Homes, Customs, and Friends in India

The work in India grew and prospered, so that although there were many trials and the task a heavy one, they pressed on. Sometimes tests and hardships came from the fields where she labored, and sometimes it came from those who were at home, who should have been understanding. But every missionary would testify that some of the heaviest loads come from those who profess to be back of the great task, but whose vision is too narrow.

On one occasion, when walking over the campgrounds at home, a woman who had claimed to have an interest in the mission came up to her and said, “I have heard that the people of India eat their food with their fingers. Is it true?”

“Yes, it is true.”

“I have also heard that those at the Shelter Home are eating that way. Is it true?”

“Yes, it is true.”

“Well, I know, of course, you could not afford to buy knives and forks for all that group, but if we here in America will send you the proper amount of knives and forks, will you teach them to eat as we do?”

“No,” she answered quietly.

“Why not?”

“Because I did not go to India to make Americans out of them and to compel them to change their customs for ours when theirs have naught to do with morals. I went to India to save lives and souls. I will not try to change their way of life.”

“Then I will not support such a person,” said the outraged woman, as she stalked away.

How narrow-minded we become as we send our pittance across the great rolling seas, saying, “If we give you these pennies and scraps left over from our bountiful tables in America, you must be like us. You must dress in our dress, eat as we eat, use our language, and think as we think.”

Perhaps we have never thought what an oddity we would make of converts, requiring them to dress as foreigners in their own land. This would indeed make the natives very noticeable among their fellow men and bring needless persecution and troubles. Neither does this engender more or better fruit in that land. It is the soul that must be saved, the inner man must be changed, and all will right itself when this is done. The pagan does not want to look like a worked-over article, but would walk among his fellow man as he is, save for his soul that has found peace.

In the “Shelter,” Faith Stewart wore the regular American house-dress, but when she went out to the social gatherings necessary, she often donned the native sari.* When in New York, we had the privilege to visit the United Nations Building, and while there watched the native Indian women walking about the building; and of all the women there, these women were the most graceful and most modestly dressed. Not an American woman present walked with the freedom and graceful ease as did these sisters of the Orient as they moved to and fro handling their lovely garments.

A young American missionary who visited the mission found it very difficult to eat with her knife and fork, lifting her food all the way from the mat on the floor to her mouth. They have their table etiquette, and among their better class have their books of instructions as we do and eat as daintily and as good-mannered as we. They do not need our American customs and dress, but they do need Christ, and the sooner we realize this, the better progress we will make in the mission field.

While laboring on in this field during the First World War, while engaged both in orphanage work and in general mission work in the first years, she was connected with the Missionary Board that had their headquarters in Anderson, Indiana, and at that time, when an offering came in for the work in India, they sent it on to her. There was no salary nor stipulated amount for regular support, and the work was definitely carried on by faith. As we have said, assuming no responsibility for financing the mission, they did what they could in a brotherly way from time to time. She writes of this period as follows:

Our experiences were so great and the many answers to prayer so marvelous, that I could write volumes and not tell it all. During those days, we frequently had to say as did the psalmist of old, “The LORD hath done great things for us; whereof we are glad.”* (Psalm 126:3) However, I am not going to use much time or space telling of what great things happened twenty or thirty years ago, but since He is just the same today, we shall have new experiences from time to time. But a few things are in keeping to show His goodness to the children of men.

At one time during the War, it was very difficult to get meat, and in time, the girls in the Shelter grew very hungry for it. They knew that these hard times were brought on by the war, and they said nothing to me or the other workers about their desire for meat. But a group of the older ones (from ten to fourteen years of age), got together and went far out from the house under the shade of trees, and there they had a good prayer meeting, laying their desires right out before their Heavenly Father, in full confidence that He would grant their petition.

Later, when telling me all about it, they said that at first they had asked the Lord to either send money or meat; but after considering it awhile, one of them said to the others: “But girls, if God sends money, Mama will not know it is for meat when there are so many needs, and she will surely buy something else with it.” So they went in prayer again and asked the Lord not to send money but to send meat.

I knew nothing about this simple childish prayer, but I did know that for two days the girls kept right up around the house. Many times during those days, I urged them to go out under the shade where it was cooler, but to no avail.

About noon of the second day after they had prayed, a man came to the house with a large basket of meat on his head. A note was brought to me from the sender telling me that the meat was for the children. The girls were even then on the back veranda listening to what the man was saying, and by the time I got the meat back to them, they were simply overcome with the great joy that filled their young hearts as they realized their prayer was fully answered. I rejoiced with them, and we mingled our tears of gratitude together and adored our Savior and Friend as they related to me their experience of taking their desire before the Lord and then waiting for the promised answer.

The following day, I called on Mrs. White, the lady who had been used of God to help answer the children’s prayer. As I related to her how earnestly they had prayed and how they had waited the two days in faith, she wept bitter tears, and said, “Miss Stewart, I am so ashamed of myself.”

Then she told me that the family owned two sheep and cared for them as pets, but that two days before she had sent the meat, God had spoken clearly to her, telling her to have a certain one of these sheep butchered and to send the meat over to the Girls’ Home. She said that she had refused to do so, and that on the following morning when she went out to open the door of the little house where the sheep were kept, she found the very one God had called for, on the floor dead.

She was convinced that God had taken the animal because she had withheld it and refused to obey Him. So at once she and her husband called a butcher, asking him to kill and dress the meat of the other sheep so that it could be sent to the Children’s Home.

Thus God again proved His faithfulness in answering prayer. Although it had only been children who had laid their desires before the Lord, has He not said that the desires of the righteous shall be granted? Yes, thank God. And even children can love and serve the Lord and can get their prayers through and have them answered. And if the answer is sometimes delayed, never cast away your confidence, for “though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come.”* (Habakkuk 2:3)

The adequate plan of the house in Cuttack where the girls were housed and her system of work and schooling was admirable and won the respect of all who knew about it, and the British official as well. Her work of rescuing so many little Indian girls and the noble effort that was made to fit them for a finer and nobler life was at last appreciated by the Government, and she was presented with a Kaiser-i-Hind Medal in recognition of her valuable work in connection with the “Shelter.” She also received a letter from H. Le Mesurier, member of Council, congratulating her for admirable and courageous work.