p. 11 | Our Work in Burma by R. B. Thurber

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Washington, D.C. · Oct 15, 1914

Our Work in Burma

By R. B. Thurber

R. B. THURBER

The Karens

The Karens may be numbered among the few wild tribes in the world that are actually holding out their hands for Christ. In the olden times, being weaker than some of Burma’s invaders, they were driven to the hills and inaccessible places. Their contact with nature has given them simple faith; the persecutions they had to endure made them lovers of peace and quiet; and like Moses in his exile, they came closer to God. At last their traditions prepared them for the advent of Christianity, which thousands embraced as if it were a forward movement in national progress, which it was.

For years our Burma workers have realized that the Karen harvest is great and fully ripe for this truth. Frequent and persistent calls have been made for a messenger, and two years ago the answer came in the person of Elder G. A. Hamilton and wife, of California. Since their arrival they have been waiting and working for an opening, meanwhile seeking to get a start in the language.

Two years before Brother Hamilton arrived, Miss Mary Gibbs, a nurse, came from America to work for these people. While doing some nursing in Rangoon, she studied Karen, and had remarkable success in acquiring the tongue. She

passed her examinations with honor, and is well able to converse with the people.

Naturally, our people at home are asking, “If the Karens are so anxious to hear the truth, and workers are on the ground to give it to them, why do they not receive it?” In answer we would say that a few have received it, and rejoice in it; but great difficulties have loomed up before us in the Karen work. First, as a rule these people are not congregated in towns nor on the railways, but are far off in the hills and most remote places. They are so scattered that it is hard to find any center where many can be reached. As we can have only one station, it must be well located, and to find such a location requires much travel and observation.

It is surprising how many hindrances have been put in the way of our starting work for this people. The enemy knows that once the wedge has entered, a great work will be done; and we feel assured that the beginning is the most difficult part of the task. At this writing, we have the option on some land, and the near future will see the sickle wielded on the grain. Meanwhile we are training Karen boys in the school, and the leaven is working in the lives of two Karen brethren who have been baptized and are teaching their neighbors. When Elder Hamilton and his wife and Miss Gibbs found they could not enter their chosen work at once, they became very active in teaching the people near at hand in Rangoon, and a number of English-speaking persons have joined the church as a result of their labors.

The Medical Work

I have previously mentioned the medical work done by Dr. Oberholtzer-Tornblaad. Her work extended to many places in the country. Also Miss Gibbs’s nursing has given her entrance to many homes, and has opened the way for Bible readings.

For some time there has been a call for treatment rooms in Rangoon. Those in Calcutta have been eminently successful, and doubtless the opportunities are just as great in the metropolis of Burma. The Lord has recently blessed this phase of the work by sending Brother and Sister F. A. Wyman, both nurses, from the Pacific Coast, through the Foreign Mission Seminary. We have secured for the treatment rooms the vacated offices of a well-known American dentist, on one of the most frequented corners in the city. Suitable signs attract the eyes of thousands every day. The rooms are being fitted up with many of the best appliances for treating the sick; and now at the opening there is every prospect that a good work will be done. There is a general feeling that Brother and Sister Wyman are eminently fitted for this work, besides being a great help in connection with the church.

Some Results

There are two organized churches in Burma, with over one hundred members. Within the last two years forty persons have been baptized and added to the churches. A close estimate of the tithe paid in during the past year is $3,120. The yearly sales of books and periodicals are valued at $1,550.

This field has been a recruiting ground for English workers for other fields, as well as for our own. Of those who have accepted the truth here, two efficient treasurers and tract society secretaries have served the mission; one is a capable missionary in charge of a station among the Burmese; two are making a success of treatment room work; one became a good Bible worker; and two went to America for further training.

In view of God’s promises and help, and what has been done in the past, the future of the message in Burma looks bright. There is an unusually strong spirit of unity among the workers, and great confidence in the final triumph of the greatest cause known to man.