Everlasting Pearl: One of China's WomenJohannsen, Anna Magdalena
History
Everlasting Pearl: One of China's Women
Johannsen, Anna Magdalena
Missions -- China; Women -- China -- Biography
Mrs. Lue saw them coming, and realized that here was work for her to do,
as the old chapel-keeper was little good at preaching. That morning
Mrs. Lue had read in her daily text-book: "Be of good cheer. Speak, and
be not silent, for I have much people in this city." Now the message
came back to her, and it seemed to be the voice of God Himself, so she
answered joyfully, "Very well, Lord, if Thou dost want me to preach, I
will preach. I will put down my own work, and only work for Thee
during these days." So without delay or regret, she put everything
else aside, and for three or four days witnessed from morning till
night to all the women who came, so that each one might hear the glad
tidings of salvation before returning to a distant home. Could such
faithful work, done through the prompting of the Holy Spirit, and
through the constraining love of Christ, be in vain?
She would say in her own bright way--"I am glad and willing to work for
the Lord, even if it should mean great loss; but the Lord does not let
me lose anything, not even in worldly things. I give my time to Him,
and He so often helps me to do a piece of work that makes up for all
the time I have given. Do you know what happened last week? I gave my
time to preaching the Gospel during the week, and then on Saturday
somebody brought a pair of shoes to be mended. It was a difficult
piece of work, and few were able to do it. I undertook to mend them,
and in that one day I earned 100 cash, when others were only able to
earn 20 or 30 cash a day."
Does not this story give a striking example of how God rewards glad and
willing service for Him, even here, in addition to the greater
recompense above? "Therefore be ye steadfast, immovable, always
abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your
labour is not in vain in the Lord."
CHAPTER XX
DAYS OF SHADOW
Reference has already been made to the death of Mrs. Lue's brother.
This had been a great trial to her, as he was the only one left who
bound her to the home of her girlhood. It was in June 1904 that he
left them for the better world above, and already in July death called
another one from the immediate circle. This time it was the old tailor
Chang who was summoned into the presence of the King.
He was, indeed, a brand plucked from the burning. He had been pretty
well off, and was a good tailor. When a child, Mr. Lue had been
apprenticed to Chang by his parents. Chang was fond of the quiet,
conscientious boy, and treated him well, and the two grew fond of each
other. But soon their ways parted, and later on Chang sunk very low on
account of his opium-smoking habit. He kept an opium den, lived with a
woman who was not his wife, and became more and more a slave to opium,
until he had wasted his last dollar and sold all he possessed. It was
then, when he was landed in utter misery, and knowing not where to
turn, that his former apprentice, Mr. Lue, came forward, and offered him
a home and shelter.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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