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Subject: News from Pennsburg - July 15, 1905
Date: Wed, 27 Jul 2005 23:56:17 EDT
Ref: Town and Country Newspaper
Pennsburg, Montgomery County, PA
Saturday - July 15, 1905
A MISSIONARY TO FAR OFF CHINA AT HOME
Mary A. FUNK (picture). One from our own section who has devoted years of
her life in behalf of the benighted heathen writes as follows: "Long before I
was grown up or even a Christian, I had a desire to be a missionary. This
desire came through reading books that belonged to the Sunday school library of
the Mennonite church, in Hereford, where I attended Sunday school as a child,
later served as a teacher, and subsequently became a member of the church. The
knowledge of heathen lands without the Gospel and men and women sent forth
as workers stimulated in me a desire to go myself. I was born on the farm of
my father, John H. FUNK, near Schultzville, Berks county, and fully appreciate
the advantages of country life and farm training as a child. My father
selling his farm in 1880, made me free to leave home. I had then become a
Christian and with it came a longing to go into active christian work. I went to Dr.
CULLIS, of Boston, to engage in the work. He had a large connection with many
departments. I could only enter on the condition that I was willing to do
anything offered. I was placed in the Consumptive Home and soon had charge of
three wards, for six months. Next, I was promoted to the Cancer Home as matron
and housekeeper, where I remained another five months. This work however was
too much for my age and experience and made me realize the need of definite
preparation for service. This led to my entering the Training School for
Nurses, at Bellevue Hospital, New York, from which I graduated in 1884. During my
stay in New York, I came in touch with the Christian and Missionary Alliance
and my next step was to enter their Bible school, where I followed
systematic Bible study and received practical training for christian work. In October,
1888, this society sent me to china, being their first missionary to that
great land, other workers followed in a year. The work was started and has
steadily increased until at the present time we have seventy-four missionaries.
Some of these are in the extreme south, others in the west, on the Thibetan
border and still others in Central China along the Yang-tze river. I have been
in the latter place at the port of Wu-hu. Here we started our work and I have
lived there most of the time I have been in China. I was in China during the
Boxer outbreak in 1900, but all the missionaries of our section escaped. We
had to go to the coast and remain there for some months. During our stay on
the coast I was in the British Hospital at Wei-hei-wei and helped to nurse the
soldiers. Over twenty of our workers were cruelly massacred in North China
and some had to go through the seige of Peking. This is my second furlough, I
was home ten years ago and returned to China in 1896. During my second term I
had charge of our Training Home, in Wie-hu, a home where our new
missionaries stay while studying the language. This usually requires one year. It is
also a home for our workers who need a change and rest, or where they go for
treatment, when sick. Here we also hold conferences once a year for mission and
native workers. As to my travels I can merely give an outline, as to begin to
describe places or customs of the people in the different lands would make
too lengthy an article. The direct route to or from China is to come across
the pacific to the western coast and cross the States by railroad, but coming
home I took the longer route, via Europe. I sailed from Shanghai to Hong Kong,
thence to Singapore to Penang, to Rangoon, to Calcutta, from there I went by
railroad to Darfeeling in the Himalaya, where one sees the grandest scenery
and the highest peaks in the world and from these heights, looks over into
that great land, Thibet, called by some, "the roof of the world." I went back
to Calcutta and took the Great Eastern Railroad of India and crossed India,
taking in the most important places as Benares, the sacred city of the Hindoos;
Lucknow and Cawnpore, so closely connected with the Mutiny of 1857; Agra,
where one sees the Laj-ma-Nal, the finest specimen of Fastern art; then to
Delhi, the old capitol of India, with its marble palaces and Mosaics; then
through Jeypon to our mission districts in the Western part where we have about
ninety missions. After six weeks in India I sailed from Bombay to Aden and
through the Red Sea to Port Said, thence to Jaffa into Palestine, going via.
railroad from Jaffa to Jerusalem. I spent four weeks in the Holy Land, seeing
about all there was to see in and about Jerusalem, went to the Mount of Olives,
going to Bethlehem, Hebron also Bethany, Jericho, Dead Sea and the Jordan. I
also took a trip to the Samaritan district, to Shechem which lies between Mt.
Ebol and Mt. Gerazim, Jacob's well, the ruins of Samarid, Herod's and places
of lesser note. One is influenced not with the beauty of Palestine but with
the fulfillment of prophecy: "Jerusalem shall be trodden down by the Gentiles."
"Samaria shall be made desolate." "Your country is desolate." I had to
retrace my steps, going via. Jaffa back to Port Said and sailed for Naples and
crossed Europe by railroad, goin first to Rome, then to Florence, Milan,
Lucerne, Paris and London, at the latter place I spent ten days very profitably and
went by railway to Edinburg and sailed from Glasgow, for New York, where I
arrived May 15, a year ago. This year at home has been spent mostly in
deputation work for the Christian Missionary Alliance. It has been a blessing as well
as a pleasure to meet with the many friends at home, yet I feel very much
like a visitor here and shall be glad to return to China in the early fall. The
Lord is greatly blessing the work in China and many are turning to Him. We
find Rom. 11:6 true, "The Gospel of Christ is the power of God unto salvation
to every one that believeth," also Rom. 10:14, "How shall they call on him in
whom they have not believed, and how shall they hear without a preacher."
How shall they preach except they be sent? China is open as never before. We
need more workers, men and women constrained by the love of Christ. "Pray ye
therefore the Lord of the harvest that he will thrust forth labourers into his
harvest." The address of Miss FUNK during the remainder of her vacation is
Beulah Home, 65 Sheridan Ave., Bellevue, Pa.
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