TRIBES ^

iTR/lllSM

3:^-^ THA/LAND

. . for Thou wast slain, and didst purchase unto God with Thy bloodmen of every tribe, and tongue, and people, and nation." Revelation 5:9b.

APRIL, 1955

TRIBES and TRAILS

in Thailand

APRIL 1955 Vol. 4 No. 1

Published twice yearly, in spring andautumn, by undenominational Christianmissionaries laboring to establish inThailand (Siam) self-supportingchurches after the New Testamentpattern. Distributed with the hope ofgaining needed prayer support for theThailand work, of gaining more consecrated workers for this and other

fields, and of encouraging ail to greatereffort in the spread of simple undenominational Christianity throughout theworld. Missionaries engaged in th's effort are presently located at two centersin extreme Northern Thailand: TalatChiengkam, Changwat Chiengrai, Thailand; and Pua, Nan Province. Thailand.

Cover Picture

Nai Da, is one of the faithful Christians at the Leper village. He readsthe northern Thai dialect and has a

copy of the New Testament in that dialect. The headman has written outmany of the Thai hymns in the northernThai script so he can take an activepart in the worship services. He is faithful in teaching his boy the Scriptureverses and is seeking to bring h'm upin the way of the Lord. Photo was takenby LaVerne Morse.

School at the Leper VillageAbout thirty are enrolled in the short

term school at the leper village and arelearning to read and write. In additionto this they are also having regularBible study classes and Scripture memorization classes each school day. Thoselearning 40 memory verses will receivea copy of the "Life of Christ Visualized"and those who learn 100 verses will receive a Thai New Testament.

Missionaries Visit

LaVerne and Lois Morse visited theChiengkam missionaries at Christmastime. It was a happy time of fellowshipfor all. Since then LaVerne has gone onto Burma while Lois is in Bangkokawaiting her Burmese visa.

Son Born to BaresMr. and Mrs. Garland Bare announce

the birth of an 8 pound 7 ounce son.Geoffrey Edward, at American MissionHospital, Prae, Thailand on March 18.

Leprosy patients say "Thank You."

Shortly after Christmas a group fromthe leper village came to bring a gift ofeggs to the missionaries to express theirappreciation for the teaching and treatment that they have received. Thoughthese people are poor and outcasts ofsociety because of their disease, yetthey have come to know the riches thatthey have in Christ Jesus. The gift ofeggs is an expression of their love, forthese who were hopeless have foundhope and new life in Christ Jesus.

Two BaptismsIn December two persons at the leper

village were buried with Christ in baptism. Both of these people came to thevillage about a year ago and eagerlylistened to the gospel message. Nai Awnwas a Buddhist priest before he beganto be disfigured by leprosy. Since becoming a Christian he has found newjoy and happiness. He has enrolled inthe classes to learn to read and is making rapid progress. He is ahead of allthe rest in memorizing Scripture verses.Nang Gao is faithful in her attendanceat services and recently married ayoung Christian man of the village.Three others were baptized earlier inthe year. Pray for these young Christians that they may grow in the Lord.

Wallace Altlce Resigns

Mr. Altice resigned as a missionaryrecruit to Tha'land. He feels he canbetter serve the Lord thru evangelismin America. We pray the Lord's blessingon h'm as he continues in the Lord's

'"''They Sacrifice to Demonsand not to Qod. " (^or. 10:20

By flashlight I could see that it wasonly 2:30 A.M. Yet people were alreadybustling about in the headman's housenext door. A rasping blast, no doubtfrom a water buffalo horn, brought mefully awake. Shortly the orchestra—composed of this horn, a drum, cymbals,a native flute—broke forth with a weirdtune. Every few minutes from thenuntil daybreak the music would burstforth afresh, but it was always thesame strange tune.

Three days previously six Thai workmen and I had arrived in this Yao village to commence clearing and levelling the site for our future home. Ourfirst night in the mountains we spent inthe home of the headman, Tzan Fu. Heand his family were quite busy preparing to "tso da ^ei," (literally, "do bigdemons," but signifying a large scalespirit worship). They said that manypeople would be coming from other villages to stay in that house and to helpwith the rituals of spirit worship. Hearing this we had gladly removed ourselves and belongings to the house ofthe neighbor, Geem Chang. There I andseven others were trying to sleep on abamboo platform no bigger than twodouble beds. There was hardly room toturn over and six inches of my six feetprotruded over the end of the platform.With smoke from the open fire hoveringabout and with cold air blowing inthrough the cracks in the wall, I wasnot sleeping soundly to begin with. ThusI lay in my sleeping bag and ponderedover these things.

My thoughts went back to the sceneof preparations during the past twodays in the headman's house. Big sheetsof heavy grass paper were cut intopieces about three inches by six inches,and then a metal stamp was struck overand again against the paper to imprintthe total surface of each sheet andmake hundreds of piece of paper "money." Two young men worked steadily atthis for two days. The "money" was tobe offered to the demons and apparently the thought was that the demonswould mistake the substitute for realmoney. Two men were busy writingposters or booklets in big Chinese characters for the occasion. The headman'sfather, who seems always to be doing

something related to spirit worship,worked at fastening skins onto framesto use as drums.

