TR/BES

%TRAILS^
THA/LAND
. . for Thou wosf slain, and didsf purehose unto God with Thy blood
men of every tribe, ond tongue, and people, ond Ration." ROveiatloc^StTbKi^^
TRIBES and TRAILS
in Thailand
APRIL 1956 Vol. 5 No. 1
Published twice yearly, in spring and
autumn, by undenominational Christ
ian missionaries laboring to establish
in Thailand (Slam) self-suporting
churches after the New Testament
pattern. Distributed with the hope of
gaining needed prayer support for the
Thailand work, of getting more con
secrated workers for this and other
fields and of encouraging all to great-
ei effort in the spread of simple unde
nominational Christianity throughout
the world. Missionaries engaged in this
effort are presently located at two
centers in extreme Northern Thailand;
Talat Chiengkam, Changwat Chieng-
rai, Thailand; and Pua, Nan Province,
Thailand.
Cover Picture
A White Miao woman of the Pisi
Village. This is the largest White Miao
Village in this area. Her jewelry con
sists of silver earrings, a six tiered
silver "horseshoe" necklace and silver
ornaments around the waist.
Dorothy Goes Home
Dorothy Uhlig left Chiengkam on
March 6th and flew from Bangkok on
the 13th for her first furlough. Her
address in the U.S. is 1026 Main
Street, Klamath Falls, Oregon. She
will be taking a course in Midwifery
April 15 thru October 15 in Kentucky.
New Missionary Arrives!!
Gordon Stanley Byers arrived on
January 22 and has taken up residence
with Don and Roberta Byers who
happen to be his parents. He was wel
comed by two older brothers.
Christmas Together
The Three Bares (Garland, Dorothy
Jean and Geoffrey) and the Callaway
family came to Chiengkam for Christ
mas.
Correction
The October 1955 issue should have
been numbered Vol. 4 No. 2 instead
of Vol. 5 No. 2.
^tanb S>tiU!
Fast living characterizes this age.
We flit about so rapidly that God is
unable to catch us. We bounce up and
down in elevators, dart in and out of
traffic, skim over steel rails and con
sume astounding quantities of distance
and time by jet propulsion. To experi
ence communion with God we must
apply the brakes. We must not only
slow downbut we must stop and hav
ing stopped we must do the impossible
stand still.
In Chiengkam there is a blind boy
about 14 yrs. of age. Each day he
v/alks to and from the market picking
up laundry for his mother to wash.
Sometimes the confusion of the road-
v/ay overcomes this sightless boy. The
lumbering noisy ox-carts, jangling bi
cycle bells and intermittent waves of
people going to and from market.
When his senses become scrambled
and untrustworthy by this unseen
chaoshe stops and quietly stands
still. When the wave of confusion sub
sides he then slcvsly and confidently
picks his way home at his accustomed
gait.
To-day God's perfect peace is swift
ly being dissolved in a 20th century
panic. God's message to us is to
"Stand Still." The spiritual nerves of
modern Christendom scream for the
"balm of Gilead." Like the children of
Israel by the Red Sea, we are being
swallowed in the dust of our confus
ion. Attacking from behind come the
apprehending armies of fear. The fu
ture looms with insecurity. All around
there is the madness of man's supreme
effort to spin faster in circles of his
own design. From this modern hyster
ia there sounds a warning from
Israel's leader, "Stand still and see the
sLlvation of the Lord."
When the day is spent and we feel
too exhausted for tomorrow, and the
din of the world becomes unbearable;
and our senses become scrambled and
untrustworthythen stop. Stand still
and allow the world, its chaos, inse
curity and fast living to pass by. In
the calm that follows you will not only
see His salvation but you will hear
His voiceand above allthere will
be peace. This is true deliverance.
Mel Byers.
-M
"Anil Ifhovuh will Kui'l)' thee rontinually am! Niitisfy thy soul in dry iihiceti and make Ntroiiu
Ihy iMinoM, and thou shult he like ii watered sarden and like a xprhii; of water whose waters fall not."
Isa. .IK:!!.
At the Spring of Living Water
As the old year slipped away, we
Thailand missionaries gathered in
Chiengkam to drink deep of His
Spring of Living Water. We were to
gether for four days of fellowship in
prayer. Each morning we wore led in
a devotional message and then knelt
in prayer.
Garland Bare pointed to the pre
eminence of Christ, challenging us to
realize that we are absolutely nothing
Christ is all. Eph, 3:19. He asked us
at our leisure to underline all of the
"alls" in Ephesians and Colossians.
Don Byers' message helped us to
re-think our message, searching our
hearts to know how much of our
teaching was a pouring forth from a
deep personal conviction of the power
of Christ, and how much just a re
iteration of truths we had been taught.
