341 – Dec. 07 – This Day in Baptist History Past

 

Missionary and Missionary’s wife

 

1845 – Eliza Johnson’s son, W.C. Johnson, wrote the following of his mother: “For seven long weary months she patiently plodded her way across mountains and plains, reaching Oregon City, December 7, 1845.” Here she was the missionary and, the missionary’s wife. With hands, head, and heart she labored, that her husband might preach the pure Gospel in the valleys and settlements of Oregon until she died. Miss Eliza S. Harris married Hezekiah Johnson in Dec. of 1826. On the journey to the Northwest Territory through rivers, and over mountains the family suffered severely with camp fever, and was constantly on the alert for attacks by raiding Indians. After they arrived, Eliza shirked from no duty whether it was reaching the lost, guide to the new convert, companion to the older believers, aiding the sick, or comforting the distressed and needy. She herself was laid up for a long period of time, but used that period rather, for a prayer ministry. She said that she “could live to pray.”  The wives of the pioneer preachers, like Sister Johnson, had to rear their family, if their husbands were to give much time to preaching, because of how much time they were away. They often had to handle most of the domestic affairs of the home, including the gardening, chores and farm work. They not only lacked comforts but necessities. Eliza said that they were often without coffee, tea, or sugar to save a trifle for missions. At times they only had calico dresses, and every dress was patched. While their father carried the “bread of life” to the spiritually hungry, often his own children went shoeless, chilled, and hungry. [This Day in Baptist History II: Cummins and Thompson, BJU Press: Greenville, S.C. 2000 A.D. pp. 669-70. C.H. Mattoon, Baptist Annals of Oregon Vol I (McMinnvill, Oreg.: Telephone Register Publishing Co., 1905), p. 49.)]

 

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120 – April 30 – This Day in Baptist History Past

 

Who Will Go?

 

The work among the Karens in Burma is a thrilling account of missionary sacrifice and faithfulness. George Dana Boardman and his wife were appointed by the Triennial convention on April 30, 1823, in Washington, D.C., and they pioneered that rapidly expanding ministry.  God’s blessing rested heavily upon their efforts.  By 1910 the work among the Karens had grown to 50,000 members in 774 churches.  The Missionaries often looked to a range of mountains where a notorious savage tribe existed.  The missionaries wandered how they might reach the wild tribes who were known as Brecs, who lived by plunder and known to be fond of uncooked meat and blood, the tribes were greatly feared.  During an annual assembly of the Karen churches, an appeal was made to evangelize the Brecs, one of the national Karen evangelists bowed his head, evidently in prayer. Finally standing he said, “I am sorry for the poor Brecs, who know nothing of God, or his law to men.  I am very unhappy because no one goes to them with the great tidings.  If my church will give me leave, I will go.”   . . . “God delivered me form the mouth of a bear, and also from death when, crossing a swift stream . . . He also saved me from the mouth of a tiger.  He will be with me in this work, no matter how difficult.”   The national evangelist made his way to the range of mountains and to a village where the most wicked of all of the Brecs lived.  Here he was met with spears and knives of the angry Brecs.  He pulled out his Bible and hymnbook, he read scripture and then began to sing, literally for his very life.  Soon his voice in song calmed the angry hearts of those wild men.  The reception was so great among the Brecs that the national evangelist remained some time proclaiming the gospel.  In a few short years a church was established in the village.  Other villages responded, and churches and even schools were formed.

 

Dr. Dale R. Hart adapted from: This Day in Baptist History III (David L. Cummins) p.p. 250   –   251