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Tribes and Trails
in Thailand
April, 1959 Vol. 8, No. 1
Published twice yearly, in spring and
autumn, by undenominational Christian
missionaries laboring to establish in
Thailand (Siam) self-supporting churches
after the New Testament pattern. Dis
tributed with the hope of gaining needed
prayer supportforthe Thailand work, of
getting more consecrated workers for*
this and other fields and of encouraging
all to greater effort in the spread of sim
ple undenominational Christianity
throughout the world. Missionaries en
gaged in this effort are presently lo
cated at two centers in extreme North
ern Thailand; Talat Chiengkam, Chang-
wat Chiengrai, Thailand; and Pua, Nan
Province, Thailand.
COVER PICTURE
Mrs. Ku Si, a Chinese widow, sells
in the Chiengkam market to support her
self and her child. Early every morning
she carries cloth,flashlights, soap, socks,
shirts and a vastassortment ofotherthings
to her rented space in the market where^
she "sets up" for the day.
One afternoon last year Mrs. Ku Si
came to clinic and after hearing a Gos
pel record she asked to buy a Bible in
Chinese. She was invited to Sundayser
vices and came regularly. Later she
bought a New Testament in Thai and a
hymn book. She has a good understand
ing of the Gospel, but has not yet accep
ted Christ. Thoughshe believes and says
she wants to be baptized she feels she
must have permission from her parents in
Chiiia, but is afraid to write to them of
her faith for fear harm will come to them.
Her eleven year old daughter is in
school near Chiengrai and Mrs. Ku Si
has decided she must move to Chiengrai
to be closer to her. We have contacted
Chinese Christianfriends there and asked
themto continue teaching her. Praywith
us for her salvation.
Mel Byers' Family Return
Mel and June Byers and their five chil
dren will return to Thailand in May.
"We are getting awmlly aiiaious for
Mel and June to return, for we really do
miss them." Imogene Williams writes.
"The Thai Christians want them to return
soon, too."
CHRISTMAS IN NAM MONG
The Bare andCallawayfamilies spent
Christmas with the DonByers among the
Khamoo. Preaching services were held
each night. Some came fromother vill
ages to hear the Gospel.
BIBLE-LITERACY SCHOOL
Forty students are enrolled in the 2-
month school at Sope Waan. The Gospel
of Luke is being taught this year along
with reading, writing, singing and health.
On January 31Imogene Williams wrote;
"School is in full swing at SopeWaan. It
got a late start as I went to Chiehgmai
for a conference on leprosy the first of
the month. Then the weekend after my
return I took the group from Sope Waan
to Tung Daa to give a play."
DON BYERS' FURLOUGH
Don and Roberta Byers with their four
children expect to arrive in the U. S. in
April.
THREE BAPTISMS
Mrs. Aa, mother of Moon (Oct. T&T)
was baptized in September at Ban Gaw.
Mr. Ta, the gardener at the Uhlig-Will
iams home, was baptized in December.
A Khamoo opium addict accepted Christ
and began the newlife on Christmas Day
in Nam Mong.
There are many other Chinese in Chi
engkamwho needto knowChrist. Though
theyseem gladto receive the Lighthouse
(a Christian publication of the O. M. F.
Mission), and Gospel tracts, no one else
has shown anyreal interest. They use the
Thai.language daily in selling, but need
to be taught in their own language.
The Church at Ban Bang Sa
Five minutes south of our village of
Ban NamMong is the Khamu village of
Ban Bang Sa. Whereas there have been
Christians in Nam Mong the past four
years, there has been little interest and
much hostility in the southern village.
During the Christmasseason the Calla-
wayand Bare families came to visit, and
for a week we had preaching and teach
ing. For the first time many from Bang
Sa came and listened and showed real
concern.
One who came, Nai Ngern, was about
forty years of age andsuffering from ad
vanced stages of tuberculosis. He has a
relative here whose acceptance of Christ
and immediate change of life has made
a deep impression upon him. Now he
wanted to accept, too.
Previously the headman of Bang Sa
had saidthat anyonewhobecame a Chris-
tian would have to leave the village for
the spiritswould not like this intrusion of
a new religion. This was a real concern
to Nai Ngem as well as others who were
serious about accepting Christ. So one
Sunday Don called on the headman and
some of the older men and asked them
ifChristians would have to leave the vill
age. Evidently the preaching during the
Christmas season softened the headman
for he said it was perfectly all right--in
fact he was glad that Nai Ngem wanted
to accept. He said "Perhaps God will
heal him, and, if not, he will go to hea
ven when he dies."
This was good news to Nai Ngern. He
and several Christians met together and
discussed further the step he was about to
take. Don then explained that the wor
ship of spirits would have to be given up
and did he have any spirit paraphernalia
in the house? He had a little bamboo
shelf where sacrifices to the house spirit
was made and another where appease
ment was made to the village spirit. Af
ter receiving permission to destroy these
a couple of Christians tookthem out and
threw them into the river.
