Land of the Lion and the Sun Personal Experiences
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to l e a r n th e nativ e languag e s and to study th e Sc r iptu re s which was m y h e art s d e si re I also too k all oth e r classes acco r ding to th e rul e s of th e inst tution I att e nd e d h ere th ree suc sp r ings taught school in th e c ount y du r ing my wint e r vac tion I must ad t that I at fi st punis he d th e boys i n my school in th e sam e ma er in w ch I had b ee n pun ish d taught four languag e s nam e l y Syriac P e rsian T ur k ish and Chald e an also a r ithm e tic and g e ography But th e obj e ct of th e school was not m e r e ly to t e ach th e la guag e s M y p pos e was a high e r nobl e on e to l e ad my pupils to Ch r ist th e e d of littl e c ldr e n T his e nd I so n p er c e iv e d co d not b e accomplish e d b y indisc r iminat e us e of th e s itch but rath e r through simpl e inst r uctions th e Word of God and in this wo rk I n ee d to b e p r ompt e d by th e lov e of J e sus Inst e ad of i v e nti g mod e s of punishm e nt I re ga r d e d it my duty to inst r uct th e boys from out th e Bibl e and taught th e m th e ord s P r ay e r th e Te n Command m e nts and th e postl e s C ree d I now fo r th e fi rst tim e took th e Bibl e and visit e d th e par e nts of th e boys r e ading to th e f r om th e Gosp e l I co d not p re a ch as y e t but o y re ad Som e tim e s I wou d re ad f r om to t e n th e y want e d m e to com e aga i n The y aid W e ne v er ti re o f h e a ri ng th e Wo r d o f Go d T h e i r e n c o r aging wo r ds e d m e with an e arnest d e i re daily to re ad th e Word of God to hung r y souls T s e xp er i e nc e gav e m e k nowl e dg e of th e spi r itual n ee ds of th e p e opl e round bout m e Satan assail e d m e at tim e s but th e c l e a r passag e s o f Sc r iptu re guid e d m e to th e plac e of re fug e C st t h y bu r d e n upon th e Lo r d I c r i e d to my Saviou r w h o ways and e v e n now fo r th e sa ke of H is su f er ing and d e ath b r ougth p e ac e and co o r t to my troubl e d h e art and th e bl e ss e d hop e of e t er al salvation I b e sought H im to hav e m e rcy upon m e and prot e ct m e against sin and Satan thos pow e rf e n e mi e s of my so The Saviou r g r aciously h e a r d my p y e rs and ke pt m e f r om fa ng a pr e y to th e t e mptation of th e e v on e t er having thus e xp er i e nc e d th e saving gr c e of J e sus how co d I but p r ov e my faith in H im and show my lov e towa r d H im T h e lov e of J e sus u r g e d m e to t e st i of to such as k n e w I now gav e a mor e s er ious att e ntion to th e o r an and oth er r e ligious b oo k s of th e M oham e dans o r d er to b e abl e to point out th e fals e hoods and err o r s of th e i r fals e proph e t b r g to my p e opl e th e bl e ss e d Gosp e l of Ch r ist w ch alon e satisfi e s th e n ee ds of th e human h e a r t also th e manu c r ipts w ch I had pu r chas e d for th e pu r pos e of obta ning a b e tt e r und er standing th e holy Sc r iptu re s form e d a pa r t of my k n e w t he anguag e t he count r y an d nat iv e it was m y e a r n e st d e si re to b r ing M ohamm e dans unto th e light of th e Gosp e l I was c e r ain many wo d l e av e th e ir i e hop e s acc e pt Ch ist if th e y o y had th e privil e g e of h e ring th e Word of Lif e I not doubt that many w e r e anxious to r e c e iv e Christ th e i r Saviour I b e li e v e d many so s could b e sav e d if th e y but had a p re ach e r I was c e rtain too that a g re at many wo d p re judicat e and p er s e cut e m e but I said nly d e ath shall kee p m e from my ission In sp e a k ng so f ree ly I incu rre d th e e ty of my own p e opl e who w ere not pl e as e d with this st e p but by th e grac e of God and through th e financial assistan ce of my fath e r I was e abl e d to e nt e r th e s e rvic e M any op e y ppos e d m e many of th e m att e mpt e d to t n my h e art but in vai T h e r e w e r e f e w to sympathi ze with m e in my da g e rous und e rta k ing and no to com fo r t m e o y th e words of my H e av e y Fath er I w e v er l e av e th ee nor forsa ke th ee e v e n u to th e gav e m e str e ngth and courag e I t r i e d my utmost to comfo r t my par e nts du r ing th e last f e w days of my stay at hom e Fina y th e hou r of pa r ti g cam e I must ta ke l e av e of th e m w e might e v e r m ee t again I do not wish to bring bac k to my m e mo r y th e ir c i e s and calls but can n e v er fo r g e t my g r andmoth er as sh e k n e lt on th e g r ou d with h er arms towa r d he av e n b e s ee ching m e that I h e l e v e s hi s h d i s t t o y o d i g to t h e c us to o f t h e o t y e l t iv e s t d t po th i h d o u l d s must not l e av e her I clos e d my eys so as not to s ee my b e lov e d f r i e ds in