9
January, 1934
T H E K I N G ' S B U S I N E S S
the WO R L D
(VVV s 5 VENEZUELA’S
( c r i s i s
By HELEN R. QARDER Glendale, California
[The writer, with her husband, J. L. Carder, who was a graduate of the Institute in the class of 1926, is detained in the homeland for health reasons. The family is longing to return to Venezuela .— E ditor .] T: h e recent action of the Minister of Foreign Relations °f Venezuela, South America, in prohibiting the entrance of
wealthy family near Piritu. But after Domingo found Christ and had won his brother, “Peter,” the two lived radiant, changed lives and were used of God to raise up and care for two groups of believers in still another region. Poor, ignorant Damian Cumana, with his little wife, had such a holy boldness to confess the Saviour in a new neighborhood, that several others there, already convinced of the truth of the gospel through reading the New Testa ment, came out firmly for the Lord. Since then, through the testimony of these, there have been over fifty confes sions of Christ near Guanta. Pedro Velasco, father of thirteen, honorable, kind, but a sinner, found Christ through reading a Bible sold by a colporteur. He has been the means of winning between 200 and 300 souls to his Saviour in an otherwise unevangelized
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men missionaries, new and old (except those who own land), leads to a startling crisis which calls for the intense and united intercession of God’s people. Pray that God’s will may he done about opening: this, door—“the. gates.-of brass and . . . the bars of iron.” And pray the Lord of the harvest that H e will raise up. unpaid, native.,helpers,,, evan gelists, and witnesses, that He will give them some means of a practical Bible training, that He will fill them with the Holy Spirit, and that He will send them forth with unction from on high to take the message of the only Saviour to their own people. In these natives, we believe, lies the only hope of rapidly evangelizing Venezuela. Consider “what hath God wrought” in the past several years through a consecrated, unpaid native ministry in one field alone—that of the Orinoco River Mission in Eastern Venezuela! As you read, see the converts of that field; hear their stories (in b rie f); and be encouraged to pray. The following are a few of them. Fonten, a converted murderer, and Antonia, his wife, a converted street woman, went to visit in the hills beyond Carupano, expecting to stay three months. But they have remained for three years and have won 199 souls. Ten couples have married out of concubinage, a number of children have been dedicated to the Lord, and thirteen Christians have been baptized. Santos Evans, idolater, devotee of the Virgin Mary, beat his son for confessing the Lord Jesus Christ. The son prayed for him, and has seen that father live to win many souls near Maturin, where, like a true soldier, he endured terrific opposition. The clever musician, Antero Millan, in demand with his
valley beyond Barcelona,, and is now a faithful overseer of an organized . church, with, about sixty of these men and women baptized. His work is spread ing to other valleys and villages. Uneducated Fulgencio Bri to, “just a bum” before being born again, married Antonio Vasquez, also rescued from sin. They were sent by the Master Harvester to Quiri- quire, and there, through great zeal and unfeigned love of the Lord, they have gathered to gether a congregation larger
L atin A merican F lower G irl
than that of the mother church at Maturin. They have built a chapel, are building a parsonage, and are showing themselves workmen that need not to be ashamed, faithful stewards of the manifold grace of God. Maria Dominguez (an upper class, refined woman),the only Christian fpr a long time in another place, withstood the attacks of fanaticism against her and her Lord, faith fully witnessing to Christ in season and out of season, until many in that town now own Him as Lord. The eternal records alone will tell how many souls have been won directly or indirectly through the faithful
violin at dances and drunken feasts, was in-« vited to a meeting. He went, and found® Christ. He has eagerly studied all tracts and Scripture portions given him, has stood firm under great persecution and sorrows, and has been an evangelist in a large district beyond Rio Caribe. He and his family have endured keen privation and hardship for Christ’s sake. Although old Manuel Vargas, over sev enty years of age, had his “ups and downs” for some time after his conversion, he yield ed himself to the Lord, and has been used to raise up and teach a congregation of over fifty in Rio de la Silla, beyond Cumana. Few young men of the sinful cities of our civilization lived worse lives than did Do- mirgo and Pedro Arriojas, sons of a once
testimony of these mentioned and many others—deacons, Sunday - school teachers, “pillars of the church,”-men and women who themselves have been called out of great darkness, ignorance, idolatry, and supersti tion, into the glorious light of salvation, through the gospel of Jesus Christ which is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth. In view of the facts that God can thus use the consecrated native Christians, and that there still exists so much “land to be pos sessed,” pray, again we plead, for God to c a l l f o r t h w o r k e r s ; to grant them zeal and knowledge; to keep them faithful; and also to sustain them through these dark days, till He come.
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