Page 428 - Neglected Arabia Vol 2

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"Hold Fast”
Mrs. Dirk Dvkstka

T J1E field editor of Neglected Arabia has asked me to write this *
letter, believing that our supporters at home, those who are huld- :
jug the rope of prayer, may be encouraged and heartened in their 1

IS given. task, and with this in mind the following account of two women ’
While making a call one afternoon in Basrah, some weeks ago, after .
having read to my hostess from my Bible, she began to speak about the .
desirability of knowing how to read, of the possibility of such a one as [
herself learning to read, and that, evidently, reminded her of something |
she wanted to relate to me, which was as follows:
“There was a Moslem woman in Muscat who learned reading from .
the Khatoon there, one like yourself who visits with the women and reads •
to them from this Book. This woman learned to read and she read from :
your Book and she became a Christian. After some trouble she went to t
Karachi (India) to live and there she was taken sick and died. Before,
she died, the Moslems, according to our custom, wanted her to give the !:
witness (which is, ‘There is no God but God and Mohammed is the ,
Apostle of God/) She refused to do so. They urged her, then threat- |
ened her but she continued to refuse. She pointed to her box and told \
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them to open it. In it there was a book like yours. She told them that j
her faith was in that Book and in that faith she was going to die. It was 1
your Book, like this Book you are reading now. She died in your faith.
She died a Christian. No one wanted to bury her because she had become
an infidel. There was trouble about it.”
“But 1 have never heard any of the Muscat ladies tell of some one who i
answers this description. And how do you know about it? and what
was her name.?”
“Why, you know I was in India for my operation. So 1 heard all abuui
it. I know the name hut have forgotten it just this minute. I'll ask my
neighbor Firja, she knows. The woman was Kirja’s neighbor here in 1
Basrah before that.”
t I
She got up to ask her neighbor and came hack with this answer, “l|cr
name was F.... and she came to Muscat from Bahrain. She learned
her reading in Bahrain. Firja will he here in a moment and you can ask
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her loo.”
Presently Firja came in and after more questioning a dawning appre-
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hensiun became a sure conviction and 1 knew that she was speaking
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one whom l myself had taught to read, of F.... whom we <>l Uthraiu
station, some years ago, had learned to know and lor whom w<. puu*d l
much. F...1 who gave much promise and who persisted in learning u,
read so that she might he able to read our Scriptures, v.... jv in had
learned to pray and who had asked for baptism hut who foi somu loasum
had to he advised to wait. F. ... whose oft-repeated petition was ui the
gift of the Holy Spirit to teach and to cleanse. F. - - • whose past life had
l>een a sad one because of sin and subsequent fear, into w m 1 Me had
been led by those who should have been her guardians, and l< - - • - whose
present state of virtue was an uncertain one. But, still 1 • • • • 'N ..
steadily growing in that necessary trust and confidence in us as ui uuuU,

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