Page 9 - History of Arabian Mission 1926-1957

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General Evangelistic Work.
the boys* Often valuable Inflight Into a boy’s problems Is afforded by these
The general evangellotlc work of the Mission - preaching and teaching friendships with hj.s family. !
Christ to those who do not know him - has gone forward with unabated energy.
Tours by doctors and clergymen together have been noteworthy. In Basrah, the Won:mz evangelistic workers in Basrah have been Mrs. Van Ess, Mrs.
men’s evangelistic work is incorporated with the school work. Bilkert, Ruih Jackson, Mrs. Dykstra, Mrs. Pennings, Mrs. Gosselink,
Mrs. Almond^, Hra* s.ibiker, Mrs. MacNeill, and Mrs. Luidens.
Evangelistic work has far more resources at its disposal now than were
available thirty years ago. Magic lantern slides have of course been used for Saudny schools, clubo, cottage prayer meetings, special Christmas and
many years, as they still are, those of the Life of Christ alwayc ueing espe­ Easte?,* prcgJ.oflifrj, literacy courses for groups or Individuals, have afforded an
cially appreciated. The Red Cross in India loaned the Mission many valuable extremely wide rar-go of contacts for women in all our stations.
slides pertaining to health. Films are shown in schools, hospitals, church
gatherings, groups of women and girls, on tour and in villages, to a few or to ’Hie World Buy of Prayer for women, observed throughout the Mission, has
many - Indoors and out, to the illiterate and the Intelligentia. The King of drawn our Christian woman into a sense of world-wide fellowship and has im­
Kings has made a tremendous impression. Some films are owned or rented by the pressed our Muslim friends. In several of our stations, half a dozen languages
Mission, others are loaned from a central committee in Beirut.. Film strips are used In this service in song, Scripture, and prayer.
are in constant use. Tape recordings of Bible readings and talks, ma.de by a
national, are used with great success for clinic patients in the waiting rooms Every ffilosicnary home is a center of hospitality, where rich and poor.
of hospitals. Bulletin boards, with frequent changes of Bible pictures and In large rawbsxtJ or a few at a time, are constantly welcomed and entertained
verses, attract the casual passer-by. Flannelgraphs are extremely popular in and drawn into the v;arm circle of Christian family life. Young mothers, whose
I : schools and clubs, and make vivid the Old Testament stories and the life and duties to th©iv oym small children keep them from extensive work outside she
teaching of Christ. Christian literature In Arabic Is widely used, as always, hone, «**. in valuable contribution to make in this way.
and the Bible shops In all our stations are centers of lively discussions vita
a vide range of visitors. Arab Christian evangelists divide their time between It has often been said that one of the most unanswerable arTprser. zs for
j hospitals and Bible shops, in the medical stations. Christianity is the spectacle of Christian womanhood and the Christian home.
i This Is indeed one of our greatest missionary assets.
A plan for the future Is to develop facilities somewhere in the Near
Sist for a far-reaching program in Arabic of radio evangelism.
2. Following the Great Teacher - the Ministry of Teaching
Women's Work.
"Ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you
Women's work has availed itself of all these resources, as well as free." John 8:32
carrying on the tradition of Christian friendliness which has always been one
of its greatest assets. During the depression, and then the war, physical The Mission has four schools - two In Basrah, one for boys and one
want and distress all around us drew us inevitably Into a great deal of relief for girls; a girls' school In Bahrain; and In Muscat a mixed group consisting
work. "I was hungry and ye fed me, naked and ye clothed me," was literally chiefly of the children of converts and mission helpers.
fulfilled.
Promising schools for boys In Bahrain and Kuwait had to be closed as
A large part of every woman evangelistic worker's time goes into per­ a result of the need of retrenchment following the depression, as well as the
sonal work with individuals - converts, inquirers, or Just friends in need. flourishing girls' school In the Ashar section of Basrah.
Many need systematic instruction, either advanced or elementary, in Christian [
beliefs and their application to life, and most of them have personal problems Basrah. I
for which they need advice, sympathy, and help.
The last few years of the nineteen twenties marked the peak of the
In the four stations where the Mission has hospitals, much of the prosperity and success of our Basrah schools.
women'8 evangelistic work has centered around hospital patients and their fami­
lies. The waiting room at the clinic affords a large audience every day, and a The School of High Hope (the official name of the boys' school) Look
call at the missionary lady's home is a natural and pleasant sequel to an Arab over the plant of the Lansing Memorial Hospital, which was moved to Amarah.-
woman's Interview with the doctor. A new classroom unit had been completed for the secondary school, and the
Bilkert Memorial Library was built in 1930. A well-equipped playground went
In Basrah, where there Is no mission hospital, the special organized into constant and enthusiastic use, open to children of the whole neighbor­
work which haa evolved is club work for unprivileged girls, several hundred of hood - the only one of its kind In all Basrah. A basketball court, subse­ {
whom are reached every week, and through them their mothers ana their homes.. quently flood-lit; football ground; and facilities for other sports, gave
The missionary wives in Basrah have always tried to become acquainted with the emphasis to the increasing importance of athletics in the school. Members of
families of boys in the school, and have not only formed new contacts in this the White-Dove track team could often be seen in gym shorts, giving themselves
way, but have built up a better understanding of our aims and aspirations for a workout before breakfast. There were strong literary societies in both
Arabic and English.