For such a big devil worship as thispigs and chickens would surely be sacri-flced and perhaps lesser things as well.I did not anticipate going out of myway to follow each detail on this occasion lest I appear overly solicitous fortheir manner of worship. We had inevitably seen enough in previous experiences among the Yao to know what thegeneral practices were. There wouldbe spirit doctors to mumble incantationsand to dance before the spirits. Childrenwould thrill with the good food to eat,at the shooting of firecrackers, and atthe opportunity of running about overthe hillsides with young relatives fromother villages. Adults would be moresober as usual as they attended to theperformance of rites laid down by centuries of tribal tradition. They may notbe able to explain why the ritual is performed as it is, why the small bamboomat is always hung before the door toindicate that devil worship is in progress, or how it has developed that themen of the tribe bow down before thehousehold spirit shelf and rehearse along sing-song chant. Yet they believethat all of this will somehow hold offthe wrath of the spirits and thus wardoff sickness or damage to their crops.

The tribespeople frequently admitto us that demon worshio is costly, andat least some consider it to bring littlebenefit to them. They readily confessthat they are in ^eat fear of the demons. lliis fear is evidenced by thespirit bridges and other devices used todetour spirits away from a village andby the constant talk of the people regarding demons.

Paul could declare to these just as hedid to those in Athens, "in all things Iperceive that ye are vety religious."Yet how worthless is religion that goescontrary to the Word and Spirit ofChrist. Several thousand Yao tribes-people in Thailand reli^ously observesuch rituals as the above- year afteryear, but they are lost ^d withouthope. Brethren, for "they sacrifice todemons, and not to God."

—by C. W. Callaway, Jr.

Ruff, Our Miao Puppy. Birthday Oiftfrom Our Black Miao Friends.

All day my activities had centeredaround preparations for Garland's birthday dinner—a very special dinner, as Ihad decided to use some ingredientssaved throughout the months to celebrate a really worthy occasion. True,there were no guests—just the twoNichols boys, Garland and myself. Nevertheless, it would be a nice birthdayparty. Just as I was going into thekitchen to finish preparing the mealtwo Black Miao men came up the backsteps. Inside the house I could hearchattering which indicated that someof their friends had just come in thefront. Soon 1 hear Garland's voice greeting them and asking the usual politequestions about where they had comefrom, how long on the road, etc. "Ohmy," I thought. "This probably meansa late dinner. But that's all right. Weare happy when the Miao come as itmeans one more opportunity to makefriends with that tribe."

As I went about my work I couldhear Garland explaining the chart onthe heart of man which hangs on ourliving room wall. The brightly coloredpictures on this chart supplement ourlimited vocabulary as we explain thelost condition of man and that a complete surrender to Christ is the onlyway of escape.

Preparations for dinner were comingto a close when Garland came out toask if we had enough food for our Miaofriends. "How many are there?" Iasked. "About ten, I think," was thestaggering answer. We do not usuallyfeed our tribal visitois. Such a practice

BIRTHDAY

could easily get out of hand. However,the Miao from this village had been especially hospitable during Garland'svisit to them. Besides they brought aspecial gift—a bright, furry Miao puppy,and we wished to return their kindness.A bit of hurried poking about in ourfood supply disclosed a few vegetablesand a bit of meat. Andrew and I managed to concoct two fairly substantialdishes to go with the rice while Garlandwent back to invite our visitors to his"birthday party."

Because of the limited space it wasnecessary to serve them on the floor—Thai fashion. While Garland playedhost, Andrew and I served. The guests,however, were quite oblivious to all butthe food and the only sound was thatwhich only the Miao can make to showgenuine appreciation of their meal.

When they had finished they announced that they had business in themarket and suddenly the house wasempty and quiet. Now we had time toenjoy our special family dinner.

As if by previous arrangement ourMiao friends returned just as we finished clearing the table. They had manyquestions about the wonderful newsthey had heard from the chart and fromthe gospel records in their own language. "To these who had never knownanything but the hopeless darkness ofsin and spirit-worship the good news ofeternal life in Christ Jesus came trulyas a ray of light. Far into the nighttheir excited questions continued and,before retiring, many said they wouldlike to believe and accept but that theywould have to discuss it further.

When the house was finally quiet andwe were preparing for the night Garland said, "Best birthday party I everhad."

Dorothy Bare

MEET

EAO TAUMG

In the last issue of Tribes and Trailswe mentioned our first meeting withLao Taung—the bright young man ofthe White Miao tribe who met us alongthe trail and invited us to his village.We planned a visit to his village soonthereafter but were hindered by responsibilities at Pua until heavy rains ruledout a trip up the steep slopes of DoiPhu Kha. However, Lao Taung kepthis promise of visiting us whenever hecame down to the market and soon awarm friendship grew between this sonof the cloud forests and the white strangers who had moved into the valley.

Like most Miao, Lao Taung is shortand sturdy with erect posture and quickmovements. His alert sensitive face easily breaks into an amused or friendlygrin, and his lively conversation makeshis visits to our home an interestingtreat. During each visit we have attempted to teach him of Christ usingBible pictures to supplement our limitedvocabulary. We have been surprised athis quick grasp of the meaning of mostof these stories.

At Miao New Years time, Lao Taungbrought six of his teenage friends toour home. They were resplendent intheir holiday clothes—black jackets andtrousers with bright red silk sashes andembroidered trimmings topped by quantities of heavy silver jewelry. Much toour pleasure he immediately conductedhis companions around our living roomand study, pointing out the Bible pictures and charts and explaining themto the best of his understanding. Thenthey all sat down to hear the gospel recordings in their own language. Theyfilled the air with exclamations ofamazement when the "sound box"started talking in their own dialect.They soon subsided to listen to the message of the Great Creator and the Loving Saviour. Upon parting Lao Taungtold us, "Some day our village is goingto follow Jesus."