Nai Ngem was then buried with his
Lord in baptism.
The following Sunday Nai Ngem de
sired that we meet in his house for ser
vice. In Nam Mongwe rotate from house
to house for worship sothe church march
ed en mass down to Ngern's house the
following Sunday.
What a joyto have a part in that first
meeting for worship and communion in
this village that had finally let in a ray
of light.
Nai Ngem isn't muchto lookat, phys
ically. He can neither read nor write,
but God often chooses the weak and low
ly thingsto accomplish His ends. We are
confident that time will see a harvest
from this lowly beginning. In a sea of
spirit worship, fear and uncertainty, sits
an emaciated man, coughing the cough
of the sick, his breath coming hard, but
possessing a heart washed clean by the
blood ofChrist--a witness to the message
of redemption--die beginning of the
church at Ban Bang Sa.
--Roberta Byers
YAO
HARVEST TIME
For a long time Granny Mae had been
coming daily to teach us Yao, but had
registered nospiritualunderstanding.Rec
ently she has taken an active interest in
our explanation to visitors of Bible post
ers and has begunto askmeaningfulques-
tions about the Gospel. It seems that she
would willingly become a Christian if her
husband--formerly an area chieftain in
Laos--would give his consent. The hus
band is a quanelsome, pessimistic old
man. One day Granny said, "I told Grand
pa, 'You ought to believe in Jesus, and
then you'd get a new heart and wouldn't
be so grumpy.'"
Seven days journey south of Granny
Mae lives Wen Sio, headman of Thatch
Mountain village. One day further south
lives Foo Awn in Spring of Fatness vill
age. Five days walking beyond there
brings one to an extremely isolated Yao
village in Uttaradit province where lives
Foo Sio, headman there.
These three men have, to date, shown
a greater interest in the Gospel than any
other Yao we have met in our evangel
istic travels. Each of these three men is
conscious of sin and his need for the Sav
ior. Each of the three is weary of devil
worship and desires freedom in Christ.
Each is putting off salvation because he
fears he could not make a livelihood as
a Christian without raising opium.
These three need to be taught the
power of Christ until they will be will
ing to commit their all to Him and will
Foo Siohas heard the gospel twice in'
his very inaccessible vi&ge. Wearing
Yao skull cap and jacket he stands be
tween C. W. Callaway, left, and Don
Byers, right.
be willing to trust Him to provide for
them materially in other ways than
through opium.Andthere are manyothers
in each of these villages in whose hearts
the seed has been sown, but who thus far
know but the barest essentials of the Gos
pel.
But whatof38otherYaovillages which
we have visited, in some cases several
times, but wherein it has been possible,
thus far, to make onlythe briefest intro
duction to the greatAuthor of salvation?
And what of at least 25 moreYao vill
ages that have not yet been visited, even
once, by any herald of the Good News?
Four missionaries of the Overseas
Missionary Fellowship are working among
some 3000 or 4000 Yao in Lampang,
Chiengmai, and N. W. Chiengrai pro
vinces of Thailand. All the rest of the
Yao in Thailand--we estimate 10,000--
are located in a long narrow strip more
than 100 miles in length alongthe bord
er of Laos. Thus far fiiere are only two
missionaries for these Yao.
There are many, probably several
thousand, Yao across the border from us
Sixty-six years without Christ. The
light is now penetrating Granny Mae's
heart.
in Laos. And the trihe extends up into
Annam and China, the original tribal
home. For those Yao there are no miss
ionaries at all.
If we were to travel every day and
stay each night in a different village it
would require almost three months time
to spend even one night In eachYao vill
age on the Thailand side of the border.
One night would be sufficient only for the
most rudimentary teaching to a small per
centage of those living in any one village.
It is thus easy to see how all of our time
could easily be spent in evangelistic
trips, and still a lifetime would be in
sufficient for one missionary couple to
personally evangelize all of these Yao.
On the other hand we feel the need of
concentrated effort in our own village in
order to win and thoroughly train a few
Yao to go forth to evangelize others of
their tribe. All of our time could well be
spent here.
Then the tasks of language study,
translation, preparation and distribution
of Christian literature are time-consum
ing. All of our time could easily be spent
on this work.
A city of 10,000 people would be a
large field for one preacher family in
any country. But 10,000 people living
in scattered villages over a long string
of mountains are completely beyond the
reach of one couple alone.
We ourselves feel that we should go
onfurlough next yearwe will then have
been on the field six years thisterm--
but we are loath to leave when Yao are
even now telling us that they would be
come Christians, but fear to leave the
demons without the assurance of contin
ued teaching. For lo these many centu
ries the Yao have worshipped demons out
of abject fear. They have not yet the
faith to give up life-long beliefs and cast
themselves upon Jesus alone.
