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CHRISTIAN . U. P.
, BY RALPH^iHARTER '':Dhring the past year an extra room was
built to accommpdate
the orphans; the gBHlKXX dispensary was equipped and XfilX
medical
service was begun; Jungle Christian Service Camp was held; a
monthly
paper, "Jiwita Pani", was started;^congregation was established
in,-rvUU'*-*-^
Kanpur; and .evangelistic campaigns were conducted*^ ("Living
Water")
Our expectations for the "JiWita Panl** magazine/have been
farsurpassed. It has received the co-operation of all of our
missions
and churches in India. Our mistakes in editing and publishing
have
gradually been corrected until it has become most attractive and
ef
fective in spreading the gospel. Its present circulation is
one
thousand free copies. The nefed for a great effort in
publishingin India has long been recognized by our missionaries.
This is actu-
ally the task we came here ta do qnd by the grace of the Lord we
are
now able to do.
We have great hopes for the future, and we believe that the
Lord will give us more than we expect as He has done in the
past.
At present SiSS we are procuding a Hindi version of the
booklet
"Discipleship". We hope that soon it will be possible for us
to
own our own printing equipment, publish several magazines and
quarter
lies, print vital books, and thus take advantage of the power
that
is in the printed word.
Like the apostle Paul, we realize that v/e must return
occasionally
to our "Antioch" and report to those vho have sent us to the
mission
field. We are planning to arrive in the United States in the
spring of
1953 I am now .in my seventh year here and Mrs. Harter is in her
fourth.
-
//
4.vl.
Leaving India on furlough will be very difficult since our roots
have
grown rather deep in India's sun-kissed soil
Correspondence concerning our "jeep fund" should be sent to
Mrs.Nina Eagley, 10? North Portage St., Buchanan, Mich^, and travel
funds
may be sent to Mrs. L, B. Barter, Box 144, Clinton, 0.
-
FRCM: Christ, OrrvilleOhio. (Sec. )POSTMASTER sJEir-'JiSSsssee
has movednotify^^fTder on formfor which is guaranteed.
)ostage
TO
?7Wk.
^1f-
^ .;ui3 ^
January 13. 1950J No. 22XAj^-t/lAA- ot>8TlU5 ftf
./7 v/?l ,ivrtKuv,r' / 'V:;v;i;-\\'
"Z' .V ' L
SERMONS . '
MORNING L^:SSAGE BY MR. BARBSE
E^NING 3ERI>;0N BY IRiV BRAITON OF HOIiuESVILLlill
i C\ it*
"NEWS FROa THE BARTERS"
Jan. 1, '50
Dear Friends at Orrville,We have been thinking of the un
searchable depths of God's wisdcsnand power, and how wonderfully
Heguides us every day. It is justtoo wonderful to understand as
'wesee the Lord's hand leading peopleto our door to hear the Gospel
message. Not that we are too lazy toleave the bungalow, but it
justseems that the Lord is keeping usbusy on our doorstep*,
Toni^t, for example, the Hindufather of Babu Lai (n^o was
baptised last year) came to our door,seemingly begging, which is
his"work". We invited him in and foran hour talked with us about
Christand salvation* We feel that there
(p. 3, col, i. Please)
CONGRECiATIOHAL.MEETING & FELL0TI9SHIPSUFFER ' '
Next Wednesday night the entirecongregation will meet in the
churchbasement for the firs'^ Fellov/shipSupper of the new year.
After theSupper the congregation will have abusiness meeting. The
followingclasses are asked to take charge ofthe duties listed.
Men's. Glass has charge of seeing tables are set up ajid
covered.
Electa Circle take food as itcomes in and take to kitchen.
Faithful Followers see food getson t&bles and
serve'tables.
Loyal Bereans ' responsible fordecorations.
Each person is asked to bringhisown table service. Coffee,
milk,
-bread and butter will be jTurnished.
-
The Urrville Christian is publishedeach week in the interest of
theChurch cf Christ, 236 hh 7J.lnut St,'Orrville, OhiOo E, W,
Barbee^ Minister - Editor* Mrs, Henry McAdams,Associate Editor Mr
Ralph Harter,
Living-Link raissionary. to India,Miss Evelyn Jones, Living-Link
Ivlis-sionary to Italy,
EIBLS SCHOOL LESSON
TOPIC: "The First Christian Martyr",
TEXT: Acts 6:5-15; 7.:5U-60 .
Golden Text: "Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee
acrcvm of life". Rev. 2:10.
"And Stephen, full of faith andpoV;er, did great wonders and
miracles among the people. And theyv/ere not able to resist the
wisdomand the spirit by which he spake.And they set up false
witnesses,which said. This man ceaseth not tospeak blasphemous
v/ords against thisholy place, and the law: When theyheard these
things^ they were cutto the heart, and they gnashed onhim v/ith
their teeth. But he, beigfull of the Holy Ghost, looked
upsteadfastly into heaven, and sawthe glory of God, and Jesus
standing on the- right hand of God. Andthey stoned" Stephen,
calling uponGod, and saying. Lord Jesias,receivemy spirit. And he
kneeled down,andcried with a loud voice. Lord laynot this sin to
their charge". Andv/h@n he had said this, he fell a-sleep."
A BEAUTIFUL HARD-WOOD FLOOR IS BEING UID IN THE CHURCH
AUDITORIUM,and because of this it v/iil be impossible.for us to
have services inthe main auditoriuriu All classesare asked ^ in the
basementannex for poa;uig exercises', aridthe separate classes will
be toldwhere to meet.
Sunday evening services will alsobe held in the basement.
BrotherIra Brandon of Holmesville will bethe speaker of the
evening. He, willbe speaking in" the interests of.Round Lake
Christian Assembly and,will shovr colored slides of the newLake. An
offering will also be' taken for the Camp site.
* * *
rHEEE^ :i7lLL BE 'A SHCRT"ELDER*S MEETING immediately after
church Sundaymorning.
THE KNOWN SICK
LOU HULLS undeipvent an operation inBeeson Hospital this past
week,sheis getting along as well as can beexpected,
DAVID CHILCOTE went this v;eek tothe Shriners Crippled
Children's Hos-
.pital, Roosevelt Blvd, at PonrypackPark, Philadelphia 15, Pa.
Davidwill be in the hospital from 3 to 6months. David is not
permitted anyvisitors, so we ask that each ofyou remember him with
cards and inyour prayers. He is undergoing aseries of skin
grafts.
-
(from pt 1, col. 2)is rsal hope for this man, althoughright nov/
he is much worried aboutthe things of this v/orld.
Last Sunday night two young mencame, to talk v/ith us. One had
previously stated that he. wanted tobecome a Christian, and I
reportedthat to you some months ago. Hehas not yet,
however,manifested hisfaith in Christ, The tv^o studiedan hour Or
so with us^ taking, a copyof the Nov.' Testament home v.lth
them..They came back later- in the week:and wanted to know who
Matthew was.So we spent anothoi'. happy hour ofBible study with
thom.
During the Christmas school holiday a good many of the school
boyshave been coming taking severalclasses. Krs. Hartor has been
ableto teach some in English, and sheis also the director of
recreation,the boys remaining after study, toplay volley ball and
other games.
.Our Christmas program was seemingly much appreciated by our
Hinduand Mohammedan friends. On Christmas Eve,- and again on
Christmas Af- ,ternoon, v/e presented a play followed by a Gospel
message. Between 125and-150 attended each of the twoprograms. This
has heightened theinterest of the townspeople in ourprogram, and
many have mentionedtheir appreciation of our presenceand work.
These are very enoourag-
ing signs. Today our church attendance was 3a, which included
.someHindu folk.
