Page 5 - History of Arabian Mission 1926-1957

II. IMPLEMENTING OUR TASK - THE WORK Hj The earnest group of four open Christians has grown In grace and in :
knowledge of Christ. Classes for Christian instruction have been given. A
weekly social night has been useful and very enjoyable. They pray and work t
"And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is together and we with them. God is being glorified in their lives and in­
the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, ond quirers are being ftnum into their radiant circle." i
when ye turn to the left." Isaiah 30:21
In 1936 vs read: "The great event of the year was the baptism of !
For convenience in classification, we call the three main departments three new Christians. Of that number, one came from the hospital staff. *
of our work Evangelistic, Educational, and Medical; but the evangel, is tic ap­ Another is ready for baptism and another is an open Christian who will soon
proach underlies every branch of all the Mission's activities and in the true be baptized. We oc-e God’s hand in the work. This little church has learned i *
sense it is all evangelistic work. many lessons already find they can work and pray together in getting a comrade ! :
out of trouble* They constitute the nucleus of a larger group, the growing I
1. Evangelism Christian community of Matrah. This Christian group is already having a wide i
influence on the entire city." .
"Come near, ye nations, to hear; and hearken, ye people: let
the earth hear, and all that is therein; the world, and all The- following year saw the first child of converts presented for
things that come forth of it." Isaiah 34:1 Christian, baptism* thus beginning the new generation of born Christians.

The last three decades have seen great progress in the development In 1934?.; "The meetings at the house of M., the convert, have continued I
of churches in our stations. Muscat and Amarah, the smallest and most iso­ through the ye»r* Xn this way we reach with a very simple Gospel message a
lated, have advanced most, in the sense that their congregations have as their number of our ncd^iboro who are unwilling to attend meetings in the hospital.
nucleus Arab converts, which has always been the goal, of our Mission. The boys have organized weekly seemings and it is a great pleasure to see that
the message I* better receives, m. aadersxood from them than from us. Tile
Muscat. little church in Katrah is the Jcy sf the work."

In Muscat, the infant Church of Christ in Arabia is made up almost In 1939: "In Muscat they are planning to enlarge the chapel, The
entirely of converts from Islam and their families. groups of believers have suffered persecution; they have become bolder in
their testimonies."
The re-opening of men's medical work In Matrah in 1928 brought a fresh I
, group to be added to the little band of converts and helpers, few but faith­ In 1940: "The congregation of converts, inquirers, and adherents
ful, in Muscat. In 1929 the opening of a motor road through the rocky hills with their children have outgrown the building. Bible classes for adults and
between Muscat end Matrah made It possible to share in church and Sunday school Sunday school classes for all were largely attended, in both Muscat and I
services. Matrah. Neighboring villages were visited. Sunday evening fellowship suppers
for all in the circle of faith fostered and sustained the spirit of unity."
By a happy coincidence, this historic event took place while a deputa­ :
tion from the Board (Dames will be found in chapter on personnel) were visiting In 1942: "The Peter Zwemer Memorial School was renewed and enlarged ;
Muscat, so that they were able to accompany the missionaries, as guests of the and re-named the Peter Zwemer Manorial Chapel, The new building was twice
British authorities, on the first memorable ride over the pass. the size of the old, and skillfully planned to take advantage of whatever i
breeze may blow." :
By 1933 Matrah was having its own services on Sunday afternoons, on ■
the verandah of the new hospital, and Muscat had an extra service on Sunday By this time the need for a school for converts' children was urgent,
evenings, "more especially for our converts and inquirers, where they may also and was undertaken as a branch of the evangelistic work. :
have opportunity to express their thoughts in prayer and song. Their growth
in grace and in the ministry of intercession has been a source of Joy and In 1945 the first Christian wedding took place among the group, a
blessing to us all." daughter of two converts marrying a young man who had recently been baptized.
There was a large gathering present in the church, including Muslim friends !
During this period, a faithful Christian convert died, and the stead­ as well as Christians. \
fast stand for Christianity of his young widow, in the face of excruciating
pressure and persecution from Muslim relatives and neighbors, made a tremendous A recent report says: "In spite of human failings the Christian .
o impression on the community. community is growing, not only in numbers but also in the acceptance of re­
sponsibility. Our four inquirers, after instruction, met with the church
In 1934 Dr. Harrison was able to report: "This year we have been de­ members who questioned them and pointed out the difficulties which lay be-
lighted beyond words to see three of the hospital staff become Christians." fore them. One inquirer dropped out at this point, and three were accepted
by the church. Since the days of Corinth, all new churches have had their
The next year the Dykstras wrote: "We thank God with unspeakable moral problems, and Muscat has been no exception. In this case the Christian
gratitude that the object of all our activities is being realized before our concerned brought his problem before the men of the church. He accepted their

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