The Yao are not easily converted. Only
after long, faithful, prayer-supported
Christian witness will thd Yao be won to
Him.
With this picture before your eyes we
hope that many of you will be asking:
"Isn't there something I can do to help
win theYao?" Yes, dear Christian friend,
there is something YOUcan do. We would
give the same answer which Jesus gave
when He looked upon a distressed, scat
tered, shepherdless multitude. He was
"moved with compassion" at the very
thought of the pitifully small number of
harvest hands swinging their sickles into
the bountiful human harvest. The key
word of His appeal that day to His dis
ciples was this: "Pray..." Not often did
Christ command His disciples to pray for
a specific objective. This was one of
those fewtimes. He said, "Prayyethere
fore the Lord of the harvest, that He send
forth laborers into His harvest."
Realizing that there is great need a-
mong other tribes and races in Thailand,
and also in many other lands, we are re-
luctantto make an appealformore miss
ionaries to the Yao on the basis of the
need among theYao as over against that
elsewhere. Rather we would prefer to lay
before you, who are burdened as are we
for the Yao, this answerJesus gave to the
need He saw, "pray ye.. .the Lord of the
harvest that He send forth laborers..."
ByC. W. Callaway, Jr.
Talat Chiengkam
Chiengrai, Thailand
"They used to be headhunters. They
don't like outsiders. They have no in
teresting customs or costumes like the
Miao and Yao, and they are not at all
attractive. My advice is that you leave
them strictly alone. There are plenty of
other tribes here to keep you busy."
That, in effect, was the advice of our
District Magistrate five years ago when
we first inquired about the T'in tribe.
There was nopublished material to which
we could turn for information aboutthese
people, and our attempts to make friends
with those who came down to the market
were usually rebuffed.
Two years later the opportunity arose
to visit ^e "Wild T'in"--those who live
in the remote Bau region of the Laos
frontier and have very little contact with
outside civilization. Arriving atdievill
age of Ta Noi we were met by a group
of swarthy, impassive men, many of
whomwore only loin-cloths. Would they
be hostile? Would we be allowed to stay
in their village?
"Why have you come? What do you
sell?" Satisfied with our answers, the
headman led us to the sala or village
guest hut. Far into the night the tribes
men squatted on the bamboo porch lis
tening for the first time to the Good News.
In the gray February dawn next day, as
we were preparing to leave, someone
from each hut appeared bringing a part
ing gift: steamed rice wrapped in banana
leaves, a couple of eggs, or an edible
tuber. Instead of treacherous savages we
found a quiet, unhappy people for whom
the message of Love and Hope struck a
responsive chord. In village after village
we met with kindness and interest.
In the intervening years no follow-up
has been made. Increasingly occupied
with Miao language study and Bible re
vision work, we have found it impossible
Trails in T'in country are almost in
visible, and impassable for horses.
to make any evangelistic trips among the
T'n since furlough. Afewdays ago an in
quiry came from aT'in headman, "When
is the foreign teacher coming back to tell
us more of Jesus?"
Not worth saving. Even Thai who
have professed Christianity for many
years take little interest in evangelizing
these whom they consider inferior abor
igines .
Not worth saving. The Miao scoff at
the idea of teaching these who work as
their servants in the opium fields. The
unconquered Miao are proud of their trib
al identity and traditions. Theoft-cmsh-
ed T'in are ashamed of being T'in.
Not worth saving? For nineteen cen
turies the church of Christ has neglected
these people. Althou^ there are tens of
thousands of T'in, no missionary has ever
learned the T'in language. No T'in tribes -
man has ever read God's Word in his own
language. Today they are one of the lar
gest untouched groups in Southeast Asia.
Will the T'in some day echo the lament
of Jeremiah 8:20, "The harvest is past,
the summer is ended, and we are not
saved. " Perhaps one who reads this will
dedicate his life to evangelizing the
people who in the eyes of ^e world are
"not worth saving."
Garland Bare
"If Only I Had
Heard Before . .
"Oh, what a trip I have had! Trails
steeply up and down... Walking in the
river for hours... Sleeping in a cave at
night... Climbing hand over foot down
a steep cliff to reach the village below.
But they were interested inlhe gospel and
begged us to stay longer I"
These are reports my husband has
brought from some of his evangelistic
trips into the surrounding mountains.
Without Christ thousands ofMiao are liv
ing withouthope of freedom from sin and
fear. Hearing the message once is not e-
nough to do more then awaken interest.
While initial visits have been made to
the majority of Miao villages in these
two northern provinces follow-up visits
have been possible to only a few.
Tribespeople who live near Chieng-
kam or Pua often visit the missionaries
and receive further teaching. Afewhave
become genuinely interested and one
Blue Miao youth has actually accepted
Christ.
