Page 388 - Neglected Arabia Vol 2

8 NHGUiCTlil) ARA/UA

tracts, and to ask questions. 'There arc two encouraging aspects in die
Bible Shop work this year. ()ne is that the higher class Arab is beginnim* I
to attend, nor have they at all excluded the humbler Arab from coining
in. The other encouragement is that three young men affirm and tell m
that daily they read and study the Bible. May God bless them and lead j
them to see and understand I lis love. Upon returning from India, 1 heard *
that Abdul Salaam, our former language teacher, had languished on a i
bed of illness for three months. Tuberculosis was doing its work. The I
doctor and I called to see him and the following day he wrote a note ask- ;
ing for medicine and also wrote, ‘Thank you and Mr. De Jong a great
deal for your visiting for 1 love so much the people of our Lord and
Saviour Jesus Christ, hoping you would call most of the time.’ You all
can sense our joy at this letter. Jt recalled the times we read the Gospels
together and talked very frankly about Jesus, when he said that he
believed.”
Reporting on six and a half months of service in Kuwait, Mrs. Storm
is thankful for the privilege of taking hospital prayers and she writes,
“Callers in the home were quite numerous, September being the peak month
with a total of fifty-seven. The message was given to these friends in a
variety of ways. Sometimes the little portable organ was brought into
play and a hymn sung and explained; sometimes a large picture from a
Sunday School roll was displayed and described; other times a topic came
up in conversation, suggesting the possibility and the need of making
known the Christian viewpoint; again, the Book would be brought out
and read and the story or portion retold. There have been outstanding
cases amongst these callers such as the woman who said that the hearts o(
the missionaries were as white as my white dress but the hearts of the
Arabs as black as her black cloak, thus opening the door for a word on
Christ as Cleanser. Then there was the woman who showed a lively in-
terest in describing Christmas in Kuwait, telling of the tree and the gift*
and the food but not at all interested when informed about God’s great
Gift being the precedent for our giving. Another woman was cs|>eeially
keen to hear the Christian view of marriage, particularly monogamy, a*
she had just been displaced by the coming of a new bride to her home.
These and similar incidents in obtaining topics from the women them­
selves were very valuable, for it was then certain that things close to their
lives and hearts were being touched upon.”
Of AM ARAM Miss Ruth Jackson writes, “‘For Thou art with me’—
this was our strength and comfort through the great strain and uncertainty
of the early months of the year. It looked as though our hospital in
Amarah would not be allowed to re-open and the people were complaining
and impatient, losing confidence in us because of the long delay of the
promised doctor. Then, our prayers being answered and political obstacle
to our work being removed, came the great disappointment-when illness
in our Mission prevented altogether the doctor coming. AH this affecteil
the evangelistic work very much as that was our only touch with the people
and it created much misunderstanding wherever we went. Later when
the matter was definitely settled and Miss Dalenberg was giving relief
to many women in her clinic, we were glad to feel the atmosphere change
and a more friendly spirit prevail. Hasana, the convert baptized last year,
always welcomed her opportunity of witnessing by word or prayer in both
prayer meeting and Sunday School and she spent much time and labor