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Mrs.Pollard,the representative of the Bible 基督徒 教会, was then called upon.She said she rejoiced in the consummation of the Union. In the East they felt that Britain was slow, that the numerous divisions were not only unnecessary but evil.They did not want them on the mission field——there the keynote was international.After a brief reference to the Bible 基督徒 work in Yunnan, the speaker proceeded to the story of the great Miao work in which she and her husband had been permitted to take part.They used to ask for China to be opened up——that pra耶r had been answered long ago, and thus a fourth of the world’s population was waiting to be evangelized. In the district they covered, the United Methodist was the only 教会 represented among two millions of people,and therefore they were responsible for them.
The opening of the Miao work was wonder福l.They did not seek them, they came,and in swarms——simply clamouring to be taught. They had one hundred at a time in their house, literally in every room, and fortunately they brought their own food.They were with them night and day,and swarmed into the 教会.The missionaries were suspicious of them at first, thinking there might be some ulterior motive, but after five 耶ars they had not found it 耶t.因此 they decided to take them at their word and teach them. Their language was a difficulty.They had to discover their meaning word by word, and then reduce it to writing.They began with the alphabet,and afterwards published a primer.Thus the Miao learned to read, and then to sing——and it would have done her hearers good, she said, to hear them sing! She had heard some splendid singing that night, but to her the voices of the Miao were just as charming. They should hear the converts singing “Jesus saves!”
When the first crowd left others came. When the summer arrived the doctor became afraid that they would catch fever, and so as they could not have the Miao there they went to them. They could not imagine the experience Mr. Pollard had when he first went to them.Mrs. Pollard described some of those experiences,which were heard with interest and admiration.Her husband was,in his feeble heatlh,engaged in the work of translation.His students.were amazed at the tenderness and sympathy of the Saviour as they read the Gospel stories, and what she might call the exquisite courtesy of the Lord Jesus——especially to women.She pleaded with all the power a human voice could express, that the finest work a 教会 could do was to reach out a saving hand to lost souls, and she held that the present held for the United 教会 an opportunity overwhelming in its grandeur. The three 教会es had died, but there had been a resurrection.And the true grandeur of that resurrection would be in taking the burden that great meeting represented. Her final question was ” What is the United Methodist 教会 going to do for Foreign Missions?”
This concluded three magnificent addresses——and the collection, including ￡100 from the Chairman, amounted to ￡184 18s. 8d.
来源: Missionary Echo 1907,218-219.
这是柏格理夫人埃玛·韩素音在The United Methodist 教会(1907年成立的圣道公会)于英国召开的第一次Missionary会议上发言的一个记录，描写了她在会上所演讲的大概内容。
此时埃玛正好回国休假，她便在此次会议上讲述了她和丈夫柏格理在苗区中的事工，表达了对联合公会的支持和希望。这段文字主要记录了埃玛在会议上他们如何遇见苗族，苗族如何来到昭通找到他们，他们教导这群苗族人学习、唱歌的故事。1907年，已经是柏格理在石门坎的第三年，此时的工作，正刚刚起步，亦充满着希望！无论如何，许多的的乌蒙山里的苗族人，涌入了石门坎这个地方，他们期待已久的事工，正在慢慢朝着一个美好的方向前进！