Those living farther from the market
areas get to town only once or twice a
year. Many have been convinced byop
ium traders and others that the mission
aries mean to harm them. Our infrequent
contact with them gives little opportun
ity to demonstrate our love for diem and
concern for their souls.
Several months ago a group of White
Miao from four days' joumey to the east
made an unaccustomed visit to the County
Seat of Pua in order to register their guns.
At the same time Garland was called to
the government offices on business. Att
racted by screams and shouting in the
Miao language he hurried outto seewhy.
One of the Miao men, Lao Su, overcome
by terror of the Thai officials, had cut
his throat. Because local people were
fearful of having a wounded person die
in theirhomesGarland told them to bring
him to our house. Lao Suh, younger bro
ther of Lao Sa, also terrified of the Thai
f

Must this Miao Granny die without

knowing Christ?
officials, was completely crazed at the
sight of his brother so near to death. To
keep bodi men under constant guard five
of ^e Miao decided to spend the night
here. It was our first opportunity to preach
to any of them. The phonograph which
had been on loan, was returned next day.
As Lao Sa listened to the message of love
and salvation from the recorded voice
of one of his own tribe, the cloud of fear
lifted from his face. He exclaimed, "If
only I had heard this before I would never
have attempted to kill myself." Whyhad
he not heard before and why are there
still so many of his tribe who have not
yet heard?
Untill950 little notice had been taken
of the thousands of tribal people inhab
iting the mountainous areas of Thailand.
Then the C. W. Callaways and Imogene
Vfllliams began seeking out those in Chi-
engrai Province. In 1954 we moved to
Nan Province to seek outthe Miao people
in these mountains. Callaways decided
to concentrate their efforts on the Yao
tribe. Misses Williams and UhUg feel
called to labor with the Miao. Thus, for
the thousands ofMiao living in oversev-.
enty communities scattered over an area
of several hundred square miles of moun
tains, only one married couple and two
single women are committed.
If you seek to preach the gospel where
it has never been heard, laying a solid
foundation for a church with Jesus Christ
as the chief cornerstone, let die Miao
challenge you.
--By Dorothy Bare
A
DROP
IN THE BIJCKET
Big children and little children, fat
and skinny. loveable and otherwise, merry
and mischievous come pouring out of
houses every morning. In the. large, more
advanced villages the parents' main de
sire is that their children get a good ed-
ucation--tothe 10th orl2fh grade if pos
sible--so they will be qualified to hold
govemment jobs as teachers, police, doc
tors or officials. There are not enough
govemment schools so some private
schools have been established. These re
ceive grants of money from the govem
ment if their students place high enough
on the government exams.
This desire to have dieir students ex
cel has opened the door of a private
school in Chiengkam to the gospel. A
missionary was asked to teach an English
class once a week so that the children
could hear the correct pronunciation and
intonation of English. It was agreed diat
half the period could be used to teach
the gospel in Thai and then study the
same story in English the last half hour.
The weekly class of 77 pupils is com
posed of 4th-6th graders. There ate no
restrictions, and the children gladly list
en, study the English Bible stories, learn
A last drink before the bell rings.
choruses and eagerly read the Thai tracts
given out at the close of each class. They
are good mimics and are improving in
their pronunciation. May their hearts be
opened to the Lord Jesus.
But teaching these few is only a drop
in die bufcket, for thousands of children
in this area remain unreached having
never heard of Jesus or His love for them.
Wfe have neither the time nor the energy
to launch an effective program to reach
the children since we are already occu
pied in clinic and leprosy workand teach
ing in outside villages. Does no one care
for the children? Will they ever hear?
How can they hear without a preacher?
Is the Lord calling you to teach them of
the One who is die Way, the Truth and
the Life?
Dorothy tJhlig
TRfBES AND TRAItS IN THAIiAND
C. W. and Lois Callaway, Missionaries
Mailed by:
Henry Printing Co.
175 East 15th Avenue
Eugene, Oregon
Chained
to Demons?
OR
free
in Christ?
TRIBES
and
TRAILS
in
THAILAND
Tribes and Trails
in Thailand
October, 1959 Vol. 8, No. 2
rubllxhpd twice yearly, In spring and autumn, by
undennminational ChrtHtian mlHHlonarleit laimrint;
to eHtabllMh in Thailand (Siam) neif-HupporlinK
churrheH after the New Testament pattern. Dis-
trliiuted with the hope of Kainint; needed prayer
support for the Thailand work, of KettinK more
ronseerated workers for this and other fields, and
of eneouraKini; all to Kreater effort in the spread
of simple undenominational Christianity throUKh-
out the world. Missionaries eneaKed in this effort
are presently located at two centers in extreme
.Northern Thailand: Taiat ChienKkam, ChaoKwat
ChieiiKral. Thailand, and Pua, Nan Province,
Thailand.