A few weeks later five of the villageelders including Lao Taung's fathercalled at our home to inform usthat their village had decided to worship Jesus. They went on to say thatthey would also continue to worship

A Smile From Lao Taung

their evil spirits. We tried to make itclear that true worship of Christ requires the abandonment of all else—that it would be completely impossibleto serve both Christ and evil spirits.Like the rich young ruler, they wentaway sorrowful, for though they desirethe blessings and benefits which arefound in Christ, they are slaves to theterror of the malevolent demons whichthey worship.

Through our friendship with LaoTaung we now have a contact with another village which was formerly hostile to us and. closed to our message.Lao Taung is endowed with high intelligence and natural leadership. We arepraying that he will soon surrenderthese abilities to the Master and thusbecome an instrument for the evangelization of his tribe.

Doi Phu Kha is a massive granitemountain that towers above our valleylike a huge fortress, and so it is, forthe four little Miao villages that perchnear its summit have always beenstrongholds of the Evil One. Today it isthe scene of a tremendous spiritual battle, for the Word of God has reached,directly or indirectly, to each of thesevillages. Satan never surrenders hisstrongholds without a struggle, neitherdoes he willingly release his captivesto the freedom of Christ Jesus. Beforeyou lay this paper aside, will you joinus in interceding at the Father's Thronefor Lao Taung and the tribesmen of DoiPhu Kha.

Garland Bare

"WaA' a a>mmA...rr

"I was a sinner. My heart was full ofsin, but the Lord Jesus Christ saved me.There is nothing in this world—nothing!—but the blood of Jesus Christ thatcan wash away our sins and make usclean." Precious words to rouse onefrom slumber in the tropic night. Precious words to awaken the hearts of thelost to whom Nai Brong was witnessingthat night—standing all alone "singingthe song of his own salvation" that sinners might be converted.

Nai Brong had come asking to bebaptized several months before. Hewent down into the watery grave toarise to walk in a true newness of life.

Now he was accompanying the missionaries on a mountain trip. We hadreached the foot of the mountain footsore and weary and crawled into oursleeping bags on a porch of the granaryadjoining the house. But the Thai hostand hostess, always curious about thestrange white foreigner and his ways,found welcome opportunity to questionfhe Thai helpers, once the foreigner wasfast asleep. The tales the carriers tellrun high and laughable, and a carrierwho is working for the foreigner for thefirst time tells by far the most hilarioustale. But here was a carrier with a difference. He carried also a message forthese who walk in darkness.

The next night the Yao had gatheredabout the fire. During a lull in the conversation, Tzan Fu, the headman ofthe village, asked, "Nai Liep, have youentered Christ?" Nai Liep, who is amember of a denominational church,lived in the Yao village with us carryingmail and supplies from the Chiengkamplain. His witness had never been suchthat the head man could know whetheror not he was a Christian. Now he wascaught in an uncomfortable situation.He fumbled and finally said, "Oh yes,I'm a Christian. I was born a Christian.My parents were Christians and I havebeen a Christian ever since I was born.But Nai Brong over there has newlyentered the Christian religion." NaiBrong took up the conversation and repeated the thrilling witness that he hadhome to the ridiculing crowd at the footof the mountain. "Yes, I have enteredChrist. I was a sinner. My heart wasfull of sin." A glance at the headmanrevealed that the word sin in Thaimeant nothing to this Yao man. His

Thai vocabulary was for business—notthe soul. Brong continued, "When I saythat my heart was full of sin, thatmeans that my heart was filthy. ButJesus washed it clean with His blood.He died for me and by dying he washedmy heart clean. There's nothing in thisworld—nothing!—that can wash ourhearts clean but the blood of Jesus."

The silent thoughtfulness of the headman gave time and reason for us tooffer a twofold prayer—that these wonderful words of life might enter theheart of Tzan Fu with saving power,and a prayer of thanksgiving for NaiBrong who was not afraid to stand firmfor the Lord who saved him.

Herein, we thought is the difference.Nai Liep has been taught that he was"baptized" as a baby because he wasborn a sinful being through the sins ofhis parents. He was "baptized" throughthe will of his parents. His "Christianity" had been inherited—it was not amatter of conviction. Nai Brong, on theother hand, had come to Christ becausehe saw himself a sinner, lost and hopeless. It had taken courage to step outfrom the Buddhist masses, but oncehaving found Christ his heart was brimming over with praise for the One whohad stepped out before a throng thatcried, "Crucify Him! Crucify Him!"

Whether it be Nai Brong in his smallcorner, you in yours, or I in mine, thereis but one thing that will bring the lostto the Lord Jesus. "I was a sinner. TheLord saved me. He can do as much foryou." Nothing but this will avail. Itis in essence the gospel—the only GoodNews in the world.

"Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation: And uphold me with a willing spirit.

Then will I teach transgressors thyways: And sinners shall be converted unto thee." Psalms 51:12,13

Pray for: Nai Brong that this joy ofhis salvation might continually well upin his heart.

Tzan Fu that this witness will bearfruit.

Nai Liep that he may see what helacks and desire it as the pearl of greatprice.

The ridiculing crowd that convictionmight come upon them.

