The writer accompanied Miss Nordstrom, one of our Sydney Sanitarium nurses, in one of her rounds among the villages of Java, where she is giving treatments. We left the Java Health Retreat, our beautiful mountain rest home at Soember Wekas, just after dinner one day, and rode on little Arabian ponies to the villages.
Boro Boedoer
Soerabaia, looking from the Red Bridge.
As we passed through a village where our workers had given treatments before, we noticed the hearty greeting accorded by the native villagers. As a rule in Java a native never speaks to a passing traveler; in fact, they do not seem to understand you when you greet them, it is so unusual for the Europeans to do such a thing. We are glad that our workers are breaking through these customs, and that the people so long in sin and darkness are yet responsive to that mighty conqueror, Love. How quickly the heathen can measure our religion! You may preach to them about Jesus the Saviour of mankind, telling them that He loved all men, that He loved all races of whatsoever color, and that He was no respecter of persons, and that He loved all so much that He died for them; but if they see a barrier built up between the missionary and themselves, see the missionary treating them as tho they belonged to a lower plane than himself, all this preaching will avail little. How few missionaries to-day who take the Master’s place in loving, heart-to-heart ministrations!
Passing by corn-fields, over beautiful terraced hills cultivated to the very tops, and through luxuriant valleys, we soon came to a village where the second treatment was to be given to a sick man. We found him improved and thankful for our coming. Here, perhaps for the first time in centuries, a Christian prayer was offered. How our hearts long to see the name of God known and reverenced among these heathen!
The next village was entered to treat a poor blind man who had also been treated once before. He was cordial in his greetings, and told how much he had been benefited. We thought of leaving him to go to more needy cases, but he would not have it so. He remarked that the water was hot and that he wanted more fomentations. His spine was giving him some trouble, so a fomentation was applied just below the neck on his back. We had difficulty in making ourselves understood, but for some reason he thought that the fomentation should start at the top of his head, perhaps thinking that to be more systematic, and so he removed it to that place, the nurse yielding to his whim. He allowed the next fomentation to remain where the first was placed, but every succeeding one was pushed a little farther down until at last he wanted one just above his knees. He hugged each fomentation to him with such evident satisfaction, seeming to think that there was real virtue being received, and we have no doubt but that this was true.
At the door we counted eighty persons who were lookers-on, while on a small hill nearby were many others. We asked if they knew God. The answer was, “No, we know Him not.” We long to be able to tell in their own language the wonderful truths for this time.
As we were about to leave, others applied for help. We thought of the time of Jesus and longed for more of His grace and power. But as far as was in the power of the nurse, none were turned away without some offer of help.
Other villages were visited and difficult cases treated. Some seem almost helpless, having gone so long without attention. But they were left in the care of the great Physician to await His will. While attending a chief who had been sick for a long time, a thunder-storm came up and the rain fell in torrents. Fortunately we were under shelter. Our horses were brought into the house with us so that they and the saddles would be kept dry for us. This reminds us, it is a common thing in this country for people, horses, cows, goats, and fowls to all have the shelter of one roof. Our little pony belonging to the mission has not had his house completed at this writing, but the gardener who keeps up the grounds at the Retreat takes him home every night and gives him an equal share of shelter with himself in the house.
One sick man, feeble and emaciated with months of disease, came to the Retreat a few days ago asking for medical aid. While massaging his feet and the calves of his legs, the nurse discovered a long needle buried in the fleshy portion of each leg. These, the patient explained, a native doctor had inserted some three years before to cure his malarial fever, which was warranted to prevent any future attacks.
Our journey homeward was completed about eight o’clock at night. We were thankful to have this pleasurable experience. And as we saw what is being done for the poor13people, we felt to denominate it Gospel work of the highest order. And after seeing what is to be done for these many millions, we pray that the “Lord of the harvest will send forth laborers into His harvest.”
