Page:Kvartalshilsen (Kvinnelige misjonsarbeidere). 1914 Vol. 7 nr. 1.pdf/5

 seeks to prevent our work there. Pray that he may not succeed.

In Hunan we only have a small rented house with two small rooms, one for the teacher and one for school and meetings. The rent is also expensive. It would be nice if next year we could get enough money to build our own small house.

In Chorung, with the exception of Mher, everyone is Gregorian. The school work is new, just l¼ year old. The 20 students have learned astonishing fast in a short period of time, and they enjoy going to school. The farmers also like their little school. When I visited them last Sunday, all the students immediately came, and they hung around me wherever I went.

Mhers boy, Murad, ca. 7 years old, is a sweet boy, so wise and alert. Immediately he wanted to read to me and retrieve his father's big Bible. He could read Joh. ev. Chapter 3, and it went pretty well too. The older son has now gone to school with us in Musch for three years, for him to do well, Mher keeps him with us, and he is also a dear and clever boy. Mher said, "Afterwards, I will send him to the seminary in Mesereh, and when he is finished as a teacher, he can come to Chorung and teach the children." And Ardasches did not mind. Mher himself also learns to read and can read everything in the Bible. He would like his village to be different and probably works for the Lord.

The small house that the farmers have built is very small and insufficient for school and teacher housing, so if God wills, and He gives us funds for it, then we would like to build a schoolhouse with 2 rooms next year. The farmers give the plot and they will all work, if only we will provide planks and some good masons and carpenters, who can build the walls and the house. They believe that such a house will cost 30-40 lira.

Finally, I held a small congregation in Mher's house; but unfortunately, not all came; because the agha in the village, a Turk, had forced several of them to work for him on Sundays as well. If they don't, they fear he will set fire to their straw or hay. Last year, Mher's brother had not lent him his truck, and the result was that the "agha" burned up Mher's hay, worth 20 lira, so he had nothing for his cattle in the winter. So, the Turks take revenge; for they know that the poor Armenian peasants are not going to get justice from the government.

This year, grasshoppers have destroyed much of their grain and tobacco.

I can rejoice that I finally found a suitable Bible woman in Musch. She is an elderly widow and is called Marjam, an avid and warm Christian. She also knows Turkish, so she can also visit the Turkish women, which I am glad. For several years she worked in Charput as a Bible woman. I am so grateful to the Lord for this help.

For the day school for girls and for the village schools, we need large maps of Asia and Europe, etc., and we are missing a lot of school books. We would also be happy to have some nice, big biblical pictures to hang on the walls.

My sincere thanks for all the prayers and help! Evangelism and school work in Musch are of such great importance to the mission's progress, which is why I want to place it warmly in my mind.

Warm greetings from your devotee Bodil Biørn.

Doctor for Musch.

Musch is a city of 20000 inhabitants, of which 10000 Armenians and 10000 Muhammadans.

On the large Musch plains there are 350 villages and up in the mountains 50. Most of these 400 villages are Armenian.

Musch is located on a high plateau approx.