—by Lois Callaway

JkaUantLReturning to the mission field for a

second term of service is much different from going out the first t'me. Thereis not the excitement of the first oceanvoyage nor the glamour of going intothe unknown. For now one knows thatlife on the mission field is not one gayadventure.

You know that the natives are notgoing to flock to your doors to hearthe message but that you must go tothem and win them by long and patientteaching, through living and loving andshowing Christ to them in ways whichthey will understand. You know thatmany will seem interested and gwe youjoy by their concern but come seekingmaterial things and not even realizingtheir need for the spiritual things whichyou have to give them. You know thatsome will accept Christ and truly wishto follow H'm but will be drawn backinto the world through temptations. Youknow there wdl be discouragement oneveny hand and heartbreak such as ycunever knew you could bear.

You also know that some who hearthe message will accept it fully and willbecome new creatures in Christ Jesusand though there be persecution and rejection bv family and friends they willstand firm and faithful. And for theseyou return with joy and hope andthanksgiving.

Some have asked "Should you go backin such a t'me as th's, are there not toomanv dangers involved?" Yes. there arephysical dangers, as there always hasbeen and probably alwavs will he. Theearly Christians faced dangers dahy asthey witnessed for Christ and we knowmany of them died for their faith. Paulwas not complaining of the danger hutwas hanpv that he could suffer on behalf nf h's Lord in II Cor-nthians11:26-27. "In journeyings often, in per'l.sof waters, in perils of robbers, in perilsbv mine own countrymen, in perils bythe heathen, in perils in the citv, 'n perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea.in perils among false brethren: inweariness and painfulness, in watchings

Imogene Williams on board MS PreinMaersk for return trip to Thailand.

often, in hunger and thirst, in frstingsoften, in cold and nakedness." Paul delnot turn back nor did he live in fea"and neither can we. His promise stillholds true and can be claimed "Lo Iam with you always, even into theend of the world."

Another question which has beenasked is "Do you think it really worthyour time and money to go when sofew heed the call and accept the message of Christ? Yes, we think it isworth the time and money and we believe the Lord agrees for He it is whosends us out. In Luke 15:7 we read "Isay unto you, that likewise joy shall bein heaven over one sinner that repent-eth, more than over ninety and nine justpersons, which need no reoentance."Thus if only one Thai, or one Yao or on®M'ao person repents of his sins andaccepts Christ there will be rejoicing inheaven and truly worth any amount o'money, time, labor, discouragement andheartbreak.

When we look upon the lost millionsin Thailand, many not knowing theircondition, many knowing and not caring

does at t-mes look like a hopeless taskbut what may seem hopeless to us is notto Him.

And so I am returning to Thailand.The ship is due to arrive in Bangkokon April 17th. My deep appreciation toyou who have made it financially possible for my return. Continue to workwith mo through your prayers.

Imogene Williams

FESTIVAL

TIME

All the boys and girls scurried aroundand finished their work quickly in orderto be able to go and watch or join theprocessions going to the temple. Manyof the people in the procession carrysilver bowls containing their gifts forthe temple. Some of the larger giftsare made like parade floats with moneyfor the temple put in as part of the decoration. These large floats are pulled bymany people or are put in an oxcartand taken to the temple. A band addsto the noise and fun of the occasionthough it often consists of only a drumand cymbals or other native instruments. Excitement pervades the air forthere is much to see and do at the temple at festival time. In the afternoonthere are boxing matches, a side show,and many things to see and buy. Atnight dances are held. Homemade skyrockets are shot up into the air andcrowds of people are constantly comingand going.

At night as the crowds passed by infront of the missionary house they weresurprised to receive a tract telling themabout Jesus from a Thai Christian orone of the missionaries or a missionarychild. Many of them stopped at thebooth to listen to the phonograph rec-

MISS DOROTHY UHLIG

Missionary to Thailand

Mailed By:

First Christian Church

Klamath Falls, Oregon

HENRV- PRINTING CO., eUGENe. ORCC.

A procession of people tukiiig gifts tothe temple.

ords which told them the story of Jesus.Some bought Scripture portions. Manyboys and girls gathered around to listento the phonograph and look at the gospel posters. They eagei'ly listened whensome of the pictures were explained.Some of the children used the moneythey had been saving to buy sweets andbought books telling about Jesus instead.

The festival lasted for five days.Many of the children came back nightafter night to listen to the story ofJesus and to watch the strange foreigners. Each night they received a differenttract to take home and read. Perhapssomeday some of these boys and girlswill ccme and accept Jesus as theirSaviour. Will you pray for them?

—Dorothy Uhlig

fmiLAND

y

- ^ r ^ fV-' •• r. i,. Ij- f>

v.- ^ sxJ

". . . for Thou wast slain, and didst purchase unto God with Thy bloodnfen of every tribe, and tongue, and people, and nation." Revelation 5:9b.

OCTOBER, 1955

TRIBES and TRAILS

in Thailand

OCTOBER 1955 Vol. 5 No. 2

Published twice yearly, in spring andautumn, by undenominational Christianmissionaries laboring to establish inThailand (Siam) self-supporting churchesafter the New Testament pattern. Distributed with the hope of gaining neededprayer support for the Thailand work, ofgaining more consecrated workers forthis and other fields, and of encouragingail to greater effort in the spread ofsimple undenominational Christianitythroughout the world. Missionaries engaged in this effort are presently located-"t two centers in extreme Northern'''hailand: Talat Chiengkam, ChangwatChiengrai, Thailand; and Pua, Nan Province, Thailand.