Portrait
of a Strong Man
We are engaged in battleI This battle
is not fought against flesh and blood, but
against ^e principalities, against the
powers, against the world mlers of this
darkness, against the spiritual hosts of
wickedness in the heavenlyplaces. There
is only one avenue to the heavenly places.
That is prayer through the name and power
of Jesus Christ I
Wh have entered the house of the strong
man (Satan) here in North Thailand for
hand to hand combat. We can nowverify,
as we seek to do in this issue, that the
Bible portrait of the devil is an accurate
one.
Here is the Scriptural three dimension
picture of the prince of the powers of the
air, the strong man himself.
IIo Is: the prince nf demons,
the adversary.
a slanderer, and a propagator of slander
iietween ijrethren.
the tempter, tempting as he did our I.ord
to feed on other than God Himself, to
make trial of God, and to accomplish
the Kingdom of God by other means
than God's,
the angel of lightor a roaring lion, vora
ciously fitting himself to our greatest
weakness.
the sifter of those that love the Lord, en
tering in a moment of unawareness.
the father of lies. He veils men's minds
that they believe a lie and hate the
Truth.
He hinders the messenger of the gospel in his
travels.
He snatches the Word out of man's hearts lest It
take root.
But, Praise the Lord, the victory is
curs--but only on our knees!
Lois Callaway
COVER PICTURE
TOP: A young Miao man wearing the
traditional heavy silver neck rings and
sterling silver chains. The "dog tags"
attached to the chains are demon charms,
thought to give protection from the evil
powers.
BOTTOM: Paul Shen is buried with his
Lord in baptism--freed by Christ to walk
in newness of life.
But now I've waited lone with God
And one poor tremi>iinR heii-bound soul,
Until at last, the fetters loosed
He's come forth radiant, clean and whole.
David and Delores Filbeck expect to
anive in Thailand in time to begin lan
guage study early next year. David, a
graduate ofOzadc BibleCollege has taken
theWycliffe Summer Institute of Linguis
tics this summer while Delores has com
pleted her R.N. ... MissDorothySterling,
R.N., refused re-entry to Burma, will be
in Bangkok in Thai language school dur
ing the fall and winter mon^before pro
ceeding to tribal work in the north of
Thailand. ... Soon after Don and Roberta
Byers left their Khamoo village home of
Nam Mong for furlough. Garland Bare
baptized several new believers in Ban
Wang Pang, another Khamoo village in
the Nam Mong area. A converted spirit
doctor in NamMong, Nai kaak, was the
first to bear a witness to these people in a
village off the beaten track.
"God forbid that I should sin against the Lord in ceasing to pray for you." I Sam.
12:23
"When our knees shake, we should kneel
on them."^Dawson
"Prayer can do anything God can do."
Crusade
"When it is hardest to pray, pray
hardest."Prophecy Monthly
Satan"Bainq To and Frn"
We read in Job that when the sons of
God came to present themselves before
the Lord that Satan came among them.
And when God asked him where he came
from Satan answered "from going to and
fro in the earth, and from walking up and
down in it." It seems Satan has been "go
ing to and fro" a great deal inNorthern
Thailand this year, and "walkingup and
down" especially in the villages where
there are Christians.
One day near the end ofschool atSope
Waan a man came saying his daughter
and husbandhad separated. The husband
hadjustpicked up hismattress andclotheS'
and moved back to his mother's house. In
astonishment and almost disbelief I asked
when and why. In my estimation this
couple were the most spiritual young
people in the village and we had hopes
the husband would someday be a preacher.
How had Satan gotten such a thrust into
his heart right in the midst of our Bible-
LiteracySchool?He choseveryclever tac -
tics as ^e whole village became involved
and look sides.The trouble was mostly be
tween the husband and his father-in-law
and the wife did not know what to do.
Her father forbade her to go live with her
husband. Most of the villagers agreed
with the father as Thai custom is for a
young couple to live with the wife's par
ents. The husband said he could not live
in the same house with one who complain
ed all of the time. A lot of little things
turned into big things. All three gave ex
cuses for their behaviour, and tho each
said privatelythat he was sorry it happen
ed, no one would apologize.
A week of counseling and prayer with
each one individually and with the three
together brought no results. The husband
continued in school, but would not goback
to his wife. Tears came to his eyes when
he talked ofhis babydaughter, but chang
ed to anger when his father-in-law was
mentioned. Afterreading about the sin of
anger he retorted, "Well, I just have an
ger in my heart, I don't say a lot of bad
DIP AND BABY WERE HAPPY TO HAVE HUS
BAND AND DADDY BACK AGAIN.
thingswith mymouth." I'm sure the dev
il was much pleased with that remark.