C. W. Callaway started with John
12:24,25, "Except a grain of wheat fall'
into the earth and die. it abideth by
itself alone, ..." He took us through
Galatians 2:20 ". . . it is no longer I
that live but Christ liveth in me." We
knew that there was too much of self
still alive for the Master to live and
reign within.
Having sought to be rid of self, we
were prepared to think with Mel Byers
on "Be strong in the Lord and in the
strength of His might." Eph. 6:10-18.
When Mel had finished, we were all
humbled, remembering how often we
had tried in our own strength and
failed.
As we prepared our hearts for pray
er this last day, we "left our gift at
the altar" as it were, for a time of
confession of sin and asking forgive
ness for hasty words and actions, and
even thoughts which blocked the full,
free flow of love among usthat love
which our Master promised us would
cause the world to know that we are
truly His.
We had gone, hungering and thirst
ing for Christian fellowship and a
closer walk with the Master. "He
satisfied our souls and made our bones
strong." The New Year could give no
richer blessings.Lois Callaway,
:m '
L'tflj
A BIBLE CLAS
BIBLE LITERACY SCHOOL
"Look at the way those teen-agers
are holding their new song books.
You'd think they were made of gold,"
said one of the missionaries as he
watched the people assemble for ser
vice. All of Ihe villagers who have
purchased hymn books are very proud
of the books and are anxious to learn
how to use them. In the Short Term
Bible Literacy School a special class
is being held to teach the students how
to find the numbers and read the
songs.
This is the third year this school
has been held at the leper village of
Ban Sope Waan. There are over 40
students enrolled varying in age from
4 to over 40 years.
The school day begins with chapel
at 9 when all gather at the church to
learn new songs and sing old favorites.
A short message is brought by one of
the men. After chapel the students
divide into classes. The intermediate
group goes to a nearby house for their
Bible lesson taught by Mel Byers. The
junior Bible class is taught by Imogene
Williams at the headman's house. Don
Byers teaches a group of more ad
vanced students a Bible lesson at the
back of the church. Two of the men
teach the kindergarten children in the
middle of the church. A beginning
class for children and one for adults
are taught by two other men. At the
front of the church a simple reading
; class is taught by Dorothy Uhlig. Since
the church is just a one room building,
sometimes there is quite a din with
the six different groups reading cut
loud.
This hubbub lasts only for an hour.
Afterwards there are never more than
two reading classes and a writing
class held in the church at the same
time. During the last two hours Don
Byers teaches two different groups
how to look up numbers in their song
books and they practice reading and
singing the hymns. TTiis is one of the
highlights of the day for them for
they love to sing.
This year a special class is being
held to teach the men how to preach
and conduct services. There are only
four in this group taught by Mel. but
it is proving very practical and the
men have an opportunity to preach in
the morning chapel service.
Some of the adults are learning to
teach reading classes. We hope they
will continue the classes through the
rainy season. Much faster progress
will be made in this way and the chil
dren won't forget what they have
learned.Dorothy Uhlig.
ATONEMENT-
The Yao Method
The Yao have not one yearly day of atone
mentthey have several such days. Throughout
the year they frequently, on the slightest pre
text, make offerings to appease the WTath of
demons. But there are also special days set aside
for the express purpose of drawing an imaginary
protective curtain over a village,
Foilowing the Chinese calendar the Yao ceie-
lu-aled the New Year on February 12th this
year. As they explained It they did nothing spe
cial that day except "a little devil worship." At
least some, however, killed chickens to offer as
food for their departed relatives.
It rained all day on their New Year's Day.
and Shen Ming, the former headman, said this
had never happened before. He said that for
this reason he was very much afraid that there
was going to be a great flood. This provided an
oiiportunily for my referring to the great flood
of Noah's day and assuring him that there
would be no such flood again but that there
would be a day of judgment for the world when
tne earth would be consumed with fire.
Shortly after New Year's the Yao commence
their series of atonement days. This year. Feb
ruary 17 and 18 were "hold-the-tlger days," and
the day followingto translate literallywas
designated "hold-the-hatchet day." These days
were set aside by all the Yaoat least on our
rangeto appease respectively, the tiger spirit
and the hatchet spirit,
For several days beforehand the tribespeople. ;
or at least the women and children, had to
work harder than usual. For the three special
d.ays no rice was to he pounded out of the husk,
no grass was to be cut for horses, no banana
stalks were to be cut for the i>lgs, no vegetables
or other food were to be cut for the people
themselves. Cooking and eating were allowed
hut the use of knives and hatchets was particu
larly banned lest the hatchet demon be angered.
For the two "tiger days" the trails approach
ing each Yao village were blocked with tree
branches (even this was performed with accom
panying devil worship) and none were allowed
to enter or leave the village until the redemption
time was up for the tiger demon. Loud noise
was taboo. Thus it seemed odd to see women,
ordinarily so explosive, trying to be a bit quieter
and even chiding their children for shouting.
