From a Missionary's Letter

[Occasionally a letter is received from one of our missionaries that is somewhat out of the ordinary in stating the writer's personal convictions and giv­ing an insight into his thinking on the life of a missionary. Such a letter was recently received by W. P. Bradley, of the General Conference Secretarial Department, and is reproduced in part below. The subject under discussion was the salary and al­lowances paid to the missionary. We believe all our worker group will appreciate sharing it]

The thing is this: We here want the work to go forward. That is why we have left our homes. While I was home on furlough I had the privilege of attending some of the closing meetings of the Bible Conference, which preceded the Autumn Council of 1952. My mother was with me. I took advantage of the oppor­tunity of having my mother meet several of our South African workers, because I wanted her to know some of the people I know here. Among these was A. F. Tarr, who, as you know, is president of the

Northern European Division. I had first met him in South Africa, and had also seen him in England and Norway. When he met my mother, he asked her: "Don't you dread seeing your daughter return to Africa?" She said, "No, I want the work to be finished." My mother always wished that she could go to the mission field, but it did not work out that way. One time she wrote me saying that I was doing the work that she had wanted to do. I feel that I am being my mother's proxy.

We have made a few contacts with mis­sionaries of other societies. We pride our­selves on having the everlasting gospel to give to every nation, tribe, and people; and we are right. But we have learned that most of these other missionaries are work­ing under conditions of much greater hard­ship and difficulty than we are, and it makes us ashamed. They may believe in doctrines that are in some respects defective and may even be teaching some errors to their people, but they are showing evidence of greater faith and devotion than many of us. They are making greater sacrifices than we.

I am very thankful for our well-devel­oped organization. I know that God has led out in the pattern of organization and in the financial setup of our work. I feel that we are the best-cared-for missionaries in the world with the support and help we get and the future provided for with our sustentation policy. When I was home on furlough it was a wonderful feeling, when I walked into the General Conference offices, to feel that I belonged there, that I was one of those directly connected with the work being carried on from there. It is a wonderful feeling, but it also makes one humble to realize that he is a part of such an organization. I never cease to mar­vel that I have actually realized the dream of my life—to be a missionary.

I Want to Feel I Am Making a Sacrifice

So far as money is concerned, I am thankful to have enough for my needs. I know that I could earn much more if I were at home. But while at home, I never once envied those who were connected with our work there, especially the nurses working at the sanitarium, whose earnings were much greater than mine. Having been in the mission field I found that my per­spective had changed, that I would rather be in Africa than at home. It seemed to me that many of those at home were filling routine jobs, no doubt necessary and vital to our worldwide work. But there seemed to be an ingredient missing, at least to some extent—that of being fired with a sense of vocation and of the urgency of a great need.