And then one day when I went to see
the husband he met me with a wide grin
on his face and said, "I have no more an
ger in my heart." So I asked, "Are you
going back then?" "I will, " he said, "if
Dip, my wife, comes for mymattress and
clothes." Mythoughts were, "You carried
them away, just take diem back your
self," but I said nothing, knowing the
Thai custom was that the wife must carry
the mattress back to show she really want
ed her husband to return.
Over two months have gone by, and all
is peaceful and happy in the household.
I'm sure many of you were praying for us
and these people atthattime. Perhaps you
had no idea what the problem was, but I
firmly believe that He led many of you
to pray for this couple. It was a stumbling
block to non-Christians, but caused the
Christians to realize the power of Satan
and the need to constantly guard against
him.
Satan hasn't restricted his work to Sope
Waan, but has also been busy in Ban Gaw.
The two Christian families there stood
firm and suffered much for a long time,
but last month one family moved to es
cape persecution. The remaining family
have many problems, and have allowed
them to so affect their Christian witness
that a Buddhist neighbor remarked "If
this is Christianity, i want nothing of it."
Your help is needed in these villages.
Someone has said, "Most people cannot
go to the mission field ontheir feet, but
they can go on their knees." Will you go?
--Imogene Williams
Withered, colorless flowers and leaves,
some shredded tobacco, strips of cloth,
scraps of paper--all of them covered with
dust and piled on a woven bamboo shelf.
No, this is not a rat's nest, but a Khamu
demon altar. In nearly every thatched
bamboo hut, this is the center of family
worship and veneration. During times of
illness or on ceremonial occasions more
contributions are added to the clutter.
The demon shelf is a testimonial to hearts
chained by fear, eyes blinded by Satanic
darkness, minds deluded bythe "Father of
Lies." There is nothing beautiful about
these altars, and there is no love nor ador
ation connected with their worship, but
rather they are a badge of fear. The jun
gle tribesman who has seenhis baby die
in malarial convulsions, heard his wife
rave in the throes of fevered insanity, and
felt the burning pain of the tropical ul
cers which mysteriously break out on his
legs attributes all of these to demonic
wrath. His worship is centered on placat
ing these evil beings, and in so doing he
YOUNG BUDDHrST MONK WITH IDOL ALTAR
IN BACKGROUND.
The Denti
keeps himself at a constant level of pov
erty by sacrificing his pigs and chickens
and paying fees for the intercession of the
witch doctor.
One whose life has been dominated by
demon fear does not lightly vitiate the
altar. Yet in three Khamu villages ' .ong
the beautiful Yao River there arc nomes
where the demon shelf has been cast out
and Light and Life have entered. The Name
of Jesus is spoken by lips of those who a
few short years ago had never heard it.
It is a June dawnat the village of Wang
Pang and the lead-gray waters of the Yao
River reflect the paler gray of the rainy
season sky. A small group of people wind
downthe path to the huge silk-cotton tree
that stands at the waters edge. Though they
speakin lowtonesthe sceneischargedwith
high drama for it may be observed that
some of them are bearing demon shelves.
There is a great deal of variation in the
size and content ofthese altars. The long
heavysheIfthat requires two men to carry
it belongs to In Bun the village headmaa
The great pile of offerings is a testimony
to the zeal withwhichhe servedthe spirits
for a half-century. The WidowBunGaao,
who is reputed to have once been demon-
possessed , carries in onehanda small plat
form about ten inches square. Three young
men--^in, Gum, and Kham carry medium-
sized shelves. With a series ofsplashesthe
altars are thrown into the river as pagan
relatives fearfully watch and murmur in
the background. In this act a public dec
laration is given that a break has been
made with the demon-ridden past, and
Jesus Christ is to be the new Master of
these lives. Upon confession of their faith
in Him, these five are buried in baptism
in the swift-flowing stream. One of those
assisting in the baptisms is Khaek, him
self a witch doctor little more than a
year ago.
Sunrise is coloring the sky when the
party moves back to the headman's home
for prayer and admonition as five new
babes are committed to the care of a lov-
on^Itar
ing Father. The evangelistic party of
three, weary from an aftemoon and most
of a night of teaching, part joyfully as
they return to their separate villages.
Nevertheless there is a burden of concern
as they wonder what pressures and perse
cutions will be applied to these five. How
many of them will endure to the end?
Headman In Bun said, "I have wanted
to believe Christ and be free of the spir
its fora long time, butlwas afraid.There
have been somany wildrumors about what
missionaries do to their converts. I was
told thatiflbecame a Christianthe miss
ionary would take me home and feed me
to a giant."
The demon altars of the Miao are much
more attractive. Neat shelves hung with
fancy cut-out paper contain incense sticks
and bowls.The elaborate Miao ceremon
ies, with their gongs and musical instru
ments, dances, chants and poetry, have
more esthetic value than the simple Khamu
ritual. Yet the slavery and fear are fully
as hideous.