How strange, too. not to hear the rice pounders
being worked late Into the night, not to hear
ioud arguments from the houses just above ours,
and not even to hear the women (sure-winners
in any hog-calling contest) hailing their hogs of
an evening. One woman assured us that the
hogs still got their food, even without being
called. "It's just the people who observe the day
nut the pigs." she said,
The same woman informed us that the Mlao
and Thai didn't really know how to ward off
the spirits. (No doubt Americans don't handle
the spirits right either, in her estimation.) But
she said. "We Yao really do it good, good."
Shen Ming recalled how a Chinese merchant's
mule had been killed by a tiger below our vil
lage some six months ago and he confidently-
asserted that it was because the merchant had
not kept "tiger day."
Our position was unique in that when it came
SHEN MING WITH BAMBOO WATER PIPE.
to gathering grass (or our horses and kindling
for our stove we were considered as outside the
villagebut when they wanted to visit us during
the ban we were considered as in the village.
Thus law and tradition can be turned even here
to suit one's pleasure. We went on with our
work as usual save that we had many more
tribal visitors than usual. With the Yao con
stantly around looking through our Viewmaster,
listening to the Yao Gospel records, looking at
the Gospel posters and filmslrips, and conse
quently talking together over and over about the
same thingswe were provided with a good op
portunity both for language study and for wit
nessing to them.
On March Ist the Yao are due to again barri
cade their village trails. This time it will be to
make their peace for a few months with the
wind demon lest their homes be harmed or des
troyed by strong winds. Later on there will be
the "snake day," surely a "fire day" and how
many more we do not now know.
For centuries there have been those in all
lands who "being ignorant of God's righteous
ness, and seeking to establish their own" have
sought by human means to escape all hardship
and gain peace within and prosperity without.
The foregoing example from Yaodom is but
typical of the hopeless struggle we might all be
making were it not that some of us have been
privileged to know Him who made tiger, snake,
and wind and have found in Christ the
atonement and righteousness which we could
never hope to attain through religious merit-
making and works of law.
We plead the fervent prayer support of yqu
who know Christ to the end that Yao, Miao,
Khamoo, Tin, Lu, Thai, and many others may
likewise come to know Him in whom alone is
lifeand that eternal.C. W. Callaway.
HELP!
TIGERS!
Wild jungles teeming with tigers and
elephants! Excitement and adventure
on every hand! Tribespeople by the
hundreds crying for the gospel!
Though these may be the impressions
gained from reading current literature
concerning Thailand we find the actual
facts far different. After four years of
making trips through mountains and
jungle I have yet to see a live tiger or
wild elephant. Exciting happenings are
rare in our calm corner of the world.
The "adventure" of the early years on
the field consists mainly of sitting still
four to six hours a day with language
study. We find missionary life, even
on a primitive field, to be largely a
plodding routine existence.
Souls pleading for the gospel? How
we wish this were true. Indifference is
the usual response to the message of
Christ. Idle curiosity will ensure a
crowd in most villages. Many will in
quire concerning the gospel as long
as they think there is a possibility of
material gain. A very few will be actu
ally hostile. Rarest of all are the
earnest souls who cry, "What must I
do to be saved?" Even when a new
born soul steps into the light. Satan
lurks ready to trip up and confuse, and
many stumble back into the darkness.
Some months ago many of you read
i'bout two young Khamoo couples who
took a stand for Christ. How thrilled :
we were when Gaao, a bright young|
man who was spirit guardian of his i
clan, dared to defy his tribal traditions I
by throwing out his demon shelves.
He and his brother-in-law with their
wives were baptized the same day.
With joy and praise we watched as
these young people stood firm in the
face of opposition from friends and
family. It seemed that through no out
side pressure could the Tempter move
them, so he began to attack from
within. How great the toll of those
whose eyes are diverted from Jesus
by sin within the church. So it was
that drunkenness and immorality on
the part of older professing Christians
caused these young people to take
their eyes from Him "with whom can
be no variation" and their feet slipped
from His Way.
KHAMOO MOTHER AND CHILD.
Friends often seem concerned about
the material dangers we face in Thai
land. On our trips we are neither
conscious of Communism nor terrified
of tigers, but we are genuinely con
cerned with our real adversary, for
we have tasted bitterly of his power.
Now we know that "our wrestling is
not against flesh and blood but against
the principalities . . . powers . . .
world-rulers of this darkness . . .
spiritual hosts of wickedness ..."
(Eph. 6:12). Any who doubt the reali
ty of Satin would find their doubts
dispelled quickly if they worked in a
field such as this where Satan's sway
has been unchallenged for centuries.
