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Missionary Experiences

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Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Jan 4, 1912

FromReview and Herald, Vol. 89, No. 1.

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Missionary Experiences

By F. W. SPIES

F. W. SPIES
Some people regard the missionary’s life as a sort of novelty. They think it must be “so nice” to embark in a modern steamer and “take a trip” to some “far-away” country.
Of course the true missionary has always seen more in his calling than merely the taking of a trip. And then, too, the Lord has frequently tested the faith, courage, resignation, and obedience of those whom he has sent out “to be a blessing.”
The call to Abraham was: “Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will show thee: and I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing. . . . So Abram departed, as the Lord had spoken unto him.”
It meant much for Abraham to do this. But the Lord added, “I will bless thee . . . and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.” That was a genuine missionary calling.
But when Abraham arrived in that strange land,—a land he had not before known (Heb. 11:8), perhaps had not heard of,—he found the Canaanite there. As we remember how his posterity felt at the prospect of meeting this nation of warlike giants, after they had left Egypt, even though they numbered hundreds of thousands, we need hardly be surprised if Abraham felt a little strange to find himself suddenly in the midst of this formidable and idolatrous people. And as he saw them offering their human sacrifices, no doubt his heart more than once sank within him.
But “the Lord appeared to Abram.” And as long as the Lord appeared to him, Abraham made up his mind that all was well; and as long as those about Abraham, his large family of servants, saw that he was of good faith and courage, they felt no misgivings.
But after a little the heavens withheld their rain. The grass began to wither and die, the brooks and even large streams dried up. The fertile plains were turned into a dreary desert, and starvation stared them in the face. Yes, the situation was getting quite serious, as the Lord permitted a new trial of Abraham’s faith. What would he do? Would he turn back home? If he had, he never would have been called the father of the faithful.
As he could not remain in Canaan and live, he for a time went down to Egypt. But he never went back home. In fact, when years later Eliezer, Abraham’s faithful servant, proposed that he take Isaac back there, in case he could not persuade a woman of his relatives to accompany him to share Isaac’s lot in Canaan, Abraham’s reply was decisive and emphatic. He said: “Beware thou that thou bring not my son thither again. The Lord God of Abraham, which took me from my father’s house, and from the land of my kindred, and which spake unto me, and sware unto me, saying, Unto thy seed will I give this land; he shall send his angel before thee, and thou shalt take a wife unto my son from thence. And if the woman will not be willing to follow thee, then thou shalt be clear from this my oath: only bring not my son thither again.”
The Lord still calls men to leave their fatherland; and now, as in Abraham’s day, he at times permits his children to be tried. No doubt he is still desirous of developing Abraham’s faith, courage, resignation, and obedience in his children. To illustrate that this is so, I will tell you of a missionary’s experience which occurred in 1911.
A short time ago, a good and devoted brother left his home land, and came over to Brazil, to help the few struggling workers here in this great republic. He went to his field, and settled in a small town called Blumenau — the valley of flowers. After having settled his family, he started out on his first missionary tour. And then, what do you think happened? Well, in Abraham’s day it was a drought; this time it was a flood. It rained for days. The wide Blumenau valley, with its respectable river, grew to be a sea. Incredible as it may seem, but according to reports, the water rose to a height of forty-nine feet above the normal water-line. By this time it was entering into our brother’s house, his wife and children being at home alone. As the water began rising in the house, which fortunately was a two-story building, they removed everything they possibly could to the second story. Meanwhile, the waters rose to a height of eight feet in the first story, and the clothes-presses were swimming around under the ceiling. The family was finally rescued by being taken through a second-story window into a canoe, and was brought to higher ground.
The brother hurried home, the water, meanwhile, having abated somewhat. He then wrote me a letter, in which he stated the facts as I have given them above. Do you wonder if he talked about going home? No, he did not say a word about leaving, nor did his wife as far as I know. He only said, “Thank God we are yet all alive.” That seemed to be the thing especially on his mind. The Lord had spared his life and the lives of his dear ones, and he was thankful for that. That was of more importance than the damage to his furniture and other things.
As the rain continued, the river rose again, and they moved into another house, situated on higher ground, but still on the river bank. They now felt safe. But the next morning, when the day was dawning, the brother heard a strange rumbling sound, and getting out of bed to see what it was, found that the whole embankment up to within a few yards of his house had slid down into the river.
A perilous situation indeed, but the Lord, the “watcher of Israel,” had set bounds to the landslide, and had said, To here is near enough this home.
Not feeling safe in this location, our brother hurriedly moved his family again about an hour’s distance to the farm of one of the brethren. Again he wrote: “Our furniture and things have suffered considerably from what we have recently gone through, but thank the Lord, we are all alive and unhurt.”
As this is one of the major missionary experiences, I thought it might be good to mention it. There are many minor ones, that are, as it were, the order of the day, and we do not think of writing about them. But this shows some of the things that our missionaries meet, and I hope it may serve as an incentive to those at home to remember earnestly before the throne of grace, those who are giving their lives and their all to hasten this message so dear to us all, to earth’s remotest bounds.