The Miao also have their horrible rum
ors directed at the gospel and its bearers.
Missionaries murder their converts and can
the meat. They dig up human corpses for
their feasts. Converts will aU be trans
ported to America and never seen again.
The people who circulate and believe
these tales are not degenerate morons,
but highly intelligent adults.
Fantastic? Incredible that anyone
should believe such lies? Yes, by our
Western standards of logic. We must re
member that Satan's kingdom is founded
upon lies and it is far easier for his sub
jects to believe liesthan the truth. "What
is truth?" asked Pilate. The Bible teaches
that truth is absolute and is embodied in
Jesus. Jesus said, "1 am the way, the
truth... " Thus anything that denies the
scriptural revelation of Jesus, or defies
His authority, is a lie and issues from the
source of all lies. This places the weird
mmors of the primitive tribesman, in the
same category as the polished phrases of
MAIO BOYS WITH PIPE USED IN DEMON
WORSHIP,
the unbelieving theologian.
In the mountains of Thailand, in tribe
after tribe, demonaltars will be destroyed.
Of this we are confident, though our ass
urance is not based onthe triumph of logic
over superstition. Eloquence, skill, inten
sive training and winning personality are
powerless against heathenism. We have
watched them fail. Noble intentions and
shov/y self-sacrifice make no dent in the
armor of paganism. Some missionaries
have become disillusioned when their self
less service brought forth no gratitude.
But gratitude is foreign to lives untouched
by Christ. The warfare in the land of tribes
and trails has taught us that Satan is just
as real as God, and the weapons of flesh
are powerless against him.
The demon altars will be destroyed be
cause the Holy Spirit is still the motivat
ing power in missions. The Word of God is
still powerful. Fervent prayer stiU avails
and prevails. Jesus Christ is still the Lord
of all and as He is lifted up He will draw
men out of the power of demonism. In
Charles Wesley's words:
Trsim. the Niimi- hlKh ovtr all
III lii'll. or eiirlh. r sk.v;
itiiil nu-ii lit-riirf it fnll
Anil ilevils fi-nr imd fly.
.ipMls (ho iirisimiT's fotlors liroAk.4
.And liniisos SiitiiiiN houil;
I'liMor intii sironulhlosK !iiuls Ho sponks,
.And life into Ilio dond.
Giirlnnd and Onrntliy Bare
I'uii, Nan I'rovlnoo
BENEATH FURROWED BROWS THIS MAIO TRIBES
MAN PUZZLES. "Just why have these foreign
ers COME? They do not trade in opium. They
DO NOT CHARGE HIGH PRICES FOR THEIR MEDI
CINE. Surely their way of gain must be
THROUGH TRAFFIC IN HUMAN SLAVES. SURELY
THEY WILL GET A GOOD PRICE FOR US TRIBES-
PEOPLE WHEN THEY FEED US TO THEIR DE
MONS!"
To Believe a Lie
was likely the whole answer. J. W. Mc-
Garvey reminds us that the kingdom of
Satan rests on belief, the belief in a lie,
just as the kingdom ofGod rests onbelief
in Christ. When this belief in a lie can be
shattered, these Yao people will no long
er be bondservants of Satan and sin.
We remembered how many times we
had presented the Gospel in the simplest
terms we could, only to be met with po
lite hearing, but obviously no grasp what
ever of the spiritual truths involved. Rec
ognizing this as the veil placed by "the
god ofthis world," we prayed for the lift
ing of the veil. You prayed, too. Thenwe
had seen them come, one after another,
in seeminglyreal conviction of their sins,
and need of a Saviour. When our hopes
were highest of seeing them bom again,
they just faded away, never again being
willingto even listen tothe Gospel mess
age.
Now we could see as our young friend
explained it to us. When that mysterious
feeling of conviction of sin, so new to
their hearts, came upon them it was im
mediately identified in dieir deceived
minds as black raagic--the foreigners'
magic which would one day lure them
to death. Quickly they removed them
selves from its power, and henceforth ev
ery actofloving service became, to their
minds, a treachery designed to lead them
into the web, rob them of their demon
powers and put them at the foreigners'
' mercy.
Missionaries to other tribes find the
"father of lies" using this same lie in all
the tribes, to keep men in bondage. Us
ually he doesn't even have to change it
in the least.
Please praythat the veil will be lifted
--that the lies of Satan will be as trans
parent to them as to us who have God's
' tmth to guide us. Pray that they will see
the truth in Christ and inevitably be set
free according to His promise"and ye
1 shall know the truth, and ihe truth shall
I make you free."
I When the Son shall make them free,
they shall be free indeed!
5 --C. W. and Lois CaUaway
"How is it," we asked, "that even
though we have taught you and minis
tered to you, trying to show you the love
of Christ for over four years, not one of
you has taken an open stand for Christ?"