We cannot succeed. Christ cannot
fail. The measure of success is the ex
tent to which His Spirit works in and
through us. Only by the sustaining
help of intercessory prayer can we
hope to continue in the battle. We
need more than the prayers of those
who say, "God, bless all the mission
aries." We need individuals who will
dfiily, steadfastly pray for the specific
needs and personal problems of your
evangelists in Thailand. The future of
the Lord's woik in Thailand depends
upon YOU.Garland Bare.
BUFFALO BEAT THE APRIL HEAT IN A COOL MUD-WALLOW.
THE HOPE OF MAY
The hot season is here. Though the
nights are still cool, by mid-day the
heat is intense. From now on the days
will get longer, hotter and dryer.
Trees lose their leaves and become
barren. The grass withers. Children
run naked seeking little cool puddles
to play in. Buffalo also seek the cool
mud, Grown-ups sit or lie in the shade,
for the blistering heat saps the
strength. A disabling lethargy sets in.
By April the heat is at its zenith. Wise
foreigners flee to the seashore or to
the mountains to preserve their ener
gies. We may brave the sun and go
for a picnic under our favorite tree by
the river. But the beautiful mountains
which are such a source of joy to us
will be hidden from view by the thick
dust hanging heavily in the air.
Through all the depressions of the
hot season, however, we are not left
altogether without inspiration and
hope. Orchids and other flowers bloom
in profusion. And always we know that
May follows April. May with its show
er-laden monsoons. A strong wind
blows through the valley from the
south. Palm and bamboo dance, and
giant bo trees sing with excitement.
The sky darkens and people ask one
another, "Isn't that thunder?" "Lis
ten!" "Yes, yes, it is!" Then we see
ita great wall of rain bearing down
upon us and everyone rushes to bring
clothes off the line and close the shut
ters. The cooling, refreshing rains have
come!
The newcomer to the land will
wonder, during April, "Does the heat
never end? Is it always dusty? Will
there ever be water in the well again?
He is likely to be skeptical when the
peoples of the land say, "But next
month the rains will come." He does
not know the season as do those whose
home is here.
Is it not the same in our spiritual
home? Our souls have their Aprils
when they are weighed down. We feel
our burdens so heavily upon us that
we cannot seem to rise above them.
Troubles and cares come tumbling in
upon us. It seems difficult to pray
to fix our minds upon spiritual things.
But always we know that May follows
April. If we endure, the showei-s will
!fall upon our souls. We will find our
jblessings so manifold we cannot count
Ithem, our rejoicing so great we cannot
express it.
The newcomer to this spiritual
home, or the outsider, will wonder at
our faith that the blessings shall come
to pass. But those of us who have
lived here for a time know the faith
fulness of our Loi-d for He has proven
Himself to us many times over. During
the times of oppression and defeat,
therefore, let us remember to keep
looking up and recall the words of our
Lord through the prophet, Isaiah, "For
I will pour water upon him that is
thirsty, and streams upon the dry
ground ..." (Isa. 44:3)
Dorothy Bare
SEE BEA.NCHAI WITH HER SCHOOL B(
School Can lie Fuiit
If you never had the opportunity to
go to school you would think it was
fun too. See Boanchal never thought
of going to school as a little girl. She
helped her parents work, carrying wa
ter, washing clothes, fishing and taking
care of buffalo. Her father got sick
and died: her mother was sick, too.
but no one knew just what was wrong.
She got much worse and her neighbors
began to be afraid of her. When her
mother came with See to the mission
ary's house five years ago it was easy
to see she had leprosy. They were
advised to move to the village of Sope
Waan. If there had been someplace
else for See to go there would never
have been any danger of her getting
the disease but there was no place.
Also her mother needed her to do the
work as her feet were badly crippled
and she could walk only a short dis
tance.
At that time See had never even
looked at a book and didn't know one
letter from another. She attended the
first short term school and also the
two succeeding ones. She also came
to church from her early days in the
village and is now a baptized believer.
Learning to read has been hard but
See thinks it is fun and works hard
to bo able to read a whole page with
out missing a word. She can read
simple Bible stories and looks forward
to the day when she can read the
whole Bible.Imogene Williams.
TRIBKS AND TRAILS IN THAILAND
Dorothy tlhlig, Missionary to Thailand
c/o First Christian Church
Klamath Fails, Oregon
Form 3547 Requested
TR/BES
iTRAILS-^
THAILAND
2^
Jr;^.VHai ^
'. . . for Thou wast slain, and didst purchase unto God with Thy
blood men of every tribe, and tongue, and people, and notion."
Revelation 5:9b.
OCTOBER, 1956
Tribes and
in T h a il
October, 1956
Trails
and
Vol. 5 No. 2
Published twice yearly, in spring and aut
umn, by undenominational Christian mission
aries laboring to establish in Thailand (Slam)
self-supporting churches after the New Testa
ment pattern. Distributed with the hope of
gaining needed prayer support for the Thailtmd
work, of getting more consecrated workers for
this and other fields and of encouraging all to
greater effort in the spread of simple imde-
nominational Christianity throughout the
world. Miscionaries engaged in this effort are
presently located at two centers in extreme
Northern Thailand: Talat Chiengkam, Chang-
wat Chiengrai, Thailand; and Pua, Nan Prov
ince, Thailand.
