Page 35 - History of Arabian Mission 1926-1957

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their poverty, and the children's eyes developed trachoma of the wornb Conn. Mrs. Van Peur3cm had been impressed throughout her missionary career
The distracted parents went from one quack to another, till both little ones with the need of Arabia's countless blind. When she came into immediate con­
were almost blind. Someone told them about the mission hospital, and they tact with her own little blind charges in the orphanage, she set herself to
went there in fear and hope. It was too late to restore the children's the task of learning Braille. She had to learn It first In English and then
sight, but they all received kindness and sympathy. After her husband's In Arabic. In twenty-four concentrated lessons the average adult student is
death Itara Miriam was turned out of her date-stick hut because she could not usually able to read Arabic Braille by himself, but It takes several months
pay her rent, and she went to the Mission as her only refuge.
to acquire fluency.
Her own account, literally translated from Arabic, is eloquent; Besides Abood, there was another blind boy, Mirza, a convert from
"After discouraging experiences from ray neighbors and no help from anywhere, Islam. He learned Arabic Braille in Bahrain, and later English Braille, and
my only hope was in the woman doctor, from whom I begged to be admitted into was trained for independent living. After Abood returned to Bahrain, he and
the hospital, being willing to do any work assigned to me, so that I might Mirza used to accompany Mr. Van Peursera and Dr. Storm on village tours, where
earn our living honorably, without having to beg. After ray baby was born and their singing and testimony added a great deal to the services. The Arabs
I recovered, the doctor asked me to stay on because she realized that I liked were greatly Interested, not to 3ay amused, at these blind boys reading the
the work and was willing to do the meanest and lowliest tasks. I was given a Braille New Testament with the tips of their fingers, and often followed the
room in the hospital with my children, and any child needing special care was reading in the Testament to satisfy themselves that the boys were not reading
given to me and I learned how to take care of them. How I have wished I had from menory.
known before how to take care of babies' eyesl I resolved that I would not
use any of the quack medicines on my youngest baby, and, praise the Lord, he Mra. Van Peursem's third prize pupil was a Muslim young man (not in
has good eyes. My job soon developed into caring for children. I love these the orphanage family) a poet, and also a popular radio star, who composed a
helpless strangers, orphans and foundlings, as my own. Victory Song, with the words and music all In Braille. He read the Gospels
of Matthew and Luke by himself, and with his teacher Proverbs and Mark. Her
"Through my association with Christians, I began to doubt the Shiah next step was to teach him English Braille, which he was eager to learn, as
(Muslim) faith. The love, the patience, the mercy, they showed to me and to besides the John Milton Magazine for the Blind from New York, there is nob
) countless others cannot be found in Islam. I want to our Shiah readings and much other literature available in English Braille. This was an incentive to
also listened to the Christian readings and prayers and hymns. As the latter diligent study.
gave so much more comfort and joy and because I found they helped me so much
more, I asked to be instructed. After my very first lesson from that motherly By 1944 the House of Happiness, or Beit Saeed, as the orphanage had'
’ and kind teacher, ray desire to learn more and more about Jesus became like a come to be called, was on a firm basis. It was a center of hospitality,
real hunger. If only I had learned to read as a child I could have learned evangelistic zeal, and helpfulness to rich and poor alike. Four of the chil­
faster, but I had to spend so much time In learning how to read, and I am so dren attended school and two older girls helped with the housework and caring
slow. Soon I realized I need not go hungry if I gave ray heart to Jesus. He for the pre-school-age children. The older girls received regular Bible les­ i
would teach me in spite of my ignorance. So Jesus not only saved me but he sons from Mrs. Harrison and were given opportunity to tell Gospel stories at
soon showed my daughter, who at first was very much against His teachings, the Thursday meeting.
that salvation was nowhere else to be found. That is Just the way it hap­
pened, even in my dreams I had lessons and learned of Christ's love. So I The numbers had increased to fourteen in 19^9* and while Uinm Miriam
asked to be taken into the Christian fellowship and was baptized, and I and was 3till house mother, It had become evident that more supervision and dis­ I
ray children are happier as time goes on and the more we know about our cipline vere needed. The babies had now grown to children who needed much
Saviour and His love." individual attention. Mrs. Harry Almond, who with her own little girl lived
in Beit Saeed for some months while her husband was on tour on the mainland,
After her own conversion and baptism she became a fearless witness, made strong recommendations to the Mission, based on this experience, for a
and was a great influence for good in the hospital. Several young girlG were resident couple for the orphanage.
brought to Christ through her influence and were eventually baptized.
Personnel for this need was not available then, but Mi6s Ruth Young
Her son Abood, who was totally blind, was sent to a Swiss school in was put in charge on completion of her language work in 1952. She moved Into
Syria and then to the famous Schneller Orphanage and School for the Blind in a small apartment on the second floor of the orphanage building, where she !
Jerusalem. Here he spent nine years, and came back to Bahrain equipped to could see as well as' hear what was going bn, and put order and discipline
earn his own living. He made brooms and brushes from date fiber for the where they were much needed.
hospitals and oil companies; caned chairs for the Overseas Air Company Rent
House and Naval Base; raised chickens; kept cows; and eventually progressed The greatest problems came with the boys who had to attend local
beyond this type of work to becoming a general contractor. He now docs truck schools which gave no Christian training. In these schools Sunday was not a !
ing for the oil company, and owns two houses. Best of all, he has a happy holiday, so the boys could not attend church nor Sunday school with the res t
Christian home, with a wife (only partially blind) who was a teacher in +' of the Christian community. The girls were cared for in the mission school
Blind School in Jerusalem, and two charming children. of course.
He was thrilled to be one of the two Bahrain delegates to th*
: Vvanrfal Inal f’nnfor'onna 1 n IQSll.
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