The Ohio Independent Baptist, December 1965

Life is no empty dream in Africa but a challenge to faith in Christ By Esther Lindeman Greeting with Longfellow· "P alm of Life" Tell me not in mournful numbers "Life i but an empty dream!" For the oul i dead that lumber , And thing are not what they eem. I..,ife i real! Life i earnest! And the grave i not it goal· Ou t thou art. to du t returne t. Wa not poken of the oul Doesn't it thrill you and lift you out of the "du t' to kno,w th a t yot1 have eternal life now by being ··born again" into God' family through faith in J e u hri t? 1t i now about nine month ince my return to Africa and life i no ··empt 1· dream' ' here in Ouango but I a chalJenge to a life of faith in our personal Lord. A mi ionary friend wrote, 'Are n' t }'Ou glad you're back? I have never been ·'glad-er." From tarting agai n f ron1 ,. cratch' ' and waiting for bag– gage and for thing to get done and getting ettled , with its little tri als, there has been real progre a t l . i nd y Villa . ew and inter esting mini trie and contact for the Lord and the e dear people make me '"glad·· to be here . I helped out in ciao se in Ban- gassou until ome of the fur loughed missionar1e\ returned. Baggage ar– ri ved and how thankful I have been . J wi sh I could write each of you as I feel . o ver}' grateful for o many love ly thing·3 you did for me. I do pr a}' . HGod bless her or them.,. A recent and intere. ting contact here i a Bible and ewing Ja\s with the go ernn1ent post \.\'0111en, 18 to 20. hey are all Afric an~ anti some ar11or1g then1 a re hri tian·:). Many cannot read a11d the)' have nothing 10 do. e 111ee t ir1 the hon1e of the Ad111ir1i tr ato r ( t }1 c \ otas - prefet) . I Ile} a rc hri tia n . ...-I l1c wo r11cn are pl a ed and " OL1ld l1av n1e co111e e 1 er) a , l,t11 l tru t the ()nc day a v. 1 il l cl1ai lenge tl1eir Ji\'c f >r I r . thcr J) l J) o pl c }1;(1ve () TO– I rd , 1)U I tl1e c l1a11gc o f ,~ ..._. 11 lo ,1 . 1 Ji apa11z , did L c I C 11 , l> U I il, 11 l g 1 > ll . I l 11 r a .. CJ et r , vvl1 111 I k nc\\ d ltttl ~ta , I a 1 il I l ) dur1n 11 ) pL1 l1-1ra I e 11 mt I pr fe d J1r i t , I f e 11 d t t1 } 111 i n g t I I Uf 11 . I I j I t 1 I· . Jill d , t TH OHl'O I DEP BAPTIS learn tha t he took thi econd wife becau e hi,-- other wife bore hin1 no children . He doe now have a cherub of a baby. Do pray for then1 that they may do what i right. They ar e Gregoire and Eli abeth. I drove to Malang,amba village, 20 mile to help tr aighten out omc trouble in the women' work. 1t help. to go and they apprecia,te it. The corner of the Congo aero.--. the river from u i till in rebe l hand and the people fl ee ito the wood or hare living with the in1- ba . The Hol te were r e cued in June and Ia t month another couple. A whole yea r of not knowing if they would be alive a t night, suffering and fear, bu,t marvelou deliverance. My heart ache for the pitiful people that come to my hou e · a . mall boy that ha e,pilep y that threw him into the fire, hi arm and abdo– men o badly burned I thought he wa a leper· a mute lad; a woman who e feet were all lepra.