Page 465 - Neglected Arabia (1916-1920)

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and coming,'...i small, of course, but their smoke was never absent from
the horizon.

Amara was in the same transitional stage as Busrah, only there, as 4 1
9 the native town came right down to the river bank, the changes—new i
buildings, new signs, and new people—were more pronounced. My
stay was but for a few days, as I wished to be away from Busrah only
one Sunday. Amara was still a long distance from the front, and the
work of the Y. M. C. A. there was about what it is at Busrah, excepting
that the soldier population may not be so changing, giving them a
chance to see more of the individual units. I was the guest of the
Y. M. C. A. people, and enjoyed their hospitality and fellowship very
much, as well as my evening meetings at their several centres, and was
truly sorry when I had to hurry back to Busrah. Our own mission
work at Amara has been kept going during both Turkish and British
occupation, and our Bible-shop there is, I think, one of the best in our
field.

There were nearly a dozen Y. M. C. A. centres beyond Amara
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when I was there, reaching right up to the fighting line, and now as I
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write they have gone on with the troops to Baghdad and beyond, taking
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with them much of practical sympathy and helpfulness, very much to
commend the Gospel of our Lord. When the whole story of the Army
Y. M. C. A. work in Mesopotamia is told, it will reveal much of sacri­
fice and heroism, of quiet endurance and faith, of wisdom and states­
manship, and finally of many consecrated gifts from those whose spir­
itual sight could see these fields white for the harvest.
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BUSRAH CABAL II
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