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Pioneering in - Far Eastern Bible College

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weak. Yet the conference required my personal direction s<strong>in</strong>ce itwas a “first”. Thanks be to God, the eight or n<strong>in</strong>e days passedwithout a hitch. God’s power had overshadowed my weakness andHis glory was mightily manifested.The meet<strong>in</strong>g ended <strong>in</strong> a solemn mood. In this revival wereexposed the s<strong>in</strong>s of cold-heartedness, backslid<strong>in</strong>g, theft, adultery,concub<strong>in</strong>age, robb<strong>in</strong>g of another’s wife, polyandry, witchcraft,<strong>in</strong>tent to murder, evil-speak<strong>in</strong>g aga<strong>in</strong>st God’s servants, break<strong>in</strong>g ofChurch laws, gambl<strong>in</strong>g, double-deal<strong>in</strong>g – <strong>in</strong>deed all the hiddens<strong>in</strong>s <strong>in</strong> everyone’s heart. To give the people time for prayer andconfession the even<strong>in</strong>g meet<strong>in</strong>gs were lengthened to midnight.Some wept bitterly for their s<strong>in</strong>s, some danced for joy for God’sforgiveness. Open confession was made of s<strong>in</strong>s, a th<strong>in</strong>g deemedimpossible with the Dyaks before this. Praise the Lord, this wasthe Holy Spirit’s work!The follow<strong>in</strong>g statistics were arrived at from the severalreports of preachers and delegates from the Churches. Apart fromthe members and Churches transferred to the Basel Mission, thetotal baptised membership for 1939 stood at 964. Baptised <strong>in</strong>1940: 77. Recanted 13. Repented 36. Births 27. Deceased 14.Married 10 couples. Includ<strong>in</strong>g children the total membershipwould be at least 3,000, not count<strong>in</strong>g catechumens. From pastexperience we gradually changed our policy. Dur<strong>in</strong>g the last fewyears, we have stressed on quality rather than quantity. Now thatthe Church was established we need to lay good foundations withevery care.In the matter of contributions, the Dyaks could only give <strong>in</strong>k<strong>in</strong>d and work. Whenever the missionary visited they would come<strong>in</strong> flocks to carry his baggage. At the beg<strong>in</strong>n<strong>in</strong>g of harvest theywould offer their firstfruits. They build their own Church ormeet<strong>in</strong>g house, <strong>in</strong>clud<strong>in</strong>g the missionary’s lodge. Now they alsopractise cultivat<strong>in</strong>g of the Church’s land. Their produce isplentiful, cover<strong>in</strong>g every hillslope. If each member would spend147

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