The American Missionary — Volume 41, No. 10, October, 1887Various
Religion
The American Missionary — Volume 41, No. 10, October, 1887
Various
Congregational churches -- Missions -- Periodicals; Home missions -- Periodicals
Accordingly I sent Jee Gam to visit these young men. He spent
two Sabbaths with them. At another time Chin Kue, our faithful
helper at Oakland, spent several days with them. The result of
their inquiries brought joy to all our hearts. The new converts
were found to be sincere, fervent, courageous and though sadly
in need of instruction, yet earnestly desiring it. So they were
organized into a branch of our Association of Christian Chinese,
and were shown how to commence effective Christian work among their
countrymen. Three weeks ago word came of another who seemed to be
turning to Christ. His brethren were doubtful about him, but Mrs.
Colby hoped quite strongly. This time Loo Quong, who has done so
good service in an evangelistic way in our Northern missions, was
asked to go and spend a Sabbath with them. His experience I give
in something like his own idioms as he reported it to me. Speaking
of this new convert he said: “Before I have chance to speak to
him, the others told me that they had heard that he had been in
the gambling places, but they were not sure about it. So my first
question to him was this: ‘Do you wish to be a Christian?’ He
said ‘Yes.’ ‘Have you been gambling before?’ ‘Yes.’ ‘Don’t you
know that gambling is wrong, and not fit for a Christian to do?’
‘Yes, I found that out some time ago.’ So we went on, question and
answer, till I found him truly sincere, and wanting to try to love
the Saviour. So I made arrangements for him to be brought into the
Association on Sunday evening. On Sunday morning five of us were
going to the Congregational church. While we were passing through
Chinatown some of our countrymen, about ten in number, standing by
the doors of the Chinese shops began to make fun of us, calling us
‘_cabbages_.’ This means, in Chinese, a very dirty word, and at the
same time, it has a sound very near to the word _Jesus_ in Chinese.
After they had called us all by this name, they turned especially
upon Wong Tim Ban (the young Christian) saying to him: ‘Come, have
a smoke of opium before you go to church.’ ‘Come play cards with
us once more.’ In all this he kept silent, and so did all of us.
After church was dismissed we came back the same way, and they came
out to meet us again. They called Wong Ban a very bad name. But he
only smiled and returned them a very kind word, saying: ‘Yes, I am
a Christian now, no matter what I had done before. I am going to be
a better man and do not mind your laughing.’” So when evening came
he was welcomed to the Association by the vote of all the members.
And so _we_ stand rebuked for unbelief; and the faithful teacher’s
perseverance is rewarded; and we take courage to work on though
hearts are hard and for the time the field seems like unbroken
fallow ground.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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