Work is progressing on the rais
ing of the floors in the churchrooms. We hope to have all of
thiswork completed within several weeks.Our mats and rugs arrived
in timefor the Christmas program and helped make it the success
that it was.
Brother Harry Schaeffer is goingto be here for an evangelistic
meeting from the 22nd of this month until the 29th . We had wanted
him tocome for a longer time, but sincehe will soon be returning to
thestates, his progran is very full.But we feel that the prospects
ofthe meeting are vary excellent indeed.
Y.ours in the Master's sorvics,Ralph and Lavon.
P. S. New Xoarbaptism - Son ofage 17.
Sunday wc had cnoEvangelist Peter,
BIRTHDAY LIST
E- C. KraftMrs. Inez llillorGunner SeaburgMrs. S^ott -Uhl.Verge
WeaverKrs, Lucy AldenDonna June BaileyRobert KenwoodH. E.
StoutFloyd Chilcote
*
1617171818 1921222222
Absence from your church is a voteto close its doors.We do not
experience joy in livinguntil we have walked with God. ' i
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MRS. LILLIE TITTLE TO THE C^^CHPEOPLE
This little piece expresses mywishes for you better than I cai
sayit in words of my own. I hope-youwill have'all its
blessings.
"BLESSINGS on your house^Maythere be peace within it, and
goodcheer." May there be joy in yourhouse, and love and
contenianent.Maythe lights in your windoy; ~ be gaylights,bright
and merry lights,fullof warmth and happiness, and maythey proclaim
to all the world thatthose v;ho live in your house arehumble and
thankful before God andserene in their own little worlds.
May- there be a friendly fire inyour house and good things
cookingin the kitchen. May the table youset be a full table and
those aroundit near and dear to you.
May there be laughter in yourhouse, the laughter that comes
frema full heart, kindly laughter . thatcheers the lonely passerby
who passes through your street; so that hefeels better, warmed by
the laugh- 'ten from your .house. May your housebe a house vihose
well-being brings afeeling of well-being to yourneighbor's house,
and makes thewhole neighborhood better because-your house is
there.
Blessings on your house and allthe people in it. And a
merry,merry Christmas.
Raymond Carlson.This message sent from Mrs. LillieTittle, Holmes
Co. Home., Holmes-vil]^, Ohio. Vfe are sorry it wasreceived
late.
THANK you NOTE
Mrs. V/, Boyd Morris wishes to express her sincere thanks to
theChiurch of Christ for the lovely'plant which she received.
* *
THE ELECTA CIRCLE will meet at thechurch on Thursday Evening,
Jan.l9,at 6:30 for a Tureen Supper. Buns,coffee, cream, meat,
potatoes, andsauer kraut will be furnished. Thehostesses will be:
Mabel Butzer,Lura Gandy, Edna Ferguson, Mary Walker, and Ada
Criswell.
CHRISTM WS FELLO?/SHIP
The January meeting of theChristian Men's Fellowship will beheld
in the NASHVILLE CHURCH OFCHRIST on MojKiay evening Januaryl6th.
Supper at 7:00 p.m. Businessmeeting follows. Come and have avoice
in the accepting or revisionof the charter for Round LakeChristian
Assembly. Ira Brandon of^Holmesville will-be the speaker.
. . * -M- -Jt-
Wien Admiral Foote was in Siamhe invited the royal dignitaries
todinner on his vessel. As soon asthe guests were seated at the
tablehe, as was his invariable custom,asked a blessing upon the
food. Theking in surprise said he thought only missionaries asked a
blessing^yes,but all Christians are missionaries^answered the
admiral.
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FPOM: CHurch of Christ, OrrvilleOhio, CSec. 3h*66 P. L, &
R.)POSTMASTER: If addressee has movednotify sender on form 35U7,
postagefor which Is gaaranteed*
Hf"
TO
Vol 5 February I7j 19^0\ i No. 27SERMONS:.
A.M. "GOD'S OlYNERSHIP"
P.M. "TO VJHAT PURPOSE IS THIS mSTE?"
W.W.S.T. "rni CKRISTMS CANI^OT PERFORM MIRACLES,"
RALPH TOITESl
Feb. 1,Dear Friends at Orrville,
Our one week*s eVangelistic meeting with Bro. Harry Schaeffer as
e-vangelist closed Sunday night vdththree baptisms. The three
baptizedwere two brothers and one sister ofa Christian family.
'It is still too soon to say justwhat effect the meeting will
haveon our Hindu and Mohammedan friends.There were those who showed
a verydefinite interest, attending regularly despite the civic
celebrationsof the inauguration of the Republic,
The Republic of India v/as ushered in with great fanfare, but
hardly comparable ' to Independence- Day,August 15, 19ii7 To a
great extentthe people did not know what it wasall about. Public
buildings were
(p. 3, col. 1, please)
ON GUARD .
(Second in a series of informativearticles needful in these days
ofapostasy).
Last week we were speaking ofthe officers in the Church. TheLord
ordained that the local congregations be ruled by Elders wnoseduty
it is to see that the congregation abides by New Testament
Doctrine, We cannot stress too muchthe fact that AN ELDER HAS NO
POWEROR AUTHORITY OUTSIDE THE NEW TESTa-MENTl He cannot lead a
congregation away from the New Testamentdoctrine and ask them to
follow him"because he is an Elder and a rulerof the church". The
Judge is bound
to dispense justice according .tothe law books of statutes and
theElder is bound to keep in accord
(p. ii, col. 1, please)
-
The Qrrville Christian is publishedeach week in the interest of
theChurch of Ghrist_. 236 N. "Walnut St-Orrville, OhiOo ET, W.
Barbee, Minister - Editor. J^rs. Henry McAdam^Associate Editor-'
Mr. Ralph Harter,living-linl: Missionary to", India.Miss Evelyn
Jones, living-link idis-tionary to Italy.
BIBLE SCHOOL LESSON
TOPIC: "The Fight For ChristianFreedom"
TEXT: Acts l^il-l^j Galatians 2.Read the lesson text, then
answerthe following questions.1. Is it possible to avoid
differences among men, even in church?2, How can one be a slave
ofChrist, as Paul said, and yet befree?3* IVhat would happen if
controversial meetings among men in all activities of life were
opened by thereading of this lesson passage,fol-;^owed by a sincere
prayer that-Christ^s principles might rule?U. ^Vhy is it that men
are everwilling to accept the rules everywhere except in the
church, but insist upon interpreting God's rulesaccording to their
"own ideas?
Memory Verse: Stand fast thereforein the liberty wherewith
Christhath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke
of bondage. Galatians Sil
BIRTHDAY LIST
James TurnerMrs. Eleanor EdwardsRobert
ShifferlyEva'SouthardDenzil LorsenAnne GhilcoteDelores MusserBilly
CampbellHerbert Flint
* * -it
2021222223232h2627
We express our deepest sympathyto Mrs. R. L. -Gray, and Mrs.
MarkMurray at the death of their father.
We have been-asked to urge all thosewho have PENNY BANKS out,
and arefilling them, for the new rug,pleaseturn them in to some
member of theLOYAL EEREAN CLASS.
*
The Sunday School Nominating Committee isj' Harry OldHam, Harry
Alden,Flossie Staley, and Goldie Weaver.You may turn your.
nominations in toany one on the committee. Do itnowl
* * *
'Learn from the mistakes of others,you can't live long enough to
make"them all yourself. '
-
(from p. 1, col, 2)beautifully lit with tiny oil pots,and there
were dramas,, races, parades, and a music festival.
A goodly amount of repair workhas been accomplished this
pastmonth. The floors of the churchrooms were completed, the
bathroomcompleted, and only a couple dayswork left to be done on
the frontporch (veranda), Windows have beenput in, and a few pieces
of furniture made. Repairs have also beenmade again on the houses
of the native workers. The grounds have beengreatly cleaned up and
improved.The kitchen is the next part of thehouse that will need
attention.
