Page:Village life in Korea (1911).djvu/277

From Wikisource
Jump to navigation Jump to search
This page has been proofread, but needs to be validated.
What Christianity Is Doing for the Village.
237

gospel is still the power of God to the salvation of every one that believeth.

I have traveled over much of the territory now occupied by our mission, and have seen this marvelous growth in which we are rejoicing to-day. In the early years, I used to travel for days without meeting a Christian, always sleeping in the inns; but now one can travel over the same territory for days and weeks and spend every night in a Christian home.

There is a long stretch of road over which I used to go, always stopping in the inns because there were no Christians in that part of the country. Once Rev. J. L. Gerdine and I were passing that way. We were riding our bicycles and going ahead of our pack ponies. We turned in to an inn for dinner, but were refused, being told that we could find accommodation at the next village. We went on feeling just a little blue, but soon reached the next inn and were settled for the noonday meal. We had been there only a short while when the landlord learned that we were preachers of the Jesus doctrine, whereupon he said that he had heard of the doctrine before and had saved some money to buy the books the very first chance that he should have. Will the reader say that it was an accident that we were refused entertainment at the first inn and found this seeker after truth at the second one? Our new-found friend soon brought out the money and bought some Scriptures and tracts, and said he would "do the doctrine." From that time he continued to study the Bible and to "do the doctrine," and has been a faithful believer ever since. Not only did he believe, but many of his neigh-