A Special Women’s Class in the Soonan (Korea) School by Mimi Scharffenberg

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Jul 13, 1916

A Special Women’s Class in the Soonan (Korea) School

By Mimi Scharffenberg

Most of our young men here in school are married, and while they are in school their wives are at home farming and working as slaves for the parents of their husbands. Some students have been graduated, and gone out to work. Some who are still in school will be graduated soon. Some worry about their wives and want them to come to school where they can learn at least to become Christians, but their fathers want them at home to work, and the son cannot take his wife away against his father’s wishes, for that would be disobeying his parents.

Some would rather obey God and suffer the consequences, and so this year we have thirty women here to study. The majority of these have never before been in Christian surroundings, and the simple gospel stories are very interesting to them. They learn reading and writing and a few other simple subjects, but they come and tell me over and over again that there is no study so interesting as the Bible. As they learn of the Saviour and of the message for this time, they have a burden to tell others about Jesus and his truth.

Last Sabbath, when taking up the special collection for Manchuria, we found three rings in the collection envelopes. It is very hard for them to give up their rings, as the mothers always like to keep them and give them to their children when they are married. These rings were given by a sister who decided to become a Christian only a short time ago, and now attends this class.

MIMI SCHARFFENBERG.