th e hour of lam e ntation and d e pa r t e d fo r th e j ou r n e y thin k ing of th e wo r ds w ch Christ spok e Whoso e v e r do e th th e wi l of my Fath er h e is my moth e r broth e r and sist er I wou d hav e stay e d and labo re d among m y p e opl e at hom e but th e district of is mostly by th e N e storians and as th ere w ere many P re s Catholic and E piscopal miss i ona r i e s wo r k ing that dist r ict I not wish to int er f ere w i th th e i r wor k nor to m ngl e with th e p e opl e among whom th e y had s e ttl e d I l e ft this plac e to p r oclaim th e Gosp e l unto such as had not h e a r d of s e cts w ere igno r ant as w e ll of divi e re v e lation I fo d it also n e c e ssary to go to th e capital to s e ttl e a f e w busin e ss matt er s fo r my fath e r T h e prosp e ct of ta k i g this j ourn e y d e light e d m e gr e atly fo r I had long wish d fo r it H aving th e capital in vi e w I l e ft to do siona r y wor k to att e nd to my fath e r s busin e e achi g a caravan that I was to join I found all th e t r av e l er s e xc e pt mys e lf to b e M ohamm e dans T h e y w r e about fifty umb e r Som e had ho s e s oth er s mul e s or cam e ls T h e music th e singing th e shouting and th e sound of th e b e lls that hung on th e n e cks of our a mals co d b e h e ard a mil e away In th e e v e ry man smo ke d his opium and b e hav e d as h e was accustom e d to do wom e also smo ke d I had to e nt e r tain mys e lf and I thought of my duti e s towa r d such a p e opl e I e w it not an e asy matt er to con v erse th e seed o f d i vin e t r uth among th e m but man y of my c ompan ons s ee m e d to b e com e ha r d e n e d at h e a r ing m e W he n e v e r w e pass e d a roc k y plac e th e y att e mpt e d to throw m e down oft e w l e crossing r iv e rs th e y t r i e d to push m e i to th e wat e r but th e Lord sav e d m e from th e i r hands T h e p e opl e in th e i t er io r ar e igno r ant but th e sam e tim e c r u e l Th e y h v e no e ducation of any k d to sp e a k of Th e y liv e among th e roc k y mountains of P e rsia T h e ir hous e s ar e d e r th e g r o d P e opl e and cattl e liv e th e sam e dug out T h e y e at and sl ee p und er th e sam e r oof without any comfort o r p e ac e and e v er ywh e r e sin mis e ry ab o d Hum n b e ings s ee m li ke wi d b e ast r e ady to k ill for a tri l e W e sp e nt ghts in th e ir hom e s sh ee p ox e n hors e s and m e n sl ee ping in circl e I visit e d fam li e s and groups of p e opl e trying to bri g th e m th e Gosp e l T h e r e was opportunity to wor k a ong th e m without much da g e r as th e s e p e opl e hav e scarc e ly r e ligion M y words s ee m e d strang e to th e m at first but th e y soon und e r st od my ssion I taught th e m Ch r istian t r uths M any e r e pl e as e d to h e ar m e sp e a k of God M ny p r o s e d not to st e al nor sob e y what I had spo ke n to th e m but t r y to b e ho e st and t r u e to God T h e y w ere so rr y wh e n I l e ft as k i g m e to r e turn to th e m again and in th e m e antim e to p ay for th e m I f e lt happy and satisfi e d with th e r e s t of my b r i e f visit to th e s e p e opl e and d e pa r t e d re j oicing in my soul with a mor e h op ef spirit to cont i nu e m y wo rk W h en app r oa ch ing la r g e town my compa ons s ee med g e ntl e and social wh e n out in th e c ou t r y th e y w ere r ough and c r u e l k n wi g th ere wo d b e o y a f e w prot e ct m e and wh e n e v er w e stopp e d on ou r j ou r n e y th e y p e ad th e r umor that I was an infid e l Sa mas T ab rez angon and C spian pri cipal citi e s of th e dist r ict I m e t ith a f e w s io a r i e s who th e same wo rk as I In th e s e citi e s on e had th e to wo rk among m e nians and Sy r ians T h e l e ad e rs of th e M ohamm e dans a re st r ongly oppos e d to Ch r i wo rker s and w i not allow an y on e to p re ach th e Gosp e l in publ c or e v e n in privat e if it b ec om e s k nown to th e m e ngth w e cam e to Te h er an th e c apital of P er s i a wh ere I pa r t e d f r om my company and s e cu re d a plac e to b e gin my wor k in that g re at city I re main e d th ere n e a r ly two y e a r s m e t with fai r succ e ss though I su e r e d p er s e cutio s and attac k s wh l e t e aching in my school also in ou r m ee tings O n e e v e ning I was call e d to v s i t a fa y Som e e n e e s of th e Gos e l had watch e d m e clos e ly I op e n e d th e doo r to l e av e a gun was fir e d aim e d as it s ee m e d at my fac e I f e ll to th e g r ound T h e bu e t miss e d m e but th e powd er n e a r ly blind e d my e yes and a e ct e d my h e ad to su c h an e xt e nt that I from it for a long tim e oth er ti m e I was going hom e f om a m ee ting h e ld at t he home Download 24 Kb. 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