It is very necessary that wesoon have some tents for
preachingtours to the outlying districts.Right now we will need
three tentswhich will cost us about ^UOO.OO.
Mrs. Harter has become the cham-'pion snake "killer of the
neighborhood, although she has yet to see areally large one.
Yelling "snake"around here any more is like yelling "candy". The
champion snakekiller, however,isnH so brave whenit comes to
rats.
Beginning this coming Sunday, wewill be haying a weekly
evangelistic service. Preachers from Ragaul,Kulpahar, and Jhansi
will be invited to bring the messages, ,and v/ealso hope to show
lantern slidesand film strips. These meetingswill need your special
prayers.
Yours in His'service,Ralph and LaVon,
THE FAITHFUL FOLLOVJERS will" havetheir February meeting at the
homeof Mr, and Mrs. Robert Studer. Thehostesses will be: The
Studers,theFreys, and the Chewnings. HenryNeumeister will have
devotions. Themeeting will be Friday night, Feb,2lith.
. * * -K-
1500 CLUB
(Membership in this group is obtained by making a pledge of
atleast $10.00 to . be paid to RoundLake Christian Assembly on or
beforeApril 1, 1950.)
Vvith the addition of six morenames this week our total
membership in the 1$00 Club is now 32. Ifyou intend to make a
pledge . -andhave not made it yet, please do soright away. The
sooner we know howmuch the 1500 Club is going tobring in, the
sooner we will knowwhat to count on and what we mustdo to get the
entire down paymentby the deadline Many husbands andwives are each
making a pledge.Perhaps more could but the thought hasnot occurrec
to themo Latest additions to the Club membership are asfollows:
Herbert Flint-K-Mrs. Herbert Flint*Herbert Flint, Jr.*Mrs.
Walter Handwerk*Mrs. Warren Steiner*W. J Ramseyer*-
* indicates pledge paid.
-
(from p.lj coi l)with the New Testament," oiir- rule of .faith
and practice.
This is important beca^lse scsne"Christian" Churches have taken
itupon themselves to assert their "local autonomy" (thier supposed
free-corn to govern themselves aoart fromNew Testament
requirements') and teve"voted" to admit people into
theircongregations without, requiringthem to be immersed, THIS IS
NOTHING SHORT OF DEPARTURE -FROM THEFAITH. And though they claim
thatit is in teaching with the historicidea of "local autonomy" it
is really an abuse of that principle.
Local autonony (self-government)simply means freedom frcm
controlby other congregations .and individuals and NL-T FREEDOM
FROM CONTROL BYTHE LORD AW HIS INSPIRED, FINALAND PERFECT VfORD AS
R^'.CCRDSD IN THENEW testament:
^Vhile we are taking on this subject, we would like to point
outthat there is much room for VOLUNTARY cooperation between
individualChristians and congregations. SinceChristians are
referred to as "onebody" in Christy as Brethren andSisters in the
Lord with JesusChrist Himself our Elder Brotherand God as our
Father, WHO ^^HLL BESO RASH AS TO ASSERT THAT IT ISWONl FOR SUCH TO
VOLUNTARILY CO- .OPERiiTE IN VARIOUS WAYS TO FURTHERTHE CAUSE OF
CHRIST?
Examples of this voluntary cooperation is seen in the support
byChristian individuals and congregations of our various Bible
Colleges,
and Seminaries; Evangelistic Associations; Faithful missionary
enterprises; Christian Service Camps,conventions, conferences,
etc.
Our own project in this area.Round Lake Christian Assembly, is
agood example. It is to be a project in which the faithful
churcheswill voluntarily cooperate. Everypossible safe-guard is
being takento prevent the possibility of its'becoming more powerful
than anddictatorial to the cooperating andother churches. Instead
qf a smallgroup of individuals being investedwithout complete'
control and poweras is "true in some Camps, the committee
responsible for its organization has continually been concerned
with setting it up in such a waythat the churches themselves,
thrutheir elected representatives willexert the controlling
Influence.
This is more fair to the churchthan any cause "with v/hich we
are ao-quainted. Other institutions andcauses, such as our .Bible
collegesand missionary enterprises are inthe complete control of
trustees andworkers who are engaged in each particular endeavor. In
their case itis perhaps not possible to have thetype of cooperation
that we willhave in Round Lake Camp, becausethis is a local affair
and theirsis not.
We are a little disturbed by theevidences we see that indicate
some"brethren" are making "tests offellov^ship" out of matters of
opinion.
(co be continued next week)
-
2.
News From HamirpurNews of fhe missionary labors of Ralph and
LaVon Harler
SUMMER 1950 CHRISTIAN MISSION, HAMIRPUR U.P. INDIA NEWS LETTER
NO. 2
TWO KIDS
Wc couldn't find a better picturethan this to introduce to you
one ofour Christian boys in India. Thisis Stanley, son of Ramadhar,
oneof eight children in the family. Heis holding a two day old kid,
andsitting on top of a pile of bricksin the winter sun. This
picture tellsso much about India.
Stanley is a likable lad. BornMay 30th. 1936, he has spent
hisfourteen years on the mission property in Hamirpur, where his
fatheris caretaker. This year he is studying in the sixth class in
school. Withhis brothers he attends Bible classes,conventions,
camps. He confessedhis faith in Christ, and was baptizedon Sunday.
April 9th. He continuesto study and grow daily in thefaith.
Perhaps you have heard only ofthe cows in India: but there
areother animals also. There are a greatmany goats, _ and they are
goodanimals to have around. Goat milksells for 8c a quart, while
cow milksells for 11c and buffalo milk (therichest) sells for 13c.
It is againstthe law to kill cows for meat, butgoat meat can be
purchased in thebazaaror marketfor 18c a lb.
by Ralph R. Harter
So this young kid in Stanley's lapis headed for a useful
life.
Everybody likes to sit in the sunon a winter morning in India.
Thenight may become uncomfortablycold, but it's not so bad when
youknow that the sun will soon riseto warm you again. That is
whyStanley and the kid, named Mun-nee, were sitting in the sun
whenhis picture was taken.
Bricks! bricks! bricks! bricks! Itis just as hard for an Indian
toimagine houses made of lumber asit is for you children to
imaginehouses made of mud. It would takea fortune to build a house
of woodhere, and then it wouldn't last verylong because of the
weather andthe ants. There are wooden housesin the cool mountains
but we haveyet to see one on the plains. Wehave used many thousands
of bricksrepairing the mission building here.These in the picture
were from oldhouses which had fallen downduring some of the hard
rains. Theywere brought to the compound onthe backs of donkeys,
which arevery small, like the one that is oftenpictured with
Jesus.
Mrs. Lewis is one of those jollywomen you hear before you
see.Some look suspiciously at her bub-ling enthusiasm, but we have
neverfound her guilty of any indecency.The only trouble was that,
sprinkled into denominationalism, shedelayed to be immersed. She
wouldbe immersed "sometime", but sheseemed to be bargaining with
theLord. Her married daughter, Mrs.Fussel Masseh, wanted to be
baptisedvery much, but she delayed becauseof her mother. Through
the yearsevery missionary and each of thebrethren had attempted to
bring herto repentence, but to no avail. Theanswer was always "no".
BrotherHarry Schaefer told her that whenshe got to the gates of
Heaven andthey asked her if she wanted tocome in, that he was
afraid thatshe would still answer "no".