Cover PictureThai sisters in typical dress. Taken in

Chiengkam, this illustrates the blendingof ancient and modern styles which isworn by Northern Thai women. Theolder girl wears the striped wraparound skirt which Is universal in thenorth, Hamdo and blouse are modernInnovations.

Imogene ReturnsImogene Williams returned to Thai

land on the Perin Maersk arriving inBangkok in late April. Before proceod-ing to Chiengkam, Imogene and DorothyUhlig visited the Bares at Pua for aweek.

News Items

Word has been received from twoKhamoo villages in the Nam Yao Rivervalley that many of the villagers havedecided to become Christians and wishto be baptized the next time a missionary visits. Teaching in these villagesbegan in June, 1954.

After more than six months of waiting in Thailand for her entry permit toBurma. Lois Morse was finally gi*antedpermission to join LaVeme in Rangoon.She flew from Bangkok on June 22.

Notes on modern travel: When Garland and Dorothy Bare returned to Puafrom Bangkok in July it required twoand a half days by boat to cover thefirst 35 miles from Nan. The last 11miles by oxcart consumed 6 hours oftravel.

mm*.-• 2" i'LJ'

Picture of three tribal girls with embroidered trousers: Yao Lassies, Incenter is one of Tzan Fii's daughters.

WHO HAS BELIEVED?

"Who has believed our report?" asked Isaiah."And to whom has the arm of the Lord been

revealedBut Ho was wounded because of our sinninfr,

And by His stri|ics alone, we are healed.

He was despised and rejected of men,Fami'iar with sorrows, acquainted with jrrief.

Just as Isaiah had written of HimLest we perish throuffh disbelief.

Ail of mankind, like unshepherded sheepHad turne<l us away from the sound of His call.

All our transtrressinns arc laid upon Him.And the shame and dlsi;racc of us ail!

Marvelous mystery. He who was sinlessBore all the blame of the vile and depraved.

The Sin-bearer bore the stroke due to the sinner.The Sinless was smitten, the sinner was saved I

For my transjrression the shepherd was smitten.For my rebellion the Holy One, died.

"And the fruit of His travail," praise God it iswritten.

"He shall liehoid, and shall be satisfied."

"Who has believed our report?" we have echoed."And to whom has the arm of the Lord been

revealedYet He was wounded because of our ainnini;.

And it is by His stripes we are healed.Lois Nichols Bare

Tlicy Come to Hear

"Swei jao lo ma?" came the \'oice ofsomeone on the back porch late oneevening. "Are you asleep?" was thequestion asked in Chinese by a BlackMiao tribal fellow. We didn't have toask why a group had come for we knewthey wanted to hear the Gospel recordsin their language. We almost wished wehad been asleep for there are times whenour bodies are weary that we almostsay "oh no, not more of them" and yetwe are happy every time they come.Sometimes they come early in themorning, sometimes they wait til we'reeating breakfast or studying Thai. Theycome when there is a roomful of Thaipatients, they come in the early eveningand late evening and every time theycome we rejoice that they can hear amessage concerning salvation throughJesus Christ in their own language.

Last year two representatives fromthe Gospel Recordings Inc. of Los Angeles came to Thailand to get tape recordings in the Northern Thai andTribal languages. Near Chiengmai a fewMiao, both Black and White, had become Christians through the teaching ofmissionaries in that area. They gavesimple Gospel messages and testimoniesto be recorded for theii' fellow tribes-people in other parts of Thailand.Though we do not understand the records we have learned they containsimple messages with good teaching andwe are happy to use them.

How interesting it is to watch thesepeople as they hear the first words intheir own language. The news spreadrapidly concerning the records but noone could quite believe they were realtil they came and heard and even thenthey remained mystified. One groupcame saying they wanted to hear theirparents, long ago dead, talk for they hadbeen told we had a box whereby theycould hear their parents speak to them.As they listen they keep saying overand over again "its really our ownlanguage" and they get quite a thrillfrom being able to understand it whenthe Thai can't. The Thai look down uponthese "dirty, uncouth and uneducated"mountain people and often sarcasticallysay "if you understand tell us what itsays." The Miao will then give in detailthe story on the record; it says "don'tbe afraid of evil spirits, believe inJesus" and they go on and on. They areamazed that we don't understand andwonder that we can have the recordsand not know what they say. To try

A black Male couple who came to hear.

and explain in either Thai or Chineseto thom just how such a thing can beis to say the least difficult. They alwaysask "Did these come from America?"and we answer "yes" and then the question which always follows "Are thereMiao in America?" and of course wehave to answer "no". Thus it takes abit of explaining to say they were begunin Chiengmai, "Thailand and finished inAmerica. There are some who ask noquestions but just listen and enjoy.

They usually want to hear the recordswhich we have in other languages too,Yao, Thai and Chinese, Though they donot understand completely they do realize the same story is being told in eachlanguage. This gives us a wonderful opportunity for telling them that Jesus isthe Savior for all people and that wehave come here that they may knowHim. Many questions are asked and weagain realize that in order to reallyteach these people one must learn theirlanguage for though they understandsome of these trade languages they donot understand enough to get the fullmessage of salvation through JesusChrist. We rejoice in the many friendswe have made among the mountain people through the records. Every personwho hears must tell many more aboutthem for they keep coming to hear.Since it is not possible to move into atribal village this year we praise Himfor the opportunity of seeing so manyof the Miao people and making friendswith them. We believe the records willhelp open the door for future workamong these people. Pray with us fortheir salvation,

IMOGENE WILLIAMS

Tribal group In front of house; RobertT'ang plays Gospel records in front ofTzaii Fu's home. A tribal chieftain

stands at left. "Inciulsitive in centerwith back to camera.

