Page 31 - Neglected Arabia Vol 1 (3)_Neat

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NEGLECTED AKA ItlA 15
were ull personal acquaintances. Since then the numbers have steadily
Increased until now we have an average congregation of about sixty
every Sunday. Just think of it, all these sons of Arabia—there are no
daughters present except sometimes a very small one—sitting listening
lo the Gospel of Peace and Salvation in Christ Jesus. On last Christ­
mas day our church hall was simply packed, many people standing
outside the doors and windows. People of all classes had come to
liktcn to our Christmas message. It was a grand sight to see leading
men sitting with an open Bible in their hands following the reading
iiicntively and later on listening to the simple exposition. We had an
equally large attendance on Good Friday. We are looking forward with
much expectation to the day when we, by the grace of God, shall be
permitted to lay the foundation stone of the Church and reclaim to
die honor and glory of our Master that consecrated ground which was
loit here in Aden some hundreds of years ago, when the Christian
Church was actually swept away. We will not cease before we have
.
won. Our church hall is already too small. We ask our readers’
prayers for divine guidance in all our endeavors to establish the Church
41 ul advance the Kingdom of Christ here in Aden.
Last Sunday we began an Arabic Sunday evening service at Mualla,
j | town between Aden and Steamer Point, where we have had a small'
! ichool for about two years. Somehow to begin with we had only
expected a juvenile congregation, but instead of that we had the hall
(ull of mostly adults. They all seemed very much interested in the
message. In their personal conduct they are always very kind and
polite towards us missionaries, and many portions of the Holy Scriptures
ire yearly sold and circulated among them. Without doubt there is an
inclination in the Moslem mind towards Christ’s teaching, not only here
a Aden where Christian influence has been felt since 1839 when the
British look possession of the place, but also in the interior.
Some time ago 1 had the opportunity of taking a trip up through the ?
Red Sea along the Arabian coast. We went ashore at Hodeida,
Kunfuda and Lith, the two latter Mecca ports. In all these places we
■rre received with much kindness by the .Amirs and other people in
authority. The Holy Scriptures which I presented to them were
nowhere refused, but received with thanks and they promised to read
item. On our way back we had twenty-five passengers from Mecca
■itli us. I had some most interesting conversations and discussions with
6cm. One morning I read the third chapter of St. Matthew and
4ltcrwards we discussed it. In the evening one of the party came
Kirctly and asked if I could let him have a book like the one I had
rod from in the morning. I was happy to give him the New Testa­
ment. Such an experience shows that the word of God shall not return
«umJ and gives us courage to battle according to our Master’s last
tunmand, “Go ye, therefore, and teach all nations.”