About this time we decided thatit was no use talking to her on
thesubject, but we all continued toprciy for her. You can thus
urider-stand. some of the joy of the congregation at Hamirpur when
Mrs.Lewis definitely announced that shewas going to be baptized on
Resurrection Day, and her daughter withher. Sister Lewis, as now
called, isvery effective with children, and weare expecting great
things of her inthe years to come. Her son will begin training for
the ministry atKulpahar in July.
Eight members of the Das familywere baptized during the winter
of1949-50, while Mr. Las, a formerPentecostal preacher, having
previously been immersed, placed hismembership. We first met Mr.
Daswhen he came to the hospital atHamirpur for treatment. We
hadseveral conversations with him atthe time, but he soon returned
tohis village. Later we came to knowthat his son, Harris, and a
marrieddaughter had moved to Hamirpurand were working in the
hospital.Harris was soon convinced of hisneed of being baptized,
but delayed.One night he was bitten by a snake.
Continued on Page Four
-
MY TRIP TO THE HILLSOn April 21st. we left Lucknow
for the "hills" at Landour to spendthe summer in language
school. Thetrain goes only to Dehra Dun. Therewe unloaded and went
by bus asfar as we could, which centainlywas some trip. Curves,
curves, upand around! At one time we couldsee from the window what
appearedto be ten roads, but were reallythe same road behind us and
aheadof us. It was expected that one ofus new missionaries might
get sickfrom the curves and the altitude,but fortunately not one of
us did.---Aft^c-a-while we-camc-to-a-gate,-where we stopped with
other bussesand trucks and waited, as from upthere was only
.one-way trafEc. Aswe still went up and up, and aroundand around I
could soon understandwhy it was only "one way". Wecame to a little
house where all hadto stop and pay about 30 cents forusing the
road. I was advised thiswas not necessary when goingdown. Another
long climb ofcurves. And now what? The endof the bus line, so all
had to leavethe busses with still four miles togo. AH the luggage
was then strapped on the back of coolies, and
NEWS FROM HAMIRPUR
LaVon Harter
carried to our houses, almost straightup. We, as new
missionaries, wereadvised not to climb the steep trail,as, the
change of altitude and thestrain would only wreck the bestof
hearts; so it was the rickshawfor us. Each one will hold
twopassengers, and are pushed by 5coolies. There are some places
wherethe walk is so narrow that we musttransfer to "dandy" chairs,
whichare carried on the shoulders of men.
We are now settled for twomonths at the Bellvue Hotel, whichis
really only a rooming house. Ifyou were to step out of our
frontdoor you could not help but see
'the" beautiful Iriow^capped mountains in the distance. No man
couldtruly paint this beauty of God'shandiwork, which we see
daily,nearly 7000 feet above sea level.But you could not leave our
housewithout going almost straight up,or almost straight down.
On May 1st I began languagestudy here. I will be in class
severalhours each day, and have muchhome-work besides. I am taking
allthe work I can in order that I canbetter help to carry on our
missionwork at Hamirpur. Ralph is takingsome advanced work
also.
MV TRir TO THE HILLS
"Alter we left the busses, the lufe't'age was stran|H'
-
NEWS LETTER NO. 2 NEWS FROM HAMIRPUR
SATM IS HIND0IED WHENWEPUYby LaVon Harter
The Scripture tell us that weshould "Pray without ceasing",
andcertainly I can think of nothing thatSatan fears more than the
prayersof Christians. For every prayermeans another defeat for him
anda Victory for Christ.
There is a saying, "An idle brainis the devil's workshop", but
if w^would pray without ceasing therewould be no room or time for
Satanand his angels to work on us or th:ones we love.
Oh, to hear people say they havenothing to do makes you only
wishthey knew Christ and were Christians pointing others to
Christ!
They then nolonger wouldhave "nothingto do"', butwould be
thebusiest peoplein the world,as the Christians are
sooutnumbered.
We want to remember that thedevil is a better church member
thenmany so called Christians, as h:never misses church. He is
alwaysthere in the empty pews, and heencourages others to vacate
theirsfor some foolish reason. Satan isalso with the atom bomb,
"Learnto live together, or perish, and doit at once."
Let us ask ourselves, "Where ishappiness."
Certainly -not -inUnbelief.- Vol^taire was an infidel of the
mostpronounced type. He wrote: "Iwished I had never been born."
Certainly not in Pleasure. LordByron lived a life of pleasure,
andworte, "The work, the canker, andthe grief are mine alone."
Certainly not in Money. JayGould, the American Millionaire,had
plenty of that. When dying,he said, "I suppose I am the
mostmiserable devil on earth."
Certainly not in Position andFame. Lord Beaconsfield, whogained
more than his share of both,wrote: "Youth is a mistake, manhood a
struggle, old age a regret."
Certainly not in Military Glory.Alexander the Great conquered
theknown world in his day. Havingdone so, he wept in his tent,
becausehe said: "There arc no more worldsto conquer."
Where is happiness then? Jesussaid, "I will see you agian,
andyour heart shall rejoice, and yourjoy no man taketh from
you."John 16:22
The scripture tells us that thedevil believes and trembles,
andcertainly those who follow him arealso found in unhappy
surroundings. Let us pray that Satan and hisangels may be hindered
and thatwe may march on victorious forChrist.
Christ Knows"A little girl had disobeyed:She had been naughty
all the dayWillful and impish, undismayedBy all that I could do or
say.
Her bedtime came: we went upstairs.Then she refused to say her
prayers.Weary, disheartened, she perplexed,I talked no more of ill
or good.
"Here's Mommy's Bible. Find a text,And do shake off this naughty
mood.Look for a little verse, my dear,For you to learn and me to
hear."
"It's just a tiny little text.Just 'Jesus wept,' Will you read
onAnd tell mc, Mumm., what comes next?Was Jesus sad? I wonder why,I
want to know what made him cry."'
I could not spc.ak. the tears gushed deathAnd healed my poor
rebellious heart.Oh. grieving Christ! of matchless worth.Thy tears
to salve each wound and smart.
Oh, man of Sorrows! Thou dost shareOur agonies, our loss an
dcarc.The little girl began to cry."Oh, Mummy dear. I will be
good!".
Now when we meet, mv Lord and II say the same, in contrite
mood.For wounded .hearts His balm is kept.He understandsfor Jesus
wcptl"
I HAD NO NAMEby LaVon Harter
If you had asked my name beforeI was given to the care of my
newparents, Mr. and Mrs. Ralph Harter,I'm afraid I could not have
toldyou, nor anyone else.
I was born May 23, 1948, intoa broken home. My mother claimsto
be a Christian, and my daddy aMethodist. But I have never livedwith
my daddy. I have been livingwith my grand-parents, Mr. andMrs.
Peter Mall, for nearly a yearand a half, and during the last
yearthey have been wanting to put meinto a Childrens' Home,
becausethey felt they could not support mcthrough school. I now
learn that myreal parents are separating for good.
One day I was taken to a convention of Christians held at
Kul-pahar, but they did not tell me thatit was a one way trip for
me. Afterthe wonderful convention all thepeople that I knew left,
and I wasleft here with other boys and girls.The first night I
noticed it quite abit and cried and also ran a fever,but I'm
getting used to mv homeand don't mind it as much as Ithought I
would.
Do not think it odd that I hadno name until my parents namedme
Sara Rueben'(my real mother'sname) Harter. There arc many inIndia
like me.
It costs only $5 a month for myboard in the mission school at
Kul-pahar. Some kind fr'cnds of my newmamma and daddy have
alreadypledged and sent support for ihe.They are Mr. and M:s.
G^org:Wilson of East Rochester, N. Y.
