The new recruit to foreign mission service is often concerned about the equipment he should take with him to his field. What clothes will he need? Should he take books and furniture? Many are the questions that might be asked by one who is going to a strange land to live among stranger people.
Spiritual Equipment.—This should receive the first and foremost attention of the new recruit. In regard to this phase of the missionary's equipment I would say, in the words of the apostle Paul, "Put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ." Without such a preparation, all else would be worse than useless. It is well to have Christ enshrined in the heart, but He must also be "put on" as a beautiful garment which all may see. The missionary may be the only representative of Christ whom many will ever see. His portrayal of the life of Christ will be that by which many will judge the Saviour of men.
The missionary must be sure that his spiritual equipment is handy at all times. He will need to don his garment of Christian patience on many occasions. He will find that his robes of tenderness and compassion will need constant wearing. His robe of love may have to cover up many a misunderstanding. A complete wardrobe of Christlike graces should accompany the missionary wherever he goes, and this should be kept ready for use at any moment.
Material Equipment.—So far as material equipment is concerned, much or little may be taken. One should remember that in going to a mission field he is not moving from earth to heaven, but is going to a place where human needs must still be supplied in order to make life function properly. Every mission home should be equipped with as good beds as the family can afford. There is nothing that will rest tired nerves and muscles so much as a good, comfortable bed. The home should contain some comforts, but without extravagance. A mission home should never be so comfortably equipped that a native neighbor would feel uncomfortable in it, or a housewife feel the home too good for the visit of a villager. The Mission Board has done no more than is right in giving most of our foreign missionaries suitable houses in which to live.
Pictures should be taken to adorn the walls. Some musical instrument should be provided, whether the investment can be large or small. A folding organ is far better than no organ at all, and a phonograph with suitable records will bring cheer to the home. There is nothing like music to cause the spirit to forget for the moment the environment in which one is placed and to bring refreshment to the mind and heart. Rugs for the floor should not be forgotten. It may not be necessary to take all one's material equipment from the home base, for one may pass through large ports where these things can be obtained to better advantage.
But it does not matter where one is to live, whether in a good mission house or in a temporary hut, he should plan to make the best of every situation and to turn his dwelling into as inviting and comfortable a place as possible. Never should the housewife slump into indifference because she cannot have a modern house with all modern conveniences.
It is surprising how fresh curtains at a window, clean rugs upon a floor, well-hung pictures upon a wall, and a tidy appearance of even the few things that one may have, will brighten and glorify even the meanest hut, and keep the spirit of the inmates alive.
One's library is of great importance in a mission land where libraries are mostly inaccessible. It need not be large, but the books should be well selected. A good Bible commentary, a Bible dictionary, a Bible concordance, a church history or two, histories of the world, biographies of the great missionaries, a complete history of missions, denominational books, including as many of the books by Mrs. E. G. White as can be afforded at the time, a few general biographies, and up-to-date books on world conditions, are some of the volumes that will be needed and found helpful. One should be a subscriber to one or two good informing magazines. Every missionary should likewise follow each year the Ministerial Reading Course promoted by the General Conference. Besides this, it would be well for the missionary to continue some study through the Home Study Institute.
Never should one bury himself in an inland town or slump intellectually for lack of inspiration. The environment of mission life often has a downward pull. In many situations one finds little to stimulate a desire for growth. The native is ofttimes uneducated, and just a beginner in the truth. 'Unless one maps out a very definite program for oneself, he will find the years slipping rapidly by without much personal development and progress.
Intellectual Equipment.—I cannot but feel that a foreign missionary needs just as much knowledge as any worker in the homeland. He has to meet situations that call for as much tact, discretion, and insight as workers anywhere. If a college education is needed for ministers and workers at home, it is needed as much or more for workers in Africa, India, or China.
It should be remembered, however, that a scholastic education does not necessarily fit one completely for life's work. This is especially true in mission service. Just because one is a college graduate, or even a university graduate, he may not, because of this, be equipped for his work. It is possible that one of even such qualifications as these may not be fitted for his work nearly so well as one of lesser academic education. The purpose of a course of study is to sharpen one's wits and give him a certain knowledge of facts. If one has learned how to study in school, he has gained much; for when the graduate has shut the doors of his Alma Mater behind him, he has but stepped from one school into another and more serious one. Now he does not work for grades, but he goes out to rub shoulders with his fellow men and help solve the real problems of life.
Many new situations and questions face the new recruit in the mission field. He has entered into an entirely new environment, with a strange language and stranger customs to learn. He should go forth in the humility of a learner. One who arrives at the mission station with his sheepskin much in evidence and feeling that he is thereby fitted for a position of leadership at once, will be sadly disappointed. A native worker of experience may know much better how to operate the work than he does.
This does not discount the need of a good education. A well-educated person who is desirous of learning more, is better fitted for his task than one who has but little education. Though Christ called fishermen to His service, it was only because men of greater ability would not consecrate themselves to His work. And so far as the fishermen were concerned, Christ at once set Himself to the task of not only fitting them spiritually, but equipping them with knowledge as well.
Paul is an outstanding example of what God can do through a talented, well-educated man who has yielded his heart to the service of the Lord. The great apostle to the Gentile world knew enough, however, to appreciate the fact that he must learn something new wherever he went. He realized that he must learn how to adapt himself to the various situations that developed in each new country to which he came. He declared, "I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some." This should be the spirit that possesses every foreign missionary.
Speaking specifically, the mission recruit should begin as early as possible to study the history, geography, customs, cultural background, and language of the people and country in which he is to labor. The day is past when the English language is sufficient for the work that must be done in building a strong church in mission lands. Neither is a smattering of a language enough to meet the people on their own ground and interpret the everlasting gospel to them.
Experience is the best teacher, though it is an exacting one. No bluffing can deceive it; no flattery can make it yield a point. One pays the true price for the knowledge thus acquired, but it bestows a form of wisdom that cannot be obtained in any school. The new recruit should go forth with a willing spirit and an open mind. Then it will not be long before he finds himself in a position of great usefulness, and filling a great need. Where else could one find greater satisfaction in this perishing world?
(To be continued)
