17 - Chapter 17
Chapter 17 - Hope for the Future: A Letter from J. W. Stevenson
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We are greatly encouraged out here, and are asking and receiving by faith definite blessings for this hungry and thirsty land. The field is opening up most wonderfully, but before the overwhelming flood of blessing, more prayer and more living sacrifices, holy and consecrated, must be offered. My visit to Shan-si has been most delightful, and I am sorry to leave for several reasons. I have met most of the native Christians in the south of the province. They are warm-hearted and zealous disciples, and some of them are very prayerful. I have learned many a lesson of simple trust and faith from them. They are marked by a strong faith in the power of prayer; and no wonder, for they get so many proofs of God’s faithfulness in answering, that it would be thankless and useless task to try to explain away the direct help they obtain. Some of them fast regularly as well as pray. Up to date, 101 persons have been baptized upon profession of their faith this year in the P’ing-yang district, and I know and have had conversations with others to the number of about 50, who I hope will be baptized shortly. I am not including a great many who have not decided for Christ, though attending services more or less regularly. I had a conference at Chao-ch’eng Hien (one of the district cities in Mr. Stanley P. Smith’s large parish), to which 53 professing Christians came; all stood up to signify that they had decided to follow Christ; many told the story of their conversion and details connected with persecutions manfully borne for Christ’s sake. Yet out of the 53 only 17 are yet baptized. Surely a few facts like these will encourage you to go on praying and working.
Then another pleasing fact is, that the converts are from a wide extent of country and scattered over a good many districts. Praise God for these lights placed in so many dark places. One thing has pained me, that so little is being done for the women in Southern Shan-si. Nevertheless, there is work among them: I baptized seven three weeks ago, and six a week later in another district. I am longing to see Mildmay establishments of consecrated and whole-hearted ladies in every province, and I am praying for it; we could do with two or three in each province. The great desideratum is competent and fully-consecrated ladies to lead and head such establishments. They can also be found. Praise the Lord! The influence of such lives among the women of China would be great, and would soon tell in large ingatherings of souls into the kingdom of God. The soul and center of society being thus touched by Divine power and grace, the whole fabric of heathen society would soon show the mighty influence of womanhood wholly consecrated to Christ. Pray for this, and ask ladies to pray and think about it. The Lord hasten the multitude of women to publish the glad tidings of His love in China.
WORK IN THE HIAO-I HIEN.
Mr. Stanley P. Smith wrote you of our visit to Ta-ning and Sih-chau, and I want to tell you a little of what happened after we left Sih-chau. After three days’ traveling we reached the village of Tao-hiang after dark; we had a long climb to get to that mountain village, and were specially delighted with the warm welcome given us. We were put up in a cave, and received every attention from the hospitable villagers. We were rather a large party, i.e., Mr. Stanley P. Smith, Mr. Key, Mr. Hsi, Mr. Ch’u, a servant, and myself, but were packed away comfortably in the cave. There were two Christian tracts on the wall, which indicated that something was known of the true God, even here.
FORMATION OF ANOTHER COUNTRY CHURCH. The following day (Sunday, September 5th) the inquirers came in from several villages, and the cave was crowded in every part at the services we held. During the day we held a special examination of the candidates for baptism. It would have rejoiced your heart to hear some of the answers by the women, as well as the men; when it was clearly pointed out that their profession would involve them in persecution, and even death might be the outcome, and it was put to them whether in the face of these things they would still continue to be Christians—they eagerly said, “rather let life go than Christ.” It was glorious to hear such testimony from those so recently without the least knowledge of the Gospel. After careful examination ten persons were accepted for baptism and were accordingly baptized during the day. Of this number six were women and four men. In the evening the two native pastors (Hsi and Chü’) conducted a most impressive Communion service, and thus a church was organized.
You may ask how the people of this out-of-the-way village heard the Gospel and got interested. It appears that Mr. Chü’, the native pastor at Ta-ning, had been visiting some relations near by, a good while ago, and embraced the opportunity of telling them of his newly-found Saviour and of his joy in the Lord. The people listened with interest and begged for further instruction; this was given, and the interest increased. Mr. Li visited this village and helped the inquirers, a good deal, and later Mr. Cassels left Mr. Chang, an elder from Ta-ning, to help teach them the way of the Lord more fully. God blessed the efforts of His humble servant, and the foundation of a blessed work, we trust, has been laid, which will grow and extend all over that hill country. The station is three days from T’ai-yüen, and the same from Sih-chau.
I am convinced God is about to do very great things for us, and that floods of blessing will descend upon this dry and thirsty land. I am expecting also good tidings from home of revival, and of increased consecration of life and substance to the salvation of the heathen.