Miracles of Divine Grace in Heathen Hearts
By O. A. Hall
THE Anhuei general meeting was held at Ying Shang Hsien. I left Shanghai, and was joined at Nanking the next morning by our evangelist, who accompanied me and assisted in the services. The believers from this district were assembled for the meeting, and it is needless to say that, not having seen a foreign worker for about six months, they gave us a most hearty welcome. The work in this province was begun four years ago, when Brother Lee and Dr. Kay were located here. Since their removal, the station has been visited by foreign workers twice each year, when general meetings and institutes are held. This is our central station; and during the past year, we have purchased property there, which gives permanency to the work. The work is in charge of Brother Han, who has proved to be a man who can bear responsibility in directing missionary enterprise. There were about eighty believers present during the entire meeting. Being deprived of foreign help as these believers are, it might be expected that they would be lacking in Christian experience, but such was not the case. A more consecrated company of believers could scarcely be found. The workers were of excellent courage and very enthusiastic, and perfect harmony seemed to prevail. In the devotional meetings, no time was allowed to go to waste. In the Bible studies and preaching services, which were planned to lead all to a deeper consecration and a thorough preparation to meet the Saviour, the Spirit of the Lord came very near. It was encouraging to see the evangelists come to this meeting bringing the fruits of their labor with them. No baptismal service having been held for over a year, there were thirty persons ready for this ordinance. Of the number baptized, one was formerly a Taoist priest. He is about forty years of age, and seems to have had an exceptionally good reputation, and was widely known and respected. Brother Han has had a personal acquaintance with him for a number of years. About a year ago the man was led to the mission to hear the gospel, which took deep root in his heart, and he has now accepted fully the light of present truth. Although only having studied the Bible for about a year, he is quite conversant with the Scriptures, and understands the divine plan of salvation. He meets considerable persecution from his former associate priests, who at times misuse him in various ways, but he continues to visit them and talk of the plan of salvation to them. He takes great pleasure in testifying to the power of God, which has led him to change from the worship of false gods to the worship of the true. In connection with this station, an excellent church school is conducted, with an enrolment of over twenty-five. The children, under the direction of a consecrated teacher, are experiencing a real change of heart and life, and five of the older ones were among those baptized at the close of the meeting. The teacher is of splendid courage; and although he had planned to enter the training-school again this fall, his heart is so set on his students that he is willing to give up his cherished hope and continue his school. On the return trip, I stopped at Nanking. Our believers there, with the other residents of the place, suffered loss during the recent revolution, and some of them have gone to other places. Seventeen from Anhuei province will attend the school at Shanghai this winter, and from this number we expect to have good workers for the field in the near future.