There arc many other childrenin India who would like to betaken
care of in this way, if therewas support lor th;ni. Won't youdrop a
line, and say ycu wcuidlike to take the support of a iitt :one like
me, or some of the olderboys and girls. For a child aged7 to 14,
tbev tell me the cost wou'dbe about SB per month, and fora H gh
S'"hool or a Bible Studentabout $10 per month. It is truewc reed
missionaries over here tohelp us learn about Jesus, but weneed
missionar-es too at home toprovide funds for our care.
Thank you and may God blessyou for giving us a chance to growin
the nature of the Lord.
-
Wliere to Send MoneyBanking and forwarding of
monev for this work is handledby Mr. Harter's mother. Sendchecks
and other moneys to Mrs.l,cu!se Hartcr, Box 144, Clinton,Ohio.
PEOPLE WH KNOW(From Page 1)
but prompt medical attention savedh.s life. Still he
delayed.
One Sunday evening in Decemberbe could wait no longer and
wasbaptized the same hour of the night.
to town and at the conclusion ofcmr evangelistic meeting held
byBrother Harry Schaefer. the daughter, and Morris and William
wereimmersed in the Betwa River. OnResurrection Day morning,
thelaothcr, a se-ond married daughter.John and Sampson obeyed
theirLord by being immersed.
Upon our arrival here in thehills wc received the good news
fromthe Evangelist Peter Mall that thesixth son Eric had been
immersedrftcr our departure. There is stillone more member of the
family,a daughter, but she is about the sam:rgc as the
grand-daughter, her niece.
Peter Mall, Jr., son of the Evangelist, was baptized on New
Year'sJDay. Peter Jr has been living with.'n older brother, Benji,
in Morra-rdabad and going to school there.1 bus before the
Christmas holidaysof 1949 wc had not met him,nor lae us. _We had a
very hanpyfellowsHio wltla him during tlaosedays, and we rejoice at
the dcmons-t-ration of his faith before returningt") his
denominational environment.Dn our way to the hills we passedthrough
Morradabad, and the twobrothers. Peter, Jr., and Benji cameto the
station for a brief visit withns. Benji seemed to have no
interest'n remaining in his home or in New"'"estament Christianity.
Yet PeterJr. was excited that he was soonto visit his home again
where wetrust will be refreshened withpure Bible teachings.
News From HamirpurChurch of ChristOrrvillc. Ohio
NEWS FROM HAMIRPUR
HARTER WEDDINGRECALLED
For the benefit of the youngpeople in Christian Camps we
willagain include one of the weddingpictures, and a few notes about
themarriage of LaVon Eagley andRalph Hartcr, on December 14th1949.
LaVon went to India inOctober, and visited Mrs. Rother-mel and the
Rolands at Ragaul,until plans were completed for thewedding.
Although half-way aroundthe world, the wedding at Ragaul
was a bit of homeland, with severalChurch of Christ missionaries
inartenJancp... .bringing flower andgifts for the occasion. The
weddingceremony was performed by Mr.William Roland. Miss Edna
Huntwas Maid of Honor and little MaryEsther Roland was flower g'rl.
Robert Duff, missionary from NorthernIreland, was best man. Vocal
selections were given by Dolly Chit-wood, Leah Moshier and
JudySchiller.
Although Following Americancustoms in general, the young
couplefollowed the Indian custom of removing their shoes before
enteringthe church building.
Please notify of change of address on Form3547. postage for
which is guaranteed.
SUMMER 1950
MISSION AIRThrough the kindness of Mr. and
Mrs. George Wilson, an air-packagewas sent to us. We found this
to bemuch slower in the end than boatmail, and it resulted in a
great dealof red tape and more expense beforewe were able to get
delivery of thepackage. A statement later made byMr. Wilson. "Money
wasted is agift to Satan" has put us to chinking over several ays
we can makethe Lord's money go further.
1. Do not try to send any nack-ages by air-mail. Howeverair
letters come through(luickly.
2. ReiKcavboF-that-wha-tovcrue vou nut on articles eut isused as
a basis for customcharges, and that amount ispaid bv us. Keep
valuationdown.
3. Packages of good used clothing and bandages, which maybe home
made, are alwaysappreciated, but please mark,"Used clothing, for
missionuse. No eommercial value."
We were greatly encouraged toreceive word from the church
ofChrist at Millersburg, Ohio, thatthey have pledged $25 a month
toour work in Hamirpur. We considerthis as a sign that the Lord
willsthat we should advance and enlargethe work He has placed in
ourhands.
We are happy to report, thatsince our last news-letter, the
kitchen in the bungalow has beencompleted, which now leaves onlyone
more room to be repaired.
Hx'c biili in x'lccd-cf- ceiiLs, to -be used for camps,
conventions,.Tiid for nreaching in the villages.We would welcome
any offeringsand pledges to covei; the cost oftents and equipment,.
which w illbe about 1300.
Following the ceremony'.,a reception was held and
refreshmentsserved by the hostesses, Mrs. Roth-ermel and Mrs.
Roland.' The youngcouple went directly to their homein the Mission
bungalow at Hamirpur, U. P. India.
Sec. 34.66 P. L. ^ R.
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NEWS FROM HAMIRPUR mailed fromChurch of Christ. Orrville,
Ohio
Sec. 34.66 P. L. & R.
mm FROM HAMIRPURNews of the missionary labors of Ralph and LaVon
Barter
FALL 1950 CHRISTIAN MISSION, HAMIRPUR, U. P. INDIA NEWS LETTER
NO. 3
She Works For20c A Day
THE NATIVE INDIAN WOMAN yousee in this picture was helping
whenrepairs were being made on the roof ofthe bungalow. She is
carrying bricksup to the roof. Her pay for this work is2C cents a
dayyes, 20 cents.
But repair work had to be discontinuedfor lack of funds for
labor and material.Though only 20 cents, it is often 20 centsmore
than we have to use. Can you puther back to work for us?
SOULS"At least a single-track mind usually
trsgtitfigv-So let a lijcjkis"Knowswheie _that single-track
mind, soul-winning.
"Christians are like tea, and their realstrength comes out in
hot water."
PEOPLE WE KNOWBy Ralph Harter
Of the multitude of government officials in our city of
Hamirpur, threeprofess the Christian religion.
The first to arrive was Mr. McCor-mick, the excise inspector. He
hasbeen here a year and during that timehas attended church once,
althoughinvited on numerous occasions.
Late in December Mr. and Mrs.Seeley, an Anglo-Indian couple,
moved into a bungalow not very farfrom ours. Mr. Seeley is the
"LinesSahib," a supervisor of police. Anglo-Indians are folk of
mixed Indian andEnglish parentage, and have thus taken up the
customs of the Englishpeople. This relation between themand the
English has made themsomewhat unpopular with the Indianpeople, nor
are they very welcomein England. Many have moved toAustralia and
New Zealand.
In Hamirpui", however, there wasno such resentment, and Mr.
andMrs. Seeley are much loved by thepeople. Our impression is that
Mr.Seeley is a Roman Catholic, and Mrs.Seeley is a Methodist. At
any rate,they accepted our invitation to cometo our services and
the next Lord sDay Mr. Seeley arrived in his uni-foi'iii,
accciiipanicd by his .wife .andbaby daughter. They were offered
achair, but refused it and sat on the
The Church Marches On
floor with the rest of us, as is ourcustom. This action of
theirs immediately aroused the admiration of allpresent, and the
tale of it has spreadfar and wide. They have attendedchurch many
times since, and we haveexchanged hospitality on several occasions.
We have had several longconversations with them on
spiritualmatters, and they have read booksand ti-acts which we have
loaned tothem. We pray that they may not befar from the Kingdom of
God.
The day we left for the hills thissummer the third officer
arrived inHamirpur to take up the post of Superintendent of Police.
