"LIFT UP YOUR EYES AND LOOK ON THE FIELDS" (John 4:35)

"Behold, a sower went forth to sow" (Matt. 13:3).

PARAGUAY

A brother laboring in this little-known country writes as follows:

We have experienced the goodness of the Lord during the past year protecting us and the believers here in the worst period of the international trouble, giving us the joy of preaching the gospel to many souls and opening doors for the distribution of the written page.

During the year we have placed in the hands of the people over 10,500 tracts and through the kindness of the American Bible Society we have distributed nearly 10,000 Gospels. Most of the Gospels were given to the soldiers going to the firing-line where the Word of God was read, and we believe that the Lord has used His Word even in the trenches, the place of death, to bring life eternal to some young men. A young man came to the city after four months in the firing-line and -said that he remembered the time when he attended our Sunday School and had never forgotten the Word which he had heard, but it was in the trenches that he appreciated what the Word of God is for the sinner; and he professed to be saved. This is one of the examples of what the Word of God is doing among the soldiers, and we trust that many may have found the Lord in their last hour.

We now covet your prayers that the Lord may give the increase, and that His saving power through the gospel may be manifested this year even more than in 1933.

JAPAN

Brother Fujimoto writes (translation by E. B. Craig) :Brother Ishihame of Kobe has not yet been released from the prison (where he is confined awaiting trial on a charge of lese-majeste, because of remarks he made concerning the "shrine question" in his public preaching in the park, as reported previously). It being cold weather, and he not being strong, we fear he may be in distress, and are praying concerning this. We ask your prayers also.

The meetings here (in Tokyo) are going on as usual under the care of the Lord. Specially, this winter season not even once have our roadside meetings had to stop, for which we are thankful. As always, I am still visiting four hospitals, and doing personal work, etc. For all we ask your prayers.

INDIA

From Bangalore, South India, we have the following:

We realize daily that we wrestle not with flesh and blood, but against principalities and powers, against real spiritual forces that resist those who bring the light. This very morning we were twice interrupted in our preaching. One woman said that Christ was a devil and told the people not to listen to us. Her son later came out of the house and tried to upset us with his Hindu philosophy. He talked about God being one and everywhere, that is, pervading all things, and therefore, since He is in us we are God, and the ultimate responsibility for all we do rests upon God, He will not be unjust and punish for what we do as we can do nothing against His will, and so on. He left after a while and on our way home on our bicycles we met him coming toward the city. I found then that he talked English well and had been educated in a Mission High School and worked in the Government offices in the city. That man was well equipped to do the devil's work because he had received an education paid for by Christian people in the homelands, and had not been taught the truth. There is such a school in this city with 900 students, and none of the teachers are professing Christians, but Hindus. That is called missionary work. We have to wrestle against that. A so-called Indian Pastor, a reverend gentleman, rebuked us last week for preaching that men were sinners and must flee from the wrath to come. He said we had no right to call men sinners. That, too, is the devil's work, and makes the task of the gospeler all the harder.

Sometimes we marvel at the opposition we do not get. Last night was an instance. An Indian brother and I cycled out to a village after dark. We found a group gathered on a large kind of platform under some trees in front of a temple. The temple door was open and the hideous idol in full view, with lights burning in front of it. It was of gold and silver and had on a beautiful green and gold silk robe. This was a goddess, and much bejewelled. We talked to the people a bit, and then sang some lyrics, and then we both preached. I stood in the light of the lamps burning before the idol and preached Christ till I .was hoarse. The people listened gladly. I did not directly refer to the idol. My Indian brother talked to them in a way I did not dare to. He spoke of the impotence of the idol and the might and power of God, and they never resented it at all. We were there till 9:30 before we started back to the city, and they listened all the time and offered no objections. At times we have the joy of knowing that the Lord is with us, and at times we seem baffled by the power of the enemy. At all times we feel the need of the prayers of those who will help us thus.

CHINA Brother Foggin writes:

I left Taitowying about three weeks ago, staying in Peiping some days, then went on Hsianfu. From there I came on to Binchow on the Famine Relief bus. Changing next day to a public bus I arrived here (Ping Liang) last night.

Today I found a band of Chinese Christians on the street having an open air meeting, so I joined them. One of their group has just come to visit me at the bus station where I am staying, and he is very earnest in the Lord's things. Although he was under the influence of missionaries for many years and was also a professing Christian, it was only last year that he really accepted the Lord. Thank God for the work of grace that is going on. I leave first thing in the morning for Lanchow, D.V., and will be there in three days. May stay there for a few days until the Chinese New Year is over, as carters do not travel at that time, and it is difficult to buy anything. Then I will go on to Kanchow, D.V.

WORK AMONG INDIANS in U. S. A.

Brother E. A. Buchenau writes from Polacco, Arizona:
Am having a month in this needy State among the Indians and missionaries. Had five days with Miss Olson at Kingman, twelve meetings in all. The Andersons came over from Valentine for part of the time. A funeral among the Walapis brought large crowds to wail for the dead (a young man evidently a victim of bad whiskey). The Andersons know and have the respect of most of these people, so we went over to the wailing-place and though it was not a Christian funeral they gave us time to sing a hymn and preach the gospel. About a hundred were present. We left Kingman three days after the death, and even when we left at eleven o'clock at night could still hear them wailing. These poor people are raw heathen, worshiping demons, living in superstition and dying in terror. Death is an awful thing to them. How we should thank God for His Word and seek to get the gospel to them!

Here, at Polacca, we are among the Hopis for ten days. Missionaries work hard-prayer-meeting at seven in the morning, and a full program till ten at night, and often till midnight.

Go from here to Ft. Defiance for five days. Then to Shiprock, N. M., for a few days with the Girdners and Miss Holcomb, working among the Navajo tribe."

"As the Father has sent Me, even so send I you."

The conviction of Divine vocation is pre-essential to all missionary labor. The settled certainty that we are where we are because God has put us there, and are doing what we are doing because it is the task God appointed for us, is indispensable to all steady endurance in Gospel toil. Realization of the need of mankind, philanthropic aims, humanitarian motives, desire to bring in a new social order-not all these together can suffice as a warrant for setting forth to devote life and labor for the salvation of men. "How shall they preach except they be sent?"… This sense of vocation was ever with the Lord Jesus in the highest degree. His words again and again reveal it. "I came forth from the Father and am come into the world" (John 16:28). The work which He tells the Father He has finished is, "The work which Thou gavest Me to do" (John 17:.4). No missionary without a sending." None deserves the name unless he serves under the compulsion of an inescapable call.

-(Selected).