to prayer, and the money was received in proportion to the need aind advance in number of workers. We have never seen the “bottom of the barrel” in the freewill donations for the support of the workers, although we have been at times (-as now) sorely tempted to wonder how the needs could be met. We praise God with full hearts, not only for the supply of the financial needs of this aggressive work, but also even more for the manifest blessing and divine seal on this plan of work. Twenty-;four centers throughout the field have been opened, where daily evangelism is going on. Already several of the centers are almost entirely self-supporting. The donations from the Christians in the- various centers amounted to over $4,300.00 (Mex.) last year. We expect
this sum will be doub led this year. The adv an ce to w a rd s e l f - su p p o rt dur ing this pres ent year has been a s u r prise and joy to all of us. T he R eaping P e rh a p s a
of th is field near the rail way had been t o u r e d by other mission- a r ies, a n d small groups of Christians c o u l d b e found h e re and there, yet one fact will
brief sketch of our most recently opened center will be interesting and helpful. Fan-chia-tun is a town of about 20,000 inhabitants, and is three hours’ run to the north of us on the South Manchurian Railway. At this place lived a Mr. Tung, who had been baptized before the Boxer troubles. He had become an extensive and wealthy prop erty owner, but had backslidden. Opium, cigarettes, drink, and gambling all had a strangle hold of him. Not far from Fan-chia-tun was a very live center where aggressive evan gelism was in progress. Mr. Tung, hearing of what was going on elsewhere, must have had a stirring of the Spirit of God in his heart and a return of the old longings for higher things, for he sent a message to us urging that evangelistic work be started in his town. He offered to pro vide the necessary buildings free of rent. Last March, work was begun at Fan-chia-tun, with two evangelists in charge. Revival meetings were held at Szepingkai the early part of April, to which Mr. Tung was persuaded to come. The man received a tremendous shaking up, for the Spirit of God seemed to search him as by fire and to give him a new outlook on life. He returned home, and calling his family together, he told them that all such things as opium, gambling, and other vices on which they had been wasting over $1,500.00 yearly, must be put away, and that the money thus expended must, in future, be put to the saving of others. - - - [Continued on page 111
show how the field was practically untouched: On reach ing Taonanfu, a large important city in almost the center of the field, about a year after our arrival, we were told by the old Christians there that it was six years since they had seen a missionary. When we took possession of the field, making Szepingkai our headquarters, we were the first missionaries in that vast region to reside in any part of it. F acing the N eed Try to visualize our weak band, which gathered day by day for prayer. We had a' street chapel open on a busy street, and this was crowded all day with listeners to the gospel message. To keep the preaching going in order to reach these crowds taxed our strength to the utmost. How could we hope to reach the multitudes in the vast region for which we had made ourselves responsible ? W,e begged our board to send us thirty missionaries, but the reply was, “We are not able to send you even one for an indefi nite period.” This message, which at the time stunned us, proved to be. the greatest possible blessing. I t cast us upon the Omnipotent One! We had looked for Canadians to come; they had failed, but human channels must be found. We were constrained to look to the Lord to send us Chinese channels—Chinese men and women for widespread broad casting of the gospel message—and also for the money for their support. Did our God fail us? Oh, no!
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