This is thesecond most responsible job in thedistrict, and is the
equivalent of theCounty Sheriff at home. We weretold he was an
excellent man, andhe has no doubt been zealous in theLord's work as
he understood it.
Shortly after his arrival he attendedone of our services, and,
as he said,within an hour everybody in Hamirpur knew about it. tie
found thefloor too uncomfortable and acceptedthe chair, although he
found it embarrassing to sit on a chair while everyone else was
sitting on the floor.He found the hall of meeting too austere,-and
liC was--iiot picascc* -Nvith .hemorning sermon of Brother Mall.
Hetold me later, "It is evident that thepeople here have some set
ideaswhich they would not want me to try
(See PEOPLE on p. 3)
The church at Hamirpur continuesto March On in many ways.
Thisterm, which began the first part ofJuly, we have two young
marriedcouples, in Bible training at Kulpa-har, studying under Tom
Rash andassociates. We also have four singleboys in Bible training
at Ragaulwith Brother William Roland.
The church attendance for thesummer months was far above whatit
has ever been, sometimes beingdouble. This was in spite of the
temperature being well over 100 degrees
on many Lord's Days.We also have a young man from
Bilaspur working with us and teaching in our small school. He
was recommended to us by Brother Schiller.He helps our boys and
girls in manyways, and each day leads them in anhour of Bible study
and singing.
With the return of LaVon from hersummer's language study "in the
hills"all of us are ready with great zealand love to win more souls
for Chi-ist.
Yes, thanks to God, the church inHamirpur is Marching On.
Ralph and LaVon with ihe Rambler RosesWhen thorns would vex and
try you
And ihe world step on your toes.Try tc see some hidden
beauty.
With the thornlook for the rose!Mary Larkin-Cook
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NEWS FROM HAMIRPURPublished in the United States for
Ralph and LaVon Harter by MissionYouth, Willernie,
Minnesota.
MAILING ADDRESS OFRALPH AND LAVON HARTER
isCHRISTIAN MISSION
HAMIRPUR, U. P. INDIA
WHERE TO SEND MONEYBanking and forwarding of funds for
Ralph and LaVon Harter is taken care ofby Ralph's mother, Mrs.
Louise Harter,Box 144, Clinton, Ohio. All gifts promptly
acknowledged.
Additional copies of this newsletter willbe gladly sent on
request.
An Evangelist's Answer,by Ralph Harter.
Q..What is the purpose of your mission?A. EvangelismQ. What is
the policy of your mission?A. EvangelismQ. What is the program of
your mission?A. EvangelismQ. In what lies the hope of the
future
progress of your work?A. EvangelismQ. What are the future plans
of your mis
sion?A. EvangelismQ. For what are you soliciting funds?A.
Evangelism
NEWS FROM HAMIRPUR FALL 1950
We Wore No Shoesby LaVon Eagley Harter
"Why did Ralph and I remove ourshoes before entering the church
inIndia, for our marriage?"
This is a question which manyhave been asking, and I will try
toanswer it in this newsletter.
First. May I say that in Indiashoes are luxuries, and one will
always see twice the number of persons without shoes, or with just
sandals, as with shoes.
Second. Families have little or nofurniture in their homes, and
it is ascustomary for them to sit on the floorall the time, as it
is for us to sit onchairs. When they sit on the floorthey usually
cross their legs and siton them, and this is very uncomfortable
with shoes on.
Third. The Hindu and the Mohammedan remove their shoes before
theyenter any place of worship. Whetherthey get it from God
speaking toMoses and telling him to pull off hisshoes for he was on
Holy Ground, 1do not know. But I do know thatit is as much a custom
for the In-
dian to take off his shoes as it is formen in America to remove
their hatswhen entering a church. I would notsay that they do it as
a religiousceremony, but more in respect forGod's church. It is
also customaryfor them to remove their shoes whenentering your home
for a visit.
Where church buildings havebenches or chairs so that they do
nothave to sit on the floor you will findoccasionally that they
will keep theirshoes on. I believe that, a little at atime, they
will grow out of this custom.
The shoe is cosfrideredanytlnng-but a good object in India. One
ofthe worst things you could do therewould be to hit or spank
someonewith a shoe. They would be moreinsulted than ,if you beat
them inany other way.
Do you have a question youwould like to ask, the answer towhich
might be interesting to readersof this paper? If so, let us knowand
we will try to answer it in ournext Newsletter.
Recruiting Station HereWhen Jesus commanded us to "Go
. . . make disciples . . . baptise
. . . teach," He was commissioningus as recruiting officers to
enlist" combatants in the Holy War.
In "making disciples" we soundforth the call to service. Who
willjoin the army of our Great and Victorious General? We challenge
mento join the fight for righteousness andtruth. We challenge them
to opposeevil and error. We show them thebenefits to be derived by
being inThe Army, and we warn them of theconsequences if they are
not. Wetell them the great pay they shallreceive, but we cannot
hide fromthem the fact that the battle willsometimes be difficult,
but, thankGod, always victorious. So, now enthused to join with our
Great King,we open to them the plan and stepsof joining the
ranks.
In baptising them we are administering the oath.
Herein lies the exhibition of thefaith which they have confessed
before men. Herein lies testimony oftheir repentence from evil
works.
Ralph R. HarterSOULS
Here begins for them a new life, alife dedicated to following in
thesteps of One who leads to eternalpeace and happiness.
In "teaching them to observe allthings whatsoever I have
commandedyou" we train them from the battlemanual for the trials
that surely lieahead. They too, then, become effective recruiting
officers and a newgeneration of brethi-en is on its way.
Now some of our recruiting stations haven't been doing too
well;nor can we say that our own officehas been running up to
standard.We might take a look and see whatthe cause might be and
see if anyimprovement can be made.
1. The doors are closed and hoursirregular. Many shops have lost
mybusiness because I found their doorclosed and locked. I am afraid
thatmany interested persons have goneaway disappointed because
theyfound the door of our recruiting stations unopened to them. It
wouldbe best then to maintain twenty-fourhour service, open on
Sundays, and
(See RECRXHTING p. 3)
LaVon Eagley Harter."Aim high. Strive for it, live it,
dream it, pray for it, wish for it, fightfor it. And as sure as
there are starsin heaven, you will attain it."
These are the words of Atlas Chee-tio, and certainly they should
be thewords of every Christian who wantsto strive to win souls for
Christ.
In Hamirpur we have aimed high;we are striving to live it, not
only bypreaching but by our lives. We havenot only been wishing,
but we havebeen praying for souls to be turnedto God. And we
rejoice in Christ,that IS souls were won between December 15th and
April 1st. We nowrejoice that we have two young married couples and
four single boys inBible college, studying to learn theword of God
more perfectly.
There is now a part that we cannot do. Will you aim? Will
youstrive? Will you dream? Will youpray? Will you wish? to do
thatwliich we cannot do? That is, tokeep these young people in
BibleCollege? (See SOULS p. 3)
-
NEWS LETTER NO. 3 NEWS FROM HAMIRPUR
Two Little Girls Mrs. LaVon Eagley Barter.In this pictui'e you
can see two lit
tle gii-ls. They are the youngestchildren in the family, having
sixolder brothers. We are glad to saythat they are a Christian
family, andthe parents and the two oldest boysbelong to the church
at Hamirpur.
These girls are sitting on one of thenative beds, made partly of
rope.Cumbla, the smaller child is abouttwo years old, and Nancy,
the olderone is going on five. They are hap-py-go-lucky children,
and Nancy goesahont most of the day singing songsshe learns in
church.
The Indian children have not usually been taught to keep their
haircombed, but we are trying to train
SOULS (began on p. 2)It will cost $10.00 a month for each
single boy, $15.00 a month for everyyoung married couple. Is
there achurch? Is there a Sunday School?Is there a Women's group?