If you were to visit us in our "cabinin the clouds" in the Yao village, weshould like to take you down the winding path from our house perched on thelovely mountain side to visit some ofthe squalid Yao homes—houses made ofboards set perpendicularly and toppedwith roofs of ingenious bamboo "tiles".Inside you will have to wait a momentuntil your eyes adjust to the darknessfor there are no windows and the doorsare kept closed most of the time to keepthe pigs from wandering in.

If it is a cool day, or if it is near mealtime a smoky fire will be burning inone corner and the people we want tomeet will be gathered about the fire.That is the men will be. We will probably have to follow the women aroundat their tasks. The old grandmother willbe sitting on a 6 inch stool—or if menare present making it impolite for herto sit, she will be squatting—workingon some embroidery on a pair of trousers—or perhaps making a network oftiny silver bells for her granddaughter'sforthcoming wedding. If devil worship isin progress there will be a piece ofbamboo matting hung on the door andthey will tell us they are "remembering" and we cannot enter. Otherwisewe will be extended a cordial welcomeand be invited to sit down around thesmoky fire. Several men and perhapsan old woman may be gurgling awayon an ancient Chinese water pipe, whichis kept by the fire and picked up andused by whoever happens to want touse it.

Living Among the Yao

Our first call is in the home of thevillage headman, Tzan Fu. He is a manof about 35, though he looks muchyounger. As a boy he learned to readsome Chinese, and is quite alert andwell above average in intelligence. Sixyears ago he took a "social smoke" ofopium and three years ago he came intoour home for seven days to take the"cure". He quit at that time and askedus if we could cure him of worshippingthe evil spirits. We assured him thatwe knew One who could—and warnedhim that unless he accepted that Oneas his personal Lord, he would likelyfind that it would not be long until hewould not bo able to abstain from opiumin his own strength. We are told thatthis proved to be true, and that he isnow smoking again. Tzan Fu has listened almost wistfully sometimes to thegospel message. Recently he has received two letters — one in Chinese,which he could read a bit of, and onein Yao—the first he had ever receivedin Yao, and which he still cannot read.These were from a headman of a Yaovillage far to the north, a man whohas been converted by missionaries ofthe China Inland Mission. This headmanbears a burden for Tzan Fu's soul, andthe letters were to introduce him toJesus Christ. Will you share Old Six'sburden for Tzan Fu's soul? Sometimeswe feel he is very near to the kingdom.

But wait! Did you detect a scowl onthe face of the old man sitting on theother side of the fire? Sometimes it isvery hard to tell if he is scowling or ifit is just his natural face full of Satanicinfluence. That is Tzan Fu's father. Ifyou think he looks omnious now youshould see him when he dons the blackrobe and hood of the demon priest! Hehas long been the demon priest for hisvillage, and by rights this son, who hasfollowed his father as headman shouldalso be the understudy for the demonpriesthood. Tzan Fu will not turn toChrist without much opposition fromhis father. Nor will his sharp-tonguedmother be veiy happy to see her sonbecome a Christiein. The Matriarch aswe call her—because of her position notonly in the family, but as the mostfeared woman in the village—can bevery friendly when she thinks there isto be some material gain. But she canbe veritably led of the devil in her ef-

forts to make things uncomfortable forthe missionaries who won't compromisetheir teaching to condone her ways.

The very shy woman standing quietlyby is Tzan Fu's wife. Whether herquietness means that she would willingly follow her husband into Christ, orwhether she would remain in mute resistance only time will tell.

The little girl who has come andsnuggled up as close to me as her shyness permits is Tzan Fu's daughter. Sheis a child as alert as her father, and weexpect her to be one of our most promising pupils when we begin our readingclasses. The twelve year old son whopeeps into our phonograph or books, orpicture rolls has long since gained forhimself a name in our family parlance—-"Inquisitive". That he is! Perhaps hisfather was that until the opium habitslowed him down. What a blessing if"Inquisitive" can be won for the Lordbefore this habit overtakes him anddulls his brain. Oh, that his inquiringmind might inquire into the deep thingsof God and this "gift of gab" of his beconverted to preaching the gospel. Prayfor little "Inquisitive" and his affectionate little sister. An older brother bledto death last year just because no oneknew how to apply a pressure bandage.Then there are two older sisters. See—that girl grinding com over there in thedark corner—that is the oldest. Theother is over there by the water troughdipping water into the big pot of chopped banana trees and certain kinds ofweeds that she will boil up for theirpigs. The pigs deserve very special carefor they are kept for demon worship.Most of the meat is not eaten until ithas been sacrificed to the demons. (Seewhat a N.T. situation we face here!)

Watch the babies swinging to and froon the backs of the women who aregrinding com in the hand - operatedstone mill. One of them is the youngestchild of Tzan Fu's youngest brother. Oh,yes, they live here, too. When a manmarries he brings his wife home to hismother's home. If the father has twowives, as this Patriarch does, he usuallymaintains two homes, and the childrenand their wives and children live withtheir respective mothers.

