It would be difficult to overestimate the value of medical missionary work as an entering wedge" in carrying the "gospel of the kingdom" to all the world. The Lord Jesus healed the sick in connection with His soulsaving work, and the "Testimonies" speak of such work as "the right arm of the message." But Satan also recognizes the importance of the medical missionary work, and his emissaries imitate this important phase of gospel work. Even devil-inspired witch doctors claim that they can heal the sick. These degraded men hide their nefarious designs behind a smile as they feign interest in the welfare of the people.
A white man came to the Amazon Mission one day for help in his illness. I gave him a careful examination and a course of treatment that brought him great relief. One day he said: "I wish I had known about this mission when I first became ill over a year ago. I visited physicians far and near and paid out large sums of money to them, but got no relief, for they took very little interest in my case. So I went to the witch doctors, and although they did not help me, and though they charged me exorbitant prices for their treatments, they at least took a kindly interest in me, so that of the two I would rather have the witch doctors."
Many times the medical work has given us favor with the people, and we are thus given opportunities to bring to them the saving message. I am thinking of the great province of Moho, situated almost directly across Lake Titicaca from our first and main mission station, Plateria. Several, years passed while we were building up the work there before we were, able to give much attention to the more distant places of the field. In the meantime, the priests and saloonkeepers, who opposed the gospel, had spread fearful and lying reports about the missionary. They systematically visited the people in their homes, and succeeded in stirring up prejudice. When we visited Moho, we found the doors completely closed to us. Women and children would run away, screaming in apparent terror, at first sight of us. On our third visit there we found conditions even worse, for even the men would have nothing to do with us.
For three days we tried to contact the people, but without success. I shall never forget my feelings the morning of the fourth day. Discouraged? No; but very much concerned. I went off alone among the great rocks, there to meditate, pray', and search my life. After a while I returned to the shore of the lake, and noticed a young man coming toward me with a rather hesitating step. I smiled, and this seemed to encourage him to walk faster. I received him with ahearty handshake. "I have come to ask you to help my father, for he is very ill," he said.
I hurried up to the settlement with him. I found his father, the chief, a very sick man indeed. His face was haggard, and yellow as gold. He was naturally a very strong man, but was now reduced to a deathly weakness, which I found was due to the toxins he was absorbing from an internal pus pocket near the top of his left lung. After preliminary treatment, an exploratory puncture was made, with a long hypodermic needle, and there oozed out a very foul-smelling pus. Then an incision was made and the pus pocket was drained. The man made a quick recovery, which caused much joy throughout the whole settlement. Although the people had sent us notice that there were no sick there only a few days before, now the people came, begging us to care for their many sick.
Willingly the people renounced their vices and accepted the gospel message by the hundreds. The enemies were too astonished to start persecution, and to our great joy those enemies began calling for help for their sick. The work has been carried on there all these years, with ever-increasing numbers added to the churches. Last year when we visited there, we found the director of the mission busy helping the authorities and the best people of the town of Moho, having gained their confidence through the medical work.
Truly there ought to be ten medical missionaries where now there is only one.