--y ore came for ,alve now alrno t healed . Poor dear, they never can be bL1t I gave her more alve. An old wo– man who e mud hoL1 e caved in wanted prayer for help . Her e tand a kinny twi ted li·ttl e man whose eye i bulging with di e,a e. I top to pray with then1 and help if I can, a t lea t thank,ful that they all know Him who i the giver of eterna l life. No n1ore ickne and orrow over TH R ! I have ju t fini hed a coL1r e of treatment for filaria . It i. caused by a tiny n1icro copic worm in the lyn1ph Lhru a type of fly r r110 qL1it . Itch welt\ are f orn1ed in any part of the l1{d}, a•:-, n1ine were tarting to he . I do thank ) ' OU !)O 111t1ch for ) ot1r pra} er and interc\t . 1 apprec iate the J)r iv tlegc of being l1 erc. C,otl l1le,, ) ' C) u () nc ,tnll a11 . Kce11 or1 pra\ 1ng. ' 'POEMS FOR PATRIOTIC AMERICANS' ' By Ralph T. Nordlund 72 pdge, with 50 poems and 1on1e pro, remind rs of the h istor y th t inspir-,d or provoked th ml Be utiful binding m k&s them attractive gift,. Price $1. Di~coun t for book t ble • Order fron1 : R. T. Nordlund, 86 M pl St. Fo toria , Ohio (Con 't. from Inside Front Cover) agL\ ()f f<)llr vcar" nn,f five n1c)11th·, All httl tive of thern arc "elf-"it1r111c)rt– ing. he c chttrchc have rccci Cll from $ I 00 to $10,730 in out ide ltpport or an aver age of 2,970 per church and have given back to mi - • ion an aver age of 3,015 per church. Thi i·-- the on ly mi ion ary en- deavor th at I know of th at return the help that it receive back into the mi ionary project f our a ocia– tion, and then in a few month be– come a continuing ource of income for our o ther n1i·-- ionary project without requiring continuing help fron1 ottr churche . The onl y way to accon1 pl i h al I th a t od i gi i ng ll\ to do is to . tart more cht1rche . I n1 adc thi c. ta tement in one of OL1r churche recently and at the clo.--e of the ervice, the pa tor gave n1e thi illu tation . He pointed OLLt that when an oil co111pany ·want · Lo prodt1ce n1ore oil iit doe not work the pun1p harder bL1t drill n1ore well . When a grocery chain wants to ell more grocerie it d es not jt1 t enl arge the f loor pace f it\ e i ting tore but it pl,aces lhcr tore-- in trategic l cati n . In the light of the above. I woultl like to encourage 12 cht1rche, t in- vite three r f Llr r five ther chltrche-:-- clo e to then1 t join then1 thi year in pon ·oring a new cht1r h in a needy area clo e to the,11. In additi n to th i . I wot11J a 'l ca h chL1rch. when it draw· -- up it\ nc~t ,ni ionary bl1dget. t gi e ·eriot1" con iderati n t help ., 111e n w cht1rch in Ohio get un<.ier ~ a} b) 111aking thi'i part of their 1111s ionar)' pr gran1. We tight to be t.1rt1ng one new cht1r h a n1<.111th . or the ~1a·"t f I C \ t; a f \, th C p pt t} a t IO 11 t h j t1 h,a, growr1 b) 16(),()00 per ) car t the natc of one nC\\ ht1rch a 111or1th. thi" "'ottlll be t)tlc 11r\.\ "ht1rcl1 fo1 cc\c ~1 l 1,000 pe pi e \Vtlh()tlt tl t1 1ng a 11 ) ' t 11 i ng t t L\ kc t l J) t 11 t! ~ I L\ ... k 111 tr\ ing to rcL,ch tht' l l), ~{)l).Ot)(> Jl~t ~)l t• , 11<) "' ' c 11 \\ }1e1 e \\ c c~111 be ,t .. \rt - 1n g l) Jl c 11e \ V c t1t11 ~ l1 ,t tlll) nl}1 lt1r111g th is .. 1 ~~ , ~ 1L\t1t)11~1l , t!ar 1t \\'e ,,·ork ., t l, g L' t 11 er a t t h I s t ask. Hilltop House makes payment J\ J) ' l ' l l l t: l ll ,.lf ,000 \\ Jl l f\ {lc t t 1 c I r ll s t t:: s \ t 11 l 111 l: 111 I a 1111), In . J r l~l>t r tirt 111 nt l>ll ' l 1illt ll li t t i t " t l1is \ ea1 . }> r i tl1 l r I J r Jl r \ i I i 11 g , r l t1 i 11 I. DECEMBER 19 65 PAGE 11