Is therea young people's group, or an individual who will try to
promote soul-winning by helping to train theseyoung people so that
they may goout and bring others into His fold?If you will aim,
strive, live, dream,pray, and fight for it, tjou, too willattain
it.
them to be clean and tidy. HereNancy has decided to comb
Cumbla'shair.
These children sleep four andfive on one bed, with only some
thinblankets to cover them.
The sweater which Nancy is wearing was given to her last year
forChristmas. They rejoice over eventhe smallest thing given to
them, forthey do not have toys or nice clothesas most children in
America have.But these two little girls are far better off than
thousands of other boysand girls in India; -Won't you prayfor all
these little ones, that they maylearn more about Jesus, and that
theymay have more of the necessities oflife.
CHILDREN!
Children .... Children staring upFrom empty plate and imfilled
cup,With eyes from hunger wide, to cryWith chill blue lips
beseeching "Wiy?"
What can I say, whose household's fed,Whose table never wants
for bread.When other eyes that I must meetReproach me? "Give ye
them to eat."
TOMORROW!I saw tomorrow marching by
On little children's feet;Within their forms and faces read
Her prophecy complete.I saw tomorrow look at me
From little children's eyes;And thought how carefully we'd
teach
If we were really wise.
PEOPLE (began on p. 1)and change." I might say here thatthese
government officials constitutethe only part of the "chi-istian
community" in Hamirpur which have notbeen baptised in the Bible
way. Atleast we appreciated that this manwas not afraid to say what
he thought,and many of the things he had to saywere helpful. We
will now be putting cushions on the floor for thosewho find the
floor too hard. Perhaps,too, we will be a little speedier inmaking
the appearance of the hallneater.
The Superintendent is too busy inhis office on Sundays to come
to services, and he is very self-conscious thatevery one in town
must know that he_has been to church. In other placeshe had had a
Bible study class in hishome, but he found people werecoming to it
just to court his favorand not as sincere seekers. He cannot be too
friendly or brotherly to aman like Mr. Seeley because Mr.Seeley is
his subordinate officer. Inthe city of Meerut he was
publiclycriticized in the press for "stiiring upthe Cliristians;"
and so he has justabout concluded he had better not beso zealous.
The conversation I hadwith him left me wondering whatCornelius did
after he was converted,and how hard it is for a governmentofficial
to enter into the Kingdom ofHeaven.
RECRUITING (began on p. 2)no summer or Christmas vacation.
2. The Posters are dirty. Some"posters are so worn that it is
impossible, even at closest range, to makeout what the words are.
Some people no doubt think that the war isover and we have just
forgotten totake the signs in. So let's spi-ucethings up a bit,
wash things up (ordown), throw out the trash, paintwith pure
colors, and border the poster with love.
3. The recruiting stations are badly situated. No use
maintaining anoffice in an area which civilians donot frequent. We
must go to thepeople and not expect that the peoplewill travel out
to the desert to searchfor us. We must go out into the highways and
byways and bring them in.
May your poster blaze forth, "Recruiting Station Here."
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THANK YOU.Thanks! to each and every one
who has given through church groupsor personally, to help in
this commission to win souls for Christ.
Thanks! to the children of different churches who brought money
toDaily Vacation Bible Schools, to helpchildren in India.
Thanks! to Miss Alyce Forst, aformer school-mate, for her gift
of$100 for mission work, which arrivedjust when it was greatly
needed.
Thanks to all the following groups,and individuals, who have
latelypledged their help in earing for neglectedchildren, or to
support studentsattending Bible schools.
Misses Dorothea and Marcella Snider, Mount Vernon, Ohio.
Home Makers Class, Church ofChrist, Norwalk, Ohio.
Mr. and Mrs. Roy L. McCullough,New Palestine, Indiana.
Mrs. Mildred Fogle, Clinton, Ohio.Circle 2, First Christian
Church,
Roanoke Rapids, N. C.Christian Endeavor, Macedonia
Church of Christ, R 1, Midland, Ohio.Loyal Women's Glass, 6th
Ave.,
Church of Christ, Huntington, W. Va.Mrs. E. A. Mayer, Barbara
and
Frankie Simmons, Michigan City,Indiana.
Thanks! to those persons and groupswho have sent packages. One
wasrecently received from the New Corinth church at Mt. Olivet, Ky.
Twoor three others are on the way, butwe can use a great many
things inour work here.
Good used clothing for children;men's sweaters, shorts, cotton
materials, washed and slightly used, blankets, sheets, canned
meats, puddings,soup mixes, bouillon cubes, etc.; ballpoint pens,
crayons, anklets and manythings suitable for Christmas gifts,such
as ribbons, baretts, small bookswith many pictures, especially
religious books; games, balls, combs,bars of soap, scissors, etc.
(No shoes,hats, pocketbooks, ties, or jewelry).
Each box must not weigh morethan 22 lbs., should be sewed into
acloth sack, marked for Ralph Barter,Christian Mission of Hamirpur,
U.P.India, contents listed mostly as usedclothing, and marked "gift
for mission,no commercial value," Any furtherinformation may be
obtained fromMrs. Louise Harter, Box 144, Clinton,Ohio.
NEWS FROM HAMIRPUR FALL 195D
SEMI-ANNUAL STATEMENTDear Christian Friends: fine gifts have
come in for these projects.
When I was preparing to write this Others would be truly
appreciated,letter to you, LaVon, who was then "in Yours in
Christian Love,the hills" studying language, wrote, "I Ralph and
LaVon Harter.hope that you will make it a letter of _thanksgiving
unto God for those who are SEMI-ANNUAL STATEMENT OFhelping in His
program to make it pos- FINANCESsible to give India a chance to
know and January - June 1950love the Christ." Indeed the financial
Louise B. Harter, Secretarysituation has not always been easy, but
^as we summarize the last six months as a ^whole, we see that the
Lord's work in this RECEIPTSplace has been able to expand because _
, ^ i io-n of your increased gifts, offerings, and On Hand Jan. 1,
19o0 in Clintonpledges. 5
Thanks be to our Godwho answers our On hand Jan. 1, 1950 in
India bank 171.93prayers: and thanks be to our brethren Received
from contributors 1719.94through whom the Lord has chosen to Refund
on Ralph's passport 12.00bless us , ,, . j Refund from Bernel
Getter 15.00
Like the pioneers of old, we stood on ^ ^the frontier of an
advanced program. Refund from LaVon for personalwith few
provisions. To advance without items taken to India 'assured
provisions might bring many dif- T.rT&T 940fl9lficulties, but
to retreat seemed to be a TOTAL 52408.91lack of faith. We were
convinced that thefinger of the Lord pointed onward, and
DISBURSEMENTSso we dared to advance. As a result the Living Link
for Ralph and Lavon.SlOOO.OOLord has marvelously provided, and we ^
,= 72find that we are not in a wilderness af- Medicine 15-72i-gj.
ai] Relief Work 51.12
We are now paying the scholarships of Transportation 103.77four
single young men in Ragaul Bible publicity and Postage
128.03College with brother William T^ola^nd ^ .ju-we have two
married couples studying at e fi'India Bible College in Kulpahar.
We dentshave also called a teacher from Bilaspur, Language Shcool
137.47who is teaching the children here. These Repair and Labor on
Mission Bldg. 546.68are all added financial responsibilities
Supplies and freight bill (1929),. 86.24since the first of Juy.