COVER PICTtJRE
A Yao grandmother in her best
clothing sits on typical low stool for
her picture. Turban and trousers are
blue. Black jacket is trimmed with
red wool. Silver neck ring is the
workmanship of a tribal craftsman.
Bright embroidery work on trousers,
end of turban and end of waistband
have required months to make in
her spare moments. Footgear is also
traditional for Yao women.
A DAUGHTER FOR THE BARES
Garland and Dorothy Bare an
nounce the arrival of their first
daughter (second child). Lois Corinne
was bom at the Presbyterian Mission
Hospital, Prae, Thailand, on Septem
ber 4th.
DOROTHY ON FURLOUGH
Dorothy Uhlig is at present on fur
lough. She will be presenting the
Th^and work to various congrega
tions until her return to Thailand
early next year.
A BOY TO MEL AND JUNE
The following unique birth an
nouncement sent out by Mel and
June Byers brought us afresh within
the veil to marvel before the handi
work of the Lord our Maker.
Another Miracle of God
"We, Mel and Jane, do hereby declare Uiat
we have witnessed another miracle of God.
This miracle occurred in Chiengkam, a native
village of Northern Thailand.
"This manifestation of God took place be
fore our eyes in the year 1956 on July 7 at
1:32 P.M. At this time there came miraculous
ly unto us a small living form weighing 6 lbs.
and 10 oz. and was 19 in. long. This living
form appeared unto us in the image and like
ness of a Boy. Within seconds this tiny boy
throbbed with life, an achievement no man has
ever explained. Without previous training this
smali boy was able to cry, sneeze, suck, hic
cough and respond to light and sound.
"We were amazed at all God had performed
before our eyes and do hereby declare that it
was supernatural. Most wonderful of all God
gave this tiny boy to us. We named him
Melvert Wendali Byers, Jr."
Which Way Should
A House Face?
One day Tzan Nya came to borrow
our hoes to use in leveling the site
for his new home. He, with many of
his relatives, are moving from Laos
to Tzan Fu Ville this year to escape
from spirits they believe to have
caused crop failure, sickness, and
death. As I handed him the tools he
asked if I'd walk with him to his
building site and help him decide
which direction to have his house
face. Climbing the slope at his heels
I thought of the Apostle who long
ago became "all things to all men."
Would this brief trip by any means
aid in saving some?
Mrs. Tzan Nya was busy clearing
brush while her baby, wearing noth
ing but a light jacket, flitted about
after her. Trees had been felled and
placed as to contain the dirt that
would be graded down. One post was
already placed for their house and
several were set up nearby for his
brother's house.
"That hump in that furtherest
mountain across the Mekong River
should help orient the house proper
ly, but I can't decide for sure." He
seemed both puzzled and worried as
he spoke this. Hoping to cheer him
I replied, "Well you'll have a good
view here, and you are not too far
from the spring."
"I'm awfully poor," he began, and
with this he knelt down and lifted
a battered washpan that had covered
a small hole in the ground. Taking
a section of bamboo from the hole
he revealed four grains of rice. "Our
tribe believes that if three of the
rice grains point together like this,"
he said, demonstrating, "it will show
how the house should be built so the
owner will prosper."
I doubt if he really believed me
when I explained that Christians
don't follow such superstitions in the
building of their homes. But I sought
to use the occasion to point out the
freedom from superstition that the
Christian has.
When leaving I felt that he was
still in his quandry. After all, the
A LAKGE MIAO HOME UUT VERY SIMILAR
TO A SMALL YAO HOME
decision, so he thought, might de
termine his future wealth. And the
Yao generally are as mercenary
minded as any Chinese, Jew. or
American, I'm sure. His indecision
was typical of troubled souls every
where who continually fret over little
things. All such appear as "reeds
shaken in the wind" whereas with
Christ they could be "like a tree
planted by the streams of water."
That afternoon Tzan Nya came for
malaria medicine and tarried to
enumerate his troubles. He said final
ly. "I've been married twelve years
and have never been able to make
any money." Perhaps he feels his
wife has not been diligent enough in
tilling their opium fields. He then
continued, "Could you read my palm
for me?"
Two days later we called on the
newcomers. Shortly a young mother
came up carrying her baby on her
back. We knew the baby had chick
en-pox for we'd given medicine for
it just that morning. She called to
Tzan Nya and he went with her to
Tzan King's house nearby and there
began wierd incantations over the
baby. No doubt when the baby re
covers the chief credit will go to
this demon priest, who likely re
ceived a good sum for his "services,"
rather than to the "doctor".
