Doing Our Part.

Within the space of one week, two friends - one in PA and one here in Thailand - mentioned to me the book, "Mountain Rain", which is a biography of James Fraiser who was a missionary to China. On Monday night my friend lent it to me and I've been trying to read a chapter or so each night before bed. Since the book is not my own (and I like to make comments on the side of the page or highlight quotes!), I've been writing down quotes as I'm going through the book. I'm not very far into the book, but it has already challenged me!

• "If our Master returned today to find millions of people unevangelized, and looked, as of course He would look, to us for an explanation, I cannot imagine what explanation we should have to give. Of one thing I am certain - that most of the excuses we are accustomed to make with such good conscience now, we shall be wholly ashamed of then." ~ Page 4
• "One has sometimes to prune a tree in one direction, that it may develop better in another." ~ Page 8
• "God means just what He says, and He will do all that He has promised" - Hudson Taylor ~ Page 10
• "And if God has chosen it for us, hadn't we better go straight ahead and do it, without waiting for anything greater, better, or 'nobler'?" ~ Page 19
• "Besides, as so often with the call of God, it was not an apparently logical step to take." ~ Page 22
• "It does seem a terrible thing that so few are offering for the mission field... I can't help feeling that there is something wrong somewhere." ~ Page 25
• "The matter is in the Lord's hands. If He wants me to go He will send me. It would be very unwise to attempt to rush things or force a door which He has closed." ~ Page 27
• "But I am finding out that it is a mistake to plan to get through a certain amount of work in a certain time." ~ Page 32 (This one is especially true on the mission field!!!! It never pays to plan anything out to a great extent, because it will change 3 times before it is accomplished!)
• "I am feeling more and more that it is, after all, just the prayers of God's people that call down blessing upon the work, whether they are directly engaged in it or not." ~ Page 35 (VERY, very true!)
• "We are, as it were, God's agents - used by Him to do His work, not ours. We do our part, and then can only look to Him, with others, for His blessing. If this is so, then Christians at home can do as much for foreign missions as those actually on the field." ~ Page 35
• "Solid, lasting missionary work is done on our knees." ~ Page 36

Just some thoughts and musings on my end as I'm challenged by a missionary who travelled this path oh so long ago...