Page 191 - Neglected Arabia Vol 1 (2)

r misciascthd akabia 15

kind the woman of Samaria came to. '!'«> this place as to many oilier
»uili places on the island come women of all kinds and description.
The well is deep hut platforms have been made leading down into it
they can wash their clothes without much difficulty. We >ee the
women walking along carrying their soiled clothing bundled together in
a piece of matting or carrying their water tins on their heads. Many
hardly able to manage their heavy burdens. Some are young girls who
nunc chattering along really enjoying themselves because that is the
uiic time of the day they can leave the house. They have not vet
entered upon the heavier duties of a married woman, so have a good
nine together as they work.
Others come who have two or three children trudging along clinging
in ilicir skirts. Nicy have no one with whom to leave them mi they
invint mine loo. 1 lie woiiien'ii faces when we. see ihem, which is not
often because they keep them veiled, reveal the poverty and hardships
they go through. 1 he weather is enervating and with hard work, in-
mllicieiH food and, generally, ill health the poorer Moslem woman does
not have much to make life worth living for her.
One can never realize what real poverty is unless it is seen the way
we see it here. Old, old women who by this time one would think have
iu«l their share of the hard work of the world, come, wet to the skin
*truggling along under the heavy burden of water skins. They do ihe
work ul an animal just to eke out a bare living. It makes our hearts
lie because it is due altogether to their religion.
\\e long for the magnetism and persuasive power of Christ as He
ulked with the Samaritan woman and offered her the Water of Life
mil she accepted it. It is offered freely to the women of Arabia but
they say they dare not. Their home life is nothing compared to the
)ionic life of a Christian and yet they say if they accept Christianity they
• ould he divorced from their husbands, their children taken away, cast
out from home and relation and if that did not bring them back they
probably would be killed. We Christians, cannot understand why they
till endure the things they do but they do and bow to Allah as the
Miurcc of all things. Some of the women are even more fanatical than
ihc men and they know that all the hardships in their lives come be-
cause uf Islam.
W’e pray daily that God will open their hearts and the hearts of the
hu.-dands so that whole families may be brought in. The men accept all
iiu( Christianity has to offer materially and are constantly seeking alter
Western things but they won’t accept that which they can get for noth­
ing which is of more value than great riches.
|‘ray (or us that we may deal with all the problems that confront u*
• nil patience, wisdom and love. Pray that Christianity which has been
icitelling Arabia for many years may soon burst forth into an abundant
harvest. We have heard that there are many secret believers but they
^•k the courage to come out and confess Him before men. Pray
jof them.