MISSIONARY MURMURINGS

International Tract and Missionary Society · Oakland, California · Oct 14, 1889

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 15, No. 39.

MISSIONARY MURMURINGS.

Two-thirds of a thousand millions of heathen have not yet heard the gospel message.

One in every twenty of the students in the five leading colleges in Japan is a Christian.

The Scriptures have been translated during this century into nearly 300 languages and dialects.

When an appeal was made for three volunteer nurses in 1887, at Jerusalem, twelve members of the Moravian Church responded.

The "Pilgrim's Progress" has been translated into Amharic, the language of Abyssinia. Bunyan's great book has now been translated into 84 languages.

The American Board has in Asiatic Turkey about 45 ordained missionaries, and nearly twice as many lay missionaries, besides 750 native laborers. They have over 100 churches, and a membership of about 9,000.

After seventeen long years of persistent work, the English Presbyterian missionaries have got a footing in the important city of Chang-pu, China, and are setting about the building of a church, to cost $2,920.

A Brahmin convert writes: "Though I was educated in a Christian college, I was not impressed with the truth of Christ. It was the example of a missionary's patience, faith, godliness, and humility, that brought me to Jesus."

The Rev. G. A. Landes says that down in Brazil there are some rocks upon the surface of which can be traced the outlines of what seem to be the foot-prints of a person and of a small colt or mule. The people of the community come here to worship, as they believe that these impressions were made on these rocks by St. Joseph and the Virgin Mary, when they passed through Brazil on their way from the holy land to Egypt. Mr. Landes also tells of a priest who had acted as the pastor of a parish for eighteen years, during which time he had only preached one sermon, and then he apologized, saying it was ten years or more since he had preached a sermon. And this is Roman Catholicism. Surely the need for missionaries in Brazil is great.