Severely Burned for Christ
By Roy Mershon
FOR some time, we had been studying with a young Mohammedan. He would come to and go from the mission house by stealth, so as not to be seen by other Mohammedans. We studied with him several months, and had begun to feel that no impression was being made on his mind, when one day he asked if he might tell his friends about his new religion. I told him to do so, but to be careful that no one hurt him, or reported him to his relatives. All went well for a time, but finally his relatives found out. They searched his room for books and papers, but he kept all these things under lock and key. When he told me this, I said perhaps that would end the trouble; but I was wrong. A young man came to his room and professed to want to turn from Mohammedanism to Christianity. Our young man was fearful at first, and would not commit himself. Finally, after two or three weeks, he ventured to tell of his new-found religion. Quick as a flash, his so-called friend caught him, and held a lighted cigar to his throat. He managed to break loose, but not before he had received a large, ugly hole in his neck, just at the side of the jugular vein. He did not come to see me for several weeks, and I was growing anxious, when he came one night, and told me his story. He said he was ashamed to come while he had the great hole in his neck. We advised him to leave the place until his relatives should forget about the affair, and he went. In his last letter, he said he was reading his Bible and praying every day. It makes27us feel that God is indeed going with us, when we see these people stand up for Bible truth even under persecution.