It may seem strange that a sorcer
er would seek another to read his
palm and to help him outwit the
demons. Yet is it strange? Who
should know better than he the fu
tility of his demon ritual?
Among non-Christians and pseudo-
Christians the world over supersti
tions such as these run rampant.
Paul could well say to these, as the
King James renders his summation
of the Athenians, "I perceive that
in all things ye are too superstitious."
Many Americans are in fear of Fri
day the 13th, of a black cat crossing
their path, of going under a ladder.
The Yao are bound by their supereti-
tions, theories, and fears. These fears
can move whole villages, cause the
slaughter of animals in sacrifice, and
can even cause them to abandon a
freshly prepared building site for an
other considered more propitious to
the spirits.
We Christians do well to treasure
the freedom we have through Christ
from such dread bondage. But please
relax not too comfortably, my Chi'ist-
ian friends. Our Savior did not die
for us alone but that He might like
wise "deliver all them who through
fear of death (and any other fear)
were all their lifetime subject to
bondage." Heb. 2:15 R.V.
C. W. Callaway
A MOTHER AND HER BABY ATTENDtNG CLINIC
BaJUel WiU Be Bo^
"Khun Dorothy," called the Thai
midwife, "please go with me to see
a woman who is having a baby. The
relatives just called me. They say
it has been three days and the baby
hasn't come yet. I told them I
wouldn't go unless the foreign nurse
went with me. Will you come?"
In a few minutes Imogene and I
were on our bikes and off we went
with the midwife. It was about 6
miles to the village. When we ar
rived we found the house crowded
with relatives and friends waiting to
see what would happen. A quick ex
amination showed this would be a
difficult breech delivery. It required
a bit of manipulating and hard work
before the baby was bom. The baby
boy seemed quite lifeless. While the
midwife took care of the mother, I
gave the baby artificial respiration.
When the baby began to gasp a little
everyone in the room stared in dis
belief. but their disbelief turned into
joy a few minutes later when he
finally began to cry. Before we left
the mother was comfortable and the
baby, now very pink, was crying
lustily as he lay all warm and snug
in his bed. As everyone gathered
around to look at the baby and to
talk we had an opportunity to sit
and visit with them and to explain
that we came to Thailand to help
them and to tell them about Jesus.
Most of them listened with interest
and gladly accepted the gospel tracts
that we gave them.
This is one of the pleasant memor
ies that comes to mind when thinking
of delivering babies, and yet there
are sad ones too whore the family
waited too long before sending for
help. There are other memories of
going to homes and finding compli
cations that I didn't feel I coixld
handle adequately. I realized the
need for further training in deliver
ing babies and caring for their moth
ers and so determined to study mid
wifery while on furlough, the Lord
willing. The 6 months course with
the Frontier Nursing Service at
Hydon, Ky. is filling this need. This
nursing service reaching into remote
mountain homes is not unlike the
type of service we offer in Thailand
so it will be easy to adapt what I
have learned to actual field condi
tions. I am locking forward to re
turning to Thailand next March, the
Lord willing, and know it will be
possible to offer better care to
mothers and their babies as a result
of this specialized training.
The clinic and midwifery work are
not ends in themselves, but they do
afford an opportunity to meet the
people, show them Christ's love and
tell them about Jesus and what He
has done for them. Our prayer is
that many of these we contact may
come to know Him as their Savior.
Dorothy Uhlig
AT DRESSED IN HIS ' PRETTY- CLOTHES WITH YOUNGER BROTHERS
Entering the Priesthood
I'm not a good photographer and
it was also raining but I had prom
ised to take pictures of the festivities
when Jaroon's son entered the priest
hood so to her house I went. Jaroon
is a Thai midwife and has been a
good friend for several years. There
have been times when we thought
she seemed almost ready to accept
Christ but sending a second son into
the priesthood indicates her interest
was probably just to please us.
At, the son, was very definitely the
center of attention as I arrived. His
head and eyebrows had been shaved.
He was dressed in bright pink satin
trousers with a white satin shirt
gaily decorated and fastened with a
safety pin! Around his head was a
bright colored cloth. His eyebrows
had been painted on in black with
a design in powder above the eye
brows, on his forehead and cheeks.
He wore his mother's silver belt.
To the Thai he looked very beautiful
but was willing to give up all this to
become a priest. Neighbors, relatives
and friends were present. Singers
and an orchestra (four men with
bamboo flutes) had been hired and
were able to keep going for hours
while women talked, men gambled
and babies cried. At sat on a pillow
by the wall. He looked uncomfort
able and wore a placid "Buddha like"
expression on his face. However, as
I entered he couldn't refrain from
giving me a quick grin of recognition.
Everything imaginable had been
brought as offerings for this soon to
be priest, and for other priests at
the nearby temple. I remember see
ing artificial flowers, cucumbers,
candles, matches, Thai money folded
in flower-like designs, native sweets,
rice, bananas, eggs and pillows with
beautifully embroidered cases. Each
of these things would make "merit"
for the giver.
