South India by J. S. James

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Sep 2, 1909

South India

By J. S. James

God's prospering hand has been with us the last two months, and the work is going forward in these parts. He has given us sunshine with the showers, and a golden sunset to follow the day of clouds. Marvelous is this school of life by which God is preparing us now for the life equal in span to his.

The work on our bungalow is fast drawing to a close. I mean “fast” in the Eastern acceptance of that term. The roof is on, and the inside is plastered throughout. The plasterers begin on the outside to-morrow, while the carpenters begin hanging the doors and windows. If I mistake not, this is the first building of any consequence erected by mission funds for our work in the empire. I hope to have a cut made for publication, so that all may have a partial view of the results of our efforts. The work has been very tedious and trying from the first, but God has graciously come to our aid in every time of perplexity. We drew our first plans for the work the twenty-ninth of February last. By the time you read these lines, if there is no unusual delay, the building will be done. This has taken us through four and one-half months of the hottest weather. Some two weeks after the work was begun, I found it necessary to take the personal supervision of the enterprise in order to save ourselves a considerable loss. This compelled me to be constantly going and coming in the sun at all hours of the day, giving orders to bricklayers, carpenters, stonemasons, etc., and seeing that no work was slighted. Being thus thrown into a strange work, with a strange language and strange methods of dealing, together with material such as I have never seen used in building, it can be seen at a glance that I have had no small task to deal with.

Our dispensary work continues to grow, and its influence has gone for miles around. The average number of cases treated each month is two thousand. This does not include the outside calls, of which we have many. Two hours a day—8:30 to 10:30 A. M.—are spent in this work. Our working force consists of Miss Shryock, Mrs. James, and a young native woman. When the work is heavy, I lend a hand. All of the outside work has fallen to me thus far. We are establishing a circle of friends among both Christians and Hindus in many of the adjacent villages, and many have urged me to come and preach the gospel to them.

These people seem starved for the Word of God. Many are only waiting until we are located in our new home to attend our meetings. J. S. JAMES.

Tinnevelli District.