Plans are ad- jjgg gnd films for projector 57.86\rnnf-inp for the
care of orphans and des-titute children. This will first require
Postage and publicity in U. S. .. 51.30the erection of new
buildings. TOTAL S2358.28
The tents are still unpurchased. andthe bungalow still
uncompleted. Some BALANCE July 1. 1950 S 50.63
ContributorsJanuary-June 1950RECEIPTS JANUARY - JUNE 1950
Buchanan, Mrs. Earl Longworlh 5.00
CALIF. Gridley, Mrs. Laura Rammon $10.00 Buchanan, Church of
ChristIND. ' Darlington, Auxiliary, (2 gifts) 200.00*
Christian Church 30.00 Galien, Mr. and Mrs. Lyle WooIIet
5.00Elwood, Harmony Christian Church Miles, Church of Christ
50.00*
of Leisure, Missionary Soc. 4.00 Three Oaks, Mich.Granger.
Harris Prairie Church of Church of Christ (7 gifts) 36.00*
Christ Missionary Organs. 20.00 N.Car. Athens Chapel, Church of
Christ,Indianapolis, Frank Reas 10.00 Missionary Soc. (2 gUts).
40.00*Liberty, Church of Christ, Roanoke Rapids,
Vacation Bible School 5.00 Firgt Christian Church Circle 2
25.00*Marion, Miss Alyce Forst 100.00 N.Y. East Rochester.Osgood,
Christian Church, ^ Mr. and Mrs.Geo. W. Wilson 60.00*
Missionary Society 25.00* Ohio Cmcmnati,Owensville Margaret
Stelzer 10.00
Mr. and Mrs. Claude Allison 10.00 Clinton, Church of
Christ,Portland, Church of Christ,
Busy Beavers Class 25.00 Clinton Mrs. Mildred FoglePoseyvilla,
Old Union Church 10.00* gifts) 11.00--yville. Old Union Church of
Crrist^ '^ 20.00
Massillon,111. E. St. Louis, r r-u . innn Mr. and Mrs. Lloyd
Weaver 10.00Lansdown Church of Chnst 10.00 Millersburg
Iowa Brooklyn Robert MilUr, Church ol Christ (3 gilts)
75.00*through Madison Church of Moscow, Ladies Aid,Chnsf 20.00
church of Christ 10.00
Hampton, Vernon,Missionary Chu.-ch of Chnst Misses Dorethea
and(2 gifts) 30.90 Marcella Snider (2 gilts) 25.00*
Carlisle, East Union Church Newark. Miss Martha Wright S.OD(3
gifts) 33.00 NorwalK, church of Christ,
Grayson, Volun'eer Mission Band, Missionary Soc. 15.00Kentucky
Christian College 5.00 Orrville, Church of Christ
Mooreiield; (2 gifts) 500.00*Mt.Zion Church of Christ (3gifts)
55.59 McMinnville, "Miss Ruby Merchant
Mt. Eden Christian Church (2 gifts) 60.88 (2 gilts) 20
OCSpringfield, Vacation Bible School Yenn. Johnson City, Central
Church of
Christian church 5.3U Christ 6.27Mich. Bangor, Christian Church,
Reimbursement from Edna Hunt 60.00
Primary Department 3.00Berkley, Bonnie Acre Missionary Tntnl
1719
Group, Church ol Christ (2 gifts) 30.00*Buchanan, Mrs. Nina
Eagley 5.00 * received on pledges
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MISSIONARY... TO ...
INDIA
LaVon Eagley
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Isaiah 6:8 "Also I heard the voice ofthe Lord, saying, Whom
shallI send, and who will go for us?
Then said I, Here am I; send me."
Romans 1:16 "For I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ; for
itis the power of Sod unto salvation to everyone that believeth;
tothe Jew first, and also to the Greek."
LaVon was born to Mr. and Mrs. Ervin Eagley in Alien
County,FortWayne, Indiana, April 3, 1924. Thefamily soon afterward
movedto Michigan, where the children were reared on a large farm.
Theparents with their six children, five girls and one boy, were
found inregular attendance at the Church of the Brethren. LaVon
obeyedher Lord and Savior in Christian baptism at the age of nine.
Shewas graduated from the Womer Grade School of Berrien Countyin
1938 and from Buchanan High School in 1942. Through havingattended
Vacation Bible School in Buchanan public school where theminister
of the Church of Christ was in charge, she learned the simplicity
and clearness ofthe New Testament Church, and sought to gether
parents to attend the Church of Christ. In November, 1939,
herparents, brother Cleland, and sister Gloria, and LaVon dropped
theshackles of denominationalism and placed their membership in
theBuchanan Church of Christ.
LaVon has always been active in all church activities, having
beenpresident of the young people's group for three years, and also
aprimary teacher. In the fourth yearat Lake James Camp she heard
ofthe Cincinnati Bible Seminary. Immediately she made
preparationsto take work in that school and enrolled January, 1945.
During herthree years of schooling, she has held a part-time job
outside theschool at the same time.
The World Mission Volunteer Group of the Seminary has beenher
chief interest, other than personal work which has been with
several of the churches, the Hamilton County Home for the Aged,
Neg-gro and white; and with Negroes in the Laurel Homes district of
Cincinnati, where endeavors are being made to plant a New
TestamentChurch.
She is the fiance of Ralph R. Harter who began his first term
ofservice in India lastyear. Her plans are to leave for India after
graduating in 1949.
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To The Brethren and Sisters in Christ,Churches of Christ, U. S.
A.
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ:While on my last furlough I
was impressed with the earnestness
and 2eaj of Miss LaVon Eagley so am happy to commend her to
youas worthy of support on the Mission field. We beJieve her to be
afaithful servant of Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, and shall
behappy to welcome her to this field when she Is ready to come.
Most sincerely.Your sister in Christ,
Zoena S. RothermelRagaul, India
To Whom It May Concern:Miss LaVon Eagley is at present a student
in the Cincinnati Bible
Seminary. She is now a Junior in the Seminary, planning to
graduateIn 1949.
Following her graduation, Miss Eagley intends to work for her
Lordin India.
LaVon's unaffected humility, her wholehearted consecration
toJesus Christ, and her present zeal in serving her Master indicate
thatshe is worthy of your consideration.
We commend to you this servant of "like precious faith."George
Mark ElliottProf. Cincinnati Bible Seminary
Miss LaVon Eagley, a student in the Cincinnati Bible Seminary,is
preparing to go to India as a missionary. The wonderful group
ofworkers associated with Dr. Rothermel at Ragaul will receive
capablereinforcement in the person of this new recruit. Miss LaVon
Eagley hasbeen a diligent student in the Seminary, zealous, devout,
and intenselyevangelistic. She deserves the support of loyal
brethren everywherewho long to see the Gospel of Christ carried to
the ends of the earth.
R. C. FosterProf. Cincinnati Bible Seminary
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I have known LaVon Eagley since coming tor, Buchanan mSeptember.
1947. In my contacts with her she has shown herself to be
consecrated to Christ andzealous in laboring for Him. Ifshe
ispermittedby Sod's grace to go to India, I am sure thaH: she will
be able to doa good work for Him there.
. James. W..Greenwood, Minister. Buchanan, Michigan
Ways You May Help
1. Your prayers.2. biviiiy 'Linjc.- -3. Suffioienl ffiml'.
Hooriza for traveling expenses and
transportation and supplies to India.4. Bfeyde. 5. '-Shre^t^,
print makeritil, imssors; self-seal glass iars.
Personal Message
I will be available, for speaking in different churches all
summer.) will also have a projector to show pictures from those who
are nowin India.
My permanent address: c/o Mr. and Mrs. Ervin Eagley; 407 North
Portage Street
Address while in school:
Forwarding Agent:
Buchanan, Michigan
950 Grand5, Ohio
Mrs. Ralph R. HarterBox 144Clinton, Ohio
Please send all money and business correspondence to this last
address.Make checks and money orders payable to Mrs. Ralph Rv
Harter.