About 10 a.m. the rain ceased and
the procession to the temple began.
On arrival At again sat on his pret
ty pillow by the wall while others
took turns crawling to a ten foot
image of the Buddha, and bowing
down three times before it, they of
fered their gifts. Later in the day
he gave up his pretty clothes and
put on the yellow robe of the Bud
dhist priest.
At has been in my home many
times, has read tracts, attended ser
vices where he learned choruses,
heard Bible stories and saw Bible
slides. He read and enjoyed the Life
of Christ visualized in Thai, but cus
tom and a mother's strong influence
took him to the temple. It would
seem he is lost but even tho he
wears the yellow robes of a priest he
is still an open-minded, care-free
typical fifteen year old boy and there
is hope for him. Words have not been
enough but the Holy Spirit could do
a real work in his heart IF enough
people prayed for him. Join me in
praying for this boy's salvation.
Imogene Williams.
RAINY SEASON TRAVEL IN THAILAND
Pray For Whom?
When evangeliz'ng tribal villages
we occas'onaliy meec individuals who
are in.crcsicd and responsive to their
tirsi contact with the gospel. Our
nacural reaction is to pray especially
for these, and well it should be. But
what of the opponents of the gospel
i-hose wlio actually combat the
message of Christ? The past year has
taught us new lessons in praying for
our enemies. Jesus said, "Love your
enemies, do good to them that hate
you, bless them that curse you, pray
for them that despite-'ully use you."
Luke 6:23-29. For the Christian, to
love means to pray for.
Last year when nine adults in the
Khamoo village of Nam Mong were
baptized, a wave of persecution be
gan which sorely tried the faith of
the new believers. The ringleaders
wore three men who stood to lose
r.T'.clt in social prestige if many vil
lagers became Christian. Yaum and
Khaek were witch doctors and vil
lage elders. Kham Mong was the
headman's 25-year old son and a so
cial leader among the young people.
As the campaign of slander inten
sified, we decided to combat it with
a campaign of prayer for the ring
leaders. The outcome has greatly
strengthened our faith in the power
of prayer. By the beginning of 1956
a change was noted in the attitude
of the persecutors. Instead of avoid
ing the missionary as in the past,
Khaek began seeking out opportuni
ties for friendly conversation, Yaum
began attending church ser\dces and
started ask'ng questions about the
gospel, Kham Mong began to show
the influence of his young cousin and
brother-in-law, both of whom are
very earnest Christians.
In late June a letter came to us
in Pua saying that Kham Mong had
taken a public stand for Christ and
wished to be baptized. We went to
Nam Mong July 13 and had oppor
tunity to speak to the young man at
length. He made a very moving pro
fession of faith and was baptized
along with two others on July 15.
Since becom-ng a Christian his first
project has been learning to read in
order that he may study the Bible.
That same evening in a conversa
tion Khaek sa d, "I used to fight
very hard against the Jesus way be
cause I thought it would be danger
ous for us Khamoo to change our
traditions. Now I see that the Christ
ians are better people and thei-e is
no longer so much sickness and fear
in our village. I am thinking of be
coming a Christian but want to be
very, very sure first. I do not be
lieve in following Jesus when it is
easy and turning aside when it be
comes hard."
Late that night Yaum, the third
former pei-secutor, sent for us to
come to his home. There, for moi'e
than an hour, we taught him and his
family the way of Life. Next morn
ing, as we left the village, Yaum and
his wife came with a parting gift.
They announced that they also plan
to become Christians soon .
It is easy for us to pray for those
who eagerly reach for the gospel.
May we all profit by this experience
by learning to pray for our enemies,
that many of the persecuting Sauls
of North Thailand may through His
grace become preaching Pauls.
By Garland Bare
Itaiiiy Si^asoii
Ifiiblo School
"For my thoughts are not ycur
thoughts, neither are your ways my
ways, saiih Jehovah."Isaiah 55:8.
From the beg-nn.ng our plans lor
a Rainy Season Bible School did not
seem to catch on. Those few Ciirist-
ians who were really interested were
hindered in various ways. We, our
selves, were not wl:ole-hcartedly en
thusiastic in our plans. Yet it seemed
some instruction should be g'.vcn the
new Christians in this area be.ore
we leave on furlough.
But, His ways are not our ways.
The Bible School was to take place,
after all, in a way entirely unortho
dox.
In May Garland visited the Blue
Miao village of Kang Haw. We have
had many contacts with Kang Haw
- especially with one youth, Lao Yi.
During this visit Lao Yi asked if we
could come down for a few days to
study after his field work was done.
