Pioneering in - Far Eastern Bible College

title given made him “Temenggung Mangku Radja” (highestofficer over a district).The supreme chief’s father was a Mohammedan. Now,although the Mohammedans tried every way to dissuade him fromus, he would not listen. He felt the Muslim faith could not satisfyhis heart. He perceived the existence of some better religion in theworld than Mohammedanism. He had all along been waiting forthe advent of that better religion.In his native village he had built a rather imposing palace,superior to the other chieftains’. So was the construction of hisvillage better planned. From these works might be seen hissuperior administration. When we called on him we met him firstin the village of Suwakong at his Royal Lodge. He went to theextent of putting us up on the upper floor of his Lodge and gaveus the hall downstairs for a temporary preaching station. He andhis family, however, shifted to the quarters behind.On the fourth night of our gospel campaign, just as I finishedthe sermon, he suddenly shot up in a loud voice, “I have found myreligion. This doctrine is what we need!” By such a tersedeclaration a wide gospel door was opened into the Dyak tribe ofthis royal district of Kutai.We had stayed over one year with the Dyaks. Althoughseveral villages had faith to believe the Word, they were afraid tobaptise. For, without the chieftain’s permission, they deeply fearedsuch move would transgress the law. Now that the chieftainconfessed this was the religion he needed, who would not dancewith joy at the decision? At the close of the campaign oneevening, I asked who would receive this salvation? Who wouldreceive Jesus Christ as his Saviour? At that, forty-seven handswere raised to receive the salvation, among them the chieftain’stwo wives, sons and daughters, and the son-in-law. At thisjuncture, however, the chieftain retreated to the quarters at the113