And the other baby is really the sonof one of the couples next door. SenSoi, the father of the child, though stilla very young man, has the opium habitvery badly, and has plunged his familyinto destitution with this very expensivehabit. So when this little one was oldenough to wean, they sold it to TZem Fu—thus relieving the financial problem

for a time, and releasing the motherfrom responsibility for the child, makingit possible for her to work long, hardhours in the fields to support her husband and two older children.

This Sen Soi's family is an interestinghousehold, too. Want to take a minuteto visit them? The "little father" is apleasant, friendly man. He'll chat amiably with us and help us a bit with theYao language most any time. His title"little father" means that he is reallythe stepfather. The father died someyears ago, and the mother married thisyounger man. A second wife or husbandis referred to as the little wife or husband, and the children refer to a stepfather as "our little father". The mother, though an older woman, is oftenseen on the trail bringing in a basket ofcom or vegetables on her back fromfields a mile or two distant up anddown steep trails.

There are three older sons. Sen Soiand his twin brother have married sisters, pleasant, friendly hard workingwomen. The younger brother and hiswife live here also. A younger brotherof about 12 would be another "Inquisitive" if he weren't just a wee bit shy.Then there are two foster sons—deafand dumb boys the family has boughtfrom Thai parents who didn't wantthem. One is a very intelligent boy—using an ingenious sign language. "ITieother fellow is retarded mentally aswell as being deaf and dumb. But he isa willing worker, and that is why theywanted him. In a society where everything is primitive, and a living is madeliterally in the sweat of the brow, manyhands make lighter work.

The old, old, lady squinting over apiece of embroidery through her decrepit glasses has the honor of beingthe oldest person in the village. "Grandma, how old are you?" "Oh, more thanseventy," is her reply. "I lived oversixty years before I ever saw a whiteperson," she told me one day. And shehad lived her three score and ten without ever having heard of Jesus. She hasseen a good many much younger thanshe go to Christless graves, and the fearof an unknown beyond still hovers overher. Pray for her, won't you, that shewill be able to believe this unbelievablygood news that we bring her of a Saviour, And don't forget to pray for all theothers we've introduced you to today.Young or old, they need Jesus. Yourprayer may add just the power that isneeded to bring them to Him.

C. W. and LOIS CALLAWAY

JOURNEY INTO FAITHA man slowly and painfully made his

way into the village. His feet wereswollen and had ulcers on the bottomsthat he covered with filthy rags. Hewalked using a stick as a crutch, butfrequently he had to stop and rest. Amonth before he had left his home inIndo-China and made his way alone toward the Thai border. The little bit ofmoney that he had was soon gone, andhe had to beg for food. At night heusually slept in the forest alone forwhen people saw the marks of his disease upon him they were afraid andwould not let him stay in their homes.But at last he arrived at his destination. As he wearily made his way to theheadman's house, hope sprang againwithin his heart. No one cursed him andtold him to go away as he sat down onthe porch. Instead a few people gathered around and listened to his story ashe told of his month-long journey whicha well person could make in only 10days. As he talked his audience sympathized with him for some of them hadendured similar journeys and they knewof his sufferings without being told, forthey too were outcsists of society. "Theytoo had the mark of the disease in theirbodies.

He told his story simply. "My nameis Nai Awn. As a boy I lived in a smallvillage with my parents and brothers.We had some fields and raised enoughrice to eat. Also we had chickens anda small vegetable garden. When I was12 years old I went to live in the Buddhist temple and studied to become apriest. When a boy enters the templethey call him a "Nen" or learner, andhe wears the yellow robes of the priesthood. We studied the Buddhist scriptures every day and I learned to readLaos. (This is similar to Thai.) Afterstaying in the priesthood for 7 years, Ileft it and went back home.

"During that time there was a manwho came to live in our village whocalled himself a Christian, He camefrom another area where some missionaries had taught him about Jesus. Afterbecoming a Christian he moved to ourvillage to tell us about Jesus. Welaughed at him some because what hetaught was so different from what webelieved, and yet we would have likedto believe as he did, for he told us thattte evil spirits no longer had power overhim. He didn't offer sacrifices to theevil spirits even when he was sick!Everyone was surprised at this, but

very few people believed in this Jesusthat he told us about. Maybe they werelike me, they sort of believed and yetthey didn't.

"Later we moved and I didn't hearanything more about the Jesus religion.Then I began to notice some spots onmy skin and some places where Icouldn't feel anything. At first I didn'tsay anything about it, but finally myfamily noticed too. It was a long timebefore I would admit even to myselfthat I had leprosy, but it finally became obvious to everyone and I was nolonger welcome in their homes as before. I had had the disease for over 6years when one day someone told me ofa village for leprosy patients just overthe Thai border. I thought about it for along time and finally decided to comefor it was my only hope of getting well.My parents will come soon and willhelp me build a little house here in thisvillage if you will let me stay."

When Nai Awn finished his story thevillagers invited h'm to live in the village. In the days that followed Nai Awnwas interested to hear again of thissame Jesus that he had heard of as ayoung man. He found that in this villagemost of the people were Christians andthey didn't fear the evil spirits or offersacrifices to them. After eight monthshe accepted the Lord as his Saviour andwas baptized.

When a short term school was heldin the village he enrolled and quicklylearned to read Thai. Nai Awn becamethe star pupil and was the first to beawarded a LIFE OF CHRIST VISUALIZED book for memory work. He hasalmost memorized enough verses to receive a New Testament.

He has spent only one short year inthe village and yet how much differencethat year has made in his life. Whenhe arrived from Indo-China he was sickand discouraged, he was afraid of theevil spirits and in bondage to Satan.Now he has found peace and happinessand Life in Christ Jesus.

And yet his battle is not over, buthas only just begun. For Satan willseek to tempt him and draw him backfrom the Way and bring him into bondage again. Will you not pray that hemay be firmly grounded in the Wordand that he may stand fast in temptations. Pray that others may come toknow the Lord thru his witness and thathe may be "faithful even unto death."

DOROTHY UHLIG

cHe ^ied WtiluHdi

Our acquaintance with Sen Kam Paabegan in December 1953 when we wereovernight guests in his hut in the BlackMiao village of Kang Haw, At the timewe were impressed with the keen mindand lively curiosity of this illiterateseventy-year-old tribesman. His ninegrown children and their families com-^prise the majority of Kang Haw village,so Sen Kam Paa was automatically assured a position of respect and influence. Beyond this, however, he combined initiative with the courage todefy the age-old traditions of his tribe,making him a leader in his own right.

For generations the Miao tribes haveemployed the "slash method" of agriculture. Large patches of virgin forest arecut and burned off for use as fields. Assoon as this soil loses its first flush offertility it is abandoned. When the areasurrounding a village has been completely devastated the tribesmen abandon their village site and move southward. Thus the Miao tribes have movedfrom Central China through Tonkin,Laos and North Thailand leaving intheir wake scarred and barren mountainsides.

By 1949 most of the forests aroundKang Haw had been burned off so thetribesmen decided to evacuate to thesouthern-most high mountains of Thailand in the Tak and Petchaboon areas.Of the village leaders Sen Kam Paastood alone in opposition to the move."We can't continue moving south forever," he argued. "Beyond Petchaboonthere are no more high mountains. Wemust find a new way of growing ourcrops." With the help of his sons hebegan terracing the land of the smallhollow where Kang Haw was locatedin order to grow paddy rice. Scornful ofhis efforts, the majority of the villagers moved to Petchaboon. Sen Kam-Paaand his relatives remained and stubbornly cultivated the paddies. To theirdisappointment Siamese paddy rice

could not thrive in the altitude and coldclimate of Kang Haw. This year theyare experimenting with rice orderedfrom Formosa.

Weary of the scorn with which low-landers treated the "ignorant Miao,"Sen Kam-Paa decided to defy traditionin yet another way. He hired a Thaiteacher to live in the village and tutorhis sons. When the teacher tired of therugged Miao life £md left, no replacement could be found. Three of the village boys were then sent away to thegovernment school in Pua. The fact thatthese three boys led their class theirvery first year in school did much tosilence the mocking references to the"ignorant Miao".

On our first visit Sen Kam-Paashowed considerable interest in theJesus way and even suggested that amissiona^ come to live in his village.The entire village has a warm interestwhich continues to grow. I had planneda \asit during the dry seeison and hadhoped to bring this courageous Miaopatriarch to a saving knowledge ofChrist. However, down-country businessprevented my taking most of the dryseason trips I had planned.

Last week I finally made the long-;delayed climb. At the vUlage, Lao Jurr,the patriarch's youngest son, came outto meet me. "Teacher, we are happy youhave come, but you are too late. Ourfather and mother died three days apartlast month. Before Father died he keptasking for you. Teacher."

The sickening disappointment thatSen Kam-Paa and his wife had goneinto eternity without Christ haunted methroughout my stay in the village. Onthe third day as I was preparing toleave Lao Jurr said, "My father oftentalked of God's Way but he did notunderstand it. We, his sons, are goingto study until we do understand forGod's way is surely the best."

GARLAND BARE

GOD HEARS

AND ANSWERS

PRAYER

"The - Lord - is - my - shepherdReuben had just learned the Twenty-third Psalm and was proud and happyto pass his knowledge on to the otherchildren at the Mission home. Then tallAndrew came in sight and the childrencried. "Andrew, Andrew! Play ball withus." Good-natured Andrew was a favorite of the children because he was sopatient and willing to play with them.

Reuben is only seven years old butmany exciting things have happened tohim. When he was just a tiny boy hecrossed the cold high mountains ofTibet perched on a pony in front of oneof his big Tibetan brothers. Andrew,who was 12, came, too. For Ihiee yearsthey lived among the Khasi of India andsaw many different people come fromthe mountains round about. Reubenlearned to sing many choruses in Khasi.

Then these two adopted brothers flewacross India to Calcutta and from thereto Bangkok in Thailand. During thenext two years they visited many interesting places in Thailand. For sixmonths they lived here in Pua and theirmany friends here still ask about them.Every night while Andrew and Reubenwere with us they asked God to pleaselet them go live with their Mama andDaddy Nichols in Hawaii.

Tribes and Trails in ThailandMiss Dorothy Uhlig, MissionaryMailed by:First Christian Church

9th and Pine Sts.

Klamath Falls, Oregon

Form 3547 RequestedHENRY PRINTING CO.. EUGENE. ORES.

Andrew and Reuben Nichols

In July, while we were all in Bangkok, the last arrangements were made.Early on a Friday morning the boysboarded the PAA Clipper "Miles Stand-ish." That night they would reach Japanand change to the giant Strato-Cruiserand on Saturday night they would bewith their parents in Hawaii. Andrewremarked happily. "Yes. I KNOW Godhears my prayers."

By DOROTHY BARE

Non-Profit Org.