On the afternoon of June 23 he ar
rived bearing his bedroll and a
bundle of clothes. Next day regular
studies began with Gaidand explain
ing the Miao script and Lao Yi
teaching the Miao language. Since
the Miao primer is based upon the
Bible they often fell into discussion
of the Scripture. Soon Lao Yi was
taking these Scriptures personally.
Then there was an interruption when
Garland took time out to visit the
Khamoo village of Nam Mong.
There ho baptized two young men.
OneKham Mongis mentioned
elsewhere. The other, Nan Anon, had
been in the Buddhist priesthood for
5 years. Before Garland left. Nan
Anon said that he would like to come
in for a few days of Bible study.
During Garland's absence Lao Yi's
father came down for a day. He ad
vised his son to postpone the step
of baptism. (Wise old Satan! How
often he plants that thought in the
minds of would-be Christians!) Nev
ertheless. more and more time was
spent in Bible study and Lao Yi's
questions showed a deepening under
standing and personal conviction.
That weekend we were surprised
to see Kham Mong come in carrying
a bag of rice and a bundle of clothes.
With a big smile he announced that
he had come "for a few days of
study". The same day Nai Wan, one
of the older Christians from Nam
Mong who felt in need of further
Bible study, came. Since Nai Wan
BLUE MIAO GIRL A RELATIVE UF LAO YI
stayed only one night, we had little
opportunity to teach him. However,
lij can read, so we gave him a Bible
study outline to take home with him.
Kham Mong was not an ideal pu
pil. Never having been to school he
was not used to the discipline of
study and found it hard to concen
trate. However, during his week's
stay he did succeed in getting
through the Thai alphabet and a few
pages in the adult, reading course.
His first objective is to learn to read
so that he can study the Bible. We
hope that he also profited from our
Bible reading and discussions each
evening.
After nearly a month of study Lao
Yi asked to be baptized. On arising
from the water his first words were,
"Now I am a now person." A few
days later he left for home. With
mixed feelings we watched him go
the first of his tribe in the whole
ai'ea to follow Christbearing in his
pack the treasured books including
the Blue Miao Primer, the gospel
of Mark and First John. He intends
to master these and teach them to
all who will learn.
Thus, our "Rainy Season Bible
School" took place in a manner en
tirely unplanned. Though our stu
dents were few, who can tell how
much fruit they may bear in the
future?
"For as the heavens are higher
than the earth, so are my ways high
er than your ways and my thoughts
than your thoughts." Isaiah 55:9.
By Dorothy Bare
Good Name. . .
is rather to be chosen than great riches." Prov. 22:1
What's your name? What does it
mean? Chemces are you don't know.
If you were a Thai girl or boy, you
would know, for every name has a
meaning. And you might have your
name because of something you did
or were as a tiny baby. Maybe you
laughed a lot so they called you Yim,
which means smile, or Dee, which
means good. Or you might be called
Sang, which means Dawn because
you were bom at dawn.
If you were a Chinese boy or girl,
you'd have a baby name, which
you'd be ashamed of by the time
you started to school, and then you'd
be given a school name. When you
were grown up, if you still didn't
like your name, you could just choose
a new name for yourself.
If you were a Yao or Miao boy,
you'd go by a number until you were
about six years old. If you were the
oldest brother they'd call you Lao
Gao, which means Old Big. If you
were the second brother, you'd be
Lao Ler (Old Two), and if you were
the third brother, you'd be Lao San
(Old Three) etc. When you were
older, you would have a name and
your friends would call you that. If
you were a Miao man, you would
never tell a stranger your real name.
You'd just tell him that you were
Old Big or Old Two, or whatever
you were. If he knew your real name
he might work black magic on you,
you know.
If you were a Yao girl, you'd never
in your life have a name. If you were
the oldest daughter, you would al
ways be known as Goo Mae, which
means Oldest Sister. Your younger
sister would be Muey Nai (Second
Little Sister), and so on down the
line until you got to five. Then if
there were only five sisters, and no
brothers little sister number five
would be Muey Goy, which means
something like "Little Sister With
No Hope of a Brother."
Being an American boy or girl, you
may not know what your neime
means. But if you have been bom
again into the family of God, you
should know what your new name
means. Long ago CJod said, "Thou
shalt be called by a New Name."
That name is Christian and it means
"of Christ." You never need to be
ashamed of that name. Just be sure
you never embarrass Jesus by wear
ing His name. If you wear His name,
it hurts Him when you aren't a real
Cairistian you know. The Bible says,
"But if any man suffer as a Christ
ian let him not be ashamed, but let
him glorify God in this name." 1 Pet.
4:16. Do you give glory to God by
wearing the name of Christ? Do you
try? Everyday?Lois Callaway.
TRIBES AND TRAILS IN THAILAND
G. W. and Lois Callaway, Missionaries
Mailed By:
Henry Printing Co.
175 East 15th Avenue
Eugene, Oregon
Form 3547 Requested