This question we puttothe youngYao man
whose life God had graciously spared as
He used our hands to minister to him in
hours when life was held only by an invis
ible thread.
Puzzling, our friend finally replied,
"It is because they are afraid of you. I,
too, was afraid of you and would never
have come to sleep in your house had I
not been too near dead to protest."
We had heard this fantastic tale be
fore about how the Yao feared that when
there were a number ofconverts, we would
work our foreigners magic on them, and
then send them to America to be fed to
the giant spirits. Nothing to fear, they
thought until we had gottenthem to de
stroy their demon altars. Then they would
have no power against us. Fantastic--too
fantastic we thought to be credible even
to their perverted minds.
But now it came clearly to us that this
Nai Ta has been working for us for
over 8 years. He draws water from the
well for the house and garden, cares for
the garden, builds bamboo fences, cleans
out bikes and acts as general handyman
and errand boy. His life was full of dark
ness. His wife had divorced him for un
faithfulness, and later he became a dope
addict. Since he was only a poor man he
didn't smoke opium as that was too ex
pensive. He got the cheaper brand--the
dregs--and ate small quantities three
times a day. All his wages went for opium
and the sweet food that it made him crave.
If he missed one dose of opium he became
weak and could hardly work.
After several years he started coming
to Sunday services, but he sat there like
a bump on a log, and could never seem
to learn any of the songs or understand the
message. He always maintained that re
ligion was good, but that all religions
were the same--they all teach men to do
good and promise that the goodwill go to
heaven and the evil to hell. We explained
again and again that Christians worship a
living Saviour who alone can forgive sin
and give one the victory over sin. Other
religions teach men to ao good, but have
no powerto help them to do good, and no
assurance of heaven. Occasionally he
seemed interested and light began to pen
etrate into his heart, but the interest did
not last long, and his mind was quickly
darkened. It cost too much to become a
Christian! He would have to give up op
ium and many other changes would have
to be made in his life. "On well, all re
ligions are the same, anyway," he kept
telling himself.
Then last December he became very
illand had severe abdominal pain, some
one came and called us to go see him in
the night. Even morphine didn't give him
much relief. He was sure he was going to
die, and insisted on giving us the little
money he had in his pocket. After doing
all we could for him physically we talked
to him about the Lord, and his need of a
Saviour to save him from his sins if he
did die. He made no response, so aU we
could do was pray for him silently.
As soon as it was daylight we made
arrangements to take him out by truck to
a hospital. It was a long, gruelling, pain
ful trip for him, but we finally arrived at
5 p. m. The doctor wasn't located until
two hours later, and treatment was fin
ally started. The obstmction cleared up
with conservative treatment, so surgery
was not necessary. While in the hospital
NaiTa said he wanted to accept Christ as
his Saviour. He said he was tired of the
old life and wanted the new life that is:
in Christ Jesus. He knew it would mean
giving up opium and would make a rad
ical change in his life. We cautioned him
not to make a profession without being
really sincere in his heart and willing to
wholeheartedly follow Jesus. Several days
later when he was discharged from the
hospital he was determined to become a
Christian so was baptized and came back
to Chiengkam with a smile on his face
and joy in his heart, since then it has
been easy for him to learn hymns and to
understand the Word forhis mind has been
enlightened.
The road has not been smooth since
then, and Satan has not given up in his
efforts to draw this man back into the old
life. There have been times when he has
slipped and fallen, times when he has not
called upon the Lord to deliver him from
temptation, buthe does come back in re
pentance and seek the Lord's face again.
The Lord is faithful, and He can cause this
weak one to stand and to bring glory to
His name. It cannot be done in the power
of the flesh, but only in the power of the
Spirit through prayer--yours and his and
ours. With God all things are possible.
Dorothy Uhlig
' I ''
NAI TA. OUR GARDENER.
RIGHT: Many hundreds of Yao, living on either
side of this baptismal water have not yet found
the Word of eternal life. Blinded by Satan, and
long neglected by Christian teachers, they turn
to sorcerers like the man, right, to divine the
chicken bones, or a bit of rice thrown in a hole.
At other times he is called to spew water over
a patient to clear the air of demons or to bar
gain with spirit money for the help of the an
cestral spirits.
FIRST CHRISTIAN CHURCH
Ninth and Pine Streets
Klamath Falls, Oregon
Dorothy Uhlig, Missionary to Thailand
Form 3547 Requested
Lord, to whom
shall we go? Thou
hast the words of
eternal life."
LEFT: Two Chinese be
lievers are led to the
Word of eternal life in a
time of Bible study and
prayer preceding a bap
tismal service in a moun
tain stream which cas
cades down the glens of
Yaodom.
y
Non-Profifc Org.
U.S. POSTAGE
IcPAlD
Kiamath Palls, Oregon
Permit Number 12