Chinese Diamonds for the King of KingsGoforth, Rosalind
Religion
Chinese Diamonds for the King of Kings
Goforth, Rosalind
Missions -- China
"I know you have," she replied, trying to speak so as not to waken the
baby and yet be heard above the din of voices. "I really cannot let you
inside unless you first sit down and listen to what I have to say."
Then as they still hesitated she continued, "If you will sit down and
listen, I will promise to let you inside and show you everything." This
promise had the desired effect—down they sat on mats, some on benches,—a
few timid ones kept close to the gate so as to be ready to flee at the
first approach of danger! As the mother tried to tell them why she had
come—of a Saviour from sin—of a hope after death, some listened intently
and seemed to get a gleam of light, but for the most part the crowd was
restless and keen only to get inside the house about which they had
heard so many strange stories. At last baby Nell wakened, and making
the fact known by lusty cries, gave the women the opportunity they
desired.
As the mother ran to her little one the crowd of forty or fifty women
and children pressed in after her. With the baby in her arms the mother
faithfully kept her promise. Nothing escaped their curious eyes—beds
were turned back, drawers opened, sewing machine examined, and organ
played before they appeared satisfied. Whereupon they rushed off as
quickly as they had come, saying to one another, "The foreign devil
woman does not seem as bad as people say she is." Others said, "But who
knows, you can never judge by appearances!" Half an hour later the
husband returned from the man’s preaching to find his wife in tears.
"Why, what’s wrong?" he asked.
"Oh, everything," his wife replied between her sobs. "I just can’t bear
it. You don’t know how they despise me and what terrible things they
are saying. Besides when I came back to my work I found they had
carried off my last pair of scissors and part of the material I was
making a dress of. That is not all. The cook has just been in to say
that several teaspoons are missing."
"Tut, tut," replied her husband, man-like. "That’s nothing. Why they
are only _things_ anyway!"
A few days later came the missionary’s turn to need sympathy. He came
in from the front looking pale and apparently quite worn out.
"I tell you what, wife," he said, "I cannot stand this strain much
longer without help! If I only had a good preacher to put in charge of
the preaching hall, I could get along; but with lime to weigh, bricks to
count, wood and timber to measure, and all the Mission accounts to keep,
besides the oversight of all these workmen, and the preaching to these
crowds of men that are coming daily, well—I just must get help."
He went into his study, but returned a moment later with an open Bible
in his hand. Pointing to these words, "My God shall supply all your
need," he said, "Wife, do we really believe this? If we do, then let us
join in asking God to meet